Evan Turner in Player of the Year Consideration?

In the midst of conference play in yet another exciting season of college basketball, the annual question has popped up. Who is the best player in all of college basketball? 

When analyzing who should be given this award, many things should be taken into account beyond just statistical analysis. You must look at all of the intangibles that a certain player may have. Their hustle, heart, determination, leadership, and how much they mean to their team must also be taken into account because this is, after all, college basketball and these qualities affect the outcome of a game much more than they do in the NBA.

When you look at all of these things as a whole, one person who sticks out has both the stats and the intangibles is forward Evan Turner of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

First, a look at the biggest contenders so far this year (in no particular order, of course).

Cole Aldrich C Kansas

Cole has not quite lived up to the hype after deciding to forgo the NBA draft last year and return to college to try to win a national championship. He has recently broken out of his funk.

However, posting double digits in scoring in the past five games, and in his last game, against Missouri, he was only three blocks shy of a triple-double.  He has averaged 11.3 points per game, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks. He is a double-double machine.

Damion James G-F Texas

Damion James is one of the most reliable players in the country. He rarely disappears in games (the only exception being Texas' first loss against Kansas State), especially when they need him to make big plays and play strong defense. 

James has a sweet shot, and is quite selective with it, allowing him to shoot 40 percent from beyond the arc.  The sensational senior is the leader of a terrific Texas team that should go deep into the tournament come March. 

He is averaging 17.6 points and 10.8 rebounds and makes an impact in every game he plays.

Luke Harangody F Notre Dame

He is the high scorer of the POY contenders. He scores at will with his big bruising body, daring defenders to take their shot at him. He works hard for every bucket, and his numbers reflect that. 

Harangody has scored 29 or more points in seven games this year, four of them in conference play. The big body in South Bend is averaging a scorching 24.7 points and 9.9 rebounds.

(Other contenders: Da'sean Butler, WV; John Wall, Kentucky; John Scheyer, Duke; and Wesley Johnson, Syracuse.)

The case that seems to be most intriguing, however, is that of Evan Turner. It is obvious he is one of the best all-around players in the league. 

He has had two triple-doubles this year (just two away from tying for the most triple-doubles in a season). I know the argument, both of those triple-doubles came against the "scrubs" of Alcorn St. and Lipscomb, but Turner has come within range of the magical trip-dub in three other games this season. No matter who a guy is playing against, that is quite impressive.

Turner has become the leader of what seemed to be a faceless Ohio State team at the beginning of this season and turned them into a Big 10 powerhouse. He has averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 9.8 rebounds per game this season. It is obvious he is very important to his team after they went 0-3 without him against teams not named Presbyterian, Delaware St., and Cleveland St.

If not for breaking his back in a blowout against Eastern Michigan he would, without any doubt, be a top-three contender for the POY award. He came back from the injury after only sitting out six games over three-and-a-half weeks, an amount of time that is absolutely ridiculous. 

The scariest part is he has said that he is only at about 80 to 90 percent, which means when he is back to 100 percent, the teams around the Big 10 had better beware, because Evan Turner is easily one of the best players in the NCAA this year.