Chet Holmgren, Johnny Davis, Kofi Cockburn Headline Naismith Men's POY Semifinalists

Only 10 players remain in the hunt for the Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year. Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, Wisconsin's Johnny Davis and Illinois' Kofi Cockburn are among the headliners.

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Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year Semifinalists

• Ochai Agbaji, Kansas 
• Kofi Cockburn, Illinois 
• Johnny Davis, Wisconsin 
• Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga 
• E.J. Liddell, Ohio State 
• Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona 
• Keegan Murray, Iowa 
• Jabari Smith, Auburn 
• Drew Timme, Gonzaga 
• Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

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Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe might have the inside track for the award. The Wildcats star has been a double-double machine, putting up 17.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game.

In Kentucky's regular season finale, Tshiebwe dropped 27 points, 14 boards and three steals in 36 minutes on the floor. The 6'9" forward can be almost unstoppable at times, even when opposing teams throw multiple defenders his way.

Should he be shut out of the major individual honors this year, Holmgren might have at least solidified himself as the top player in the 2022 NBA draft class. He's averaging 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks while shooting 61.0 percent overall and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Zags have already punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament after beating Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference tournament championship.

Illinois and Wisconsin both open the Big Ten tournament Friday, and there's still a chance for a head-to-head battle between Cockburn (21.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 0.8 BPG) and Davis (20.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG) in Sunday's title game. 

With Holmgren now playing the waiting game until the Big Dance, the conference tourneys present Tshiebwe, Cockburn and Davis with a great opportunity to catapult themselves to the top of the Naismith field.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the four Naismith finalists on March 22. The winner will be named on April 3, one day before the Division I national champion will be crowned.