Zach Edey Headlines 2024 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Semifinalists

Purdue star Zach Edey headlines the list of 10 semifinalists for the 2024 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Award.

The Boilermakers center is looking to join Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson as the only men's players in history to win the award multiple times. Here's the full list of semifinalists announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.

• Zach Edey, Purdue
• RJ Davis, North Carolina
• Kyle Filipowski, Duke
• DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
• Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
• Tyler Kolek, Marquette
• Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State
• Caleb Love, Arizona
• Tristen Newton, Connecticut
• Jamal Shead, Houston

The most recent update prior to Friday's announcement came on Feb. 15 when the midseason top-30 list was released. All 10 semifinalists were included on that list.

Edey is going to be favored to win the award again. The senior leads the nation in scoring average (24.2 points per game) and ranks third in rebounding (11.7) for a Purdue team that has been ranked in the top four of the AP poll all season.

Tennesse's Dalton Knecht and North Carolina's RJ Davis might be the biggest challengers to Edey. Knecht leads the SEC in scoring average (21.4) and is shooting 40.5 percent from three-point range on 6.1 attempts per contest.

The Volunteers are currently projected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. If they win the SEC tournament and Knecht plays well throughout, it could be enough to sway support in his favor.

Davis has the Tar Heels peaking at the right time. They have won seven straight games, highlighted by a victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 9. He scored a season-high 42 points in a 75-71 win against Miami on Feb. 26.

North Carolina's senior standout ranks in the top 25 nationally in both scoring average (21.1) and three-point percentage (41.6) in 32 starts.

Caleb Love, who played with Davis for three years before transferring after last season, has been the driving force behind Arizona's success. He's averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game for the 25-7 Wildcats.

If Edey prevails in the voting, it will mark the third time a Purdue men's or women's player has won the award. Glenn Robinson was the first to do it in 1994 before Edey last year.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the winner of the 2024 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Award on April 7 during the Final Four at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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