College Basketball: B/R National Player of the Year Award Watch for Jan. 30

As conference races are heating up and the national polls are shifting on a weekly basis, the stars of college basketball are showing why their teams count on them to lead the way.

Some of them played exceptionally as their teams picked up important wins (Aren't they all important, Brodess?). Others had mediocre outings that created problems for their teams.

Here is a quick look at the Top Ten candidates for the B/R National Player of the Year Award.

10. Perry Jones III: Baylor

Position: Power Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'11"  Wt: 235 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 14.7

Rebounds: 7.9

Assists: 1.2

Steals: 1.0  Blocks: 0.9

This past week: PJ3 put up two solid double-doubles in Baylor's two victories, going for 21 points and 12 rebounds against Oklahoma and 22 points and 14 rebounds against Texas.

Baylor looks strong (19-2; 6-2 Big 12) as they get ready to head down the home stretch with five home and five road games left to play in the regular season.

9. Tyler Zeller: North Carolina

Position: Center

Class: Senior

Ht: 7'0"  Wt: 250 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 14.7

Rebounds: 9.7

Assists: 1.1

Steals: 1.1  Blocks: 1.2

This past week: Zeller had his best outing of the year against North Carolina State, dropping in 21 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. Three days later, he put in 17 points and grabbed 3 rebounds against Georgia Tech.

Zeller may be one of the least showy players in the country, but he just gets things done.

8. John Henson: North Carolina

Position: Power Forward

Class: Junior

Ht: 6'11"  Wt: 220 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 14.3

Rebounds: 10.1

Assists: 1.4

Steals: 0.6  Blocks: 3.3

This past week: John Henson had two decent games, going for 9 points and 10 boards against NC State, and 13 points and 6 rebounds against Georgia Tech.

Henson blocked nine shots in these two games, increasing his season total to 65 in 21 games (3.3 bpg).

7. Jeremy Lamb: UConn

Position: Shooting Guard

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'5"  Wt: 185 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 17.9

Rebounds: 4.3

Assists: 2.1

Steals: 1.5  Blocks: 0.8

This past week: Lamb was not on the tip-top of his game in the Huskies' disappointing loss at home to Notre Dame.

The 6'5 guard had 16 points and 5 rebounds, but he also committed four fouls and four turnovers.

6. Kevin Jones: West Virginia

Position: Power Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'8"  Wt: 260 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 20.9

Rebounds: 11.6

Assists: 1.3

Steals: 0.9  Blocks: 1.1

This past week: West Virginia may have lost two games this past week, but Kevin Jones did his part in trying to get a "W."

Jones scored 26 points and 14 rebounds against St. John's and 20 points and 8 boards against Syracuse.

5. Anthony Davis: Kentucky

Position: Power Forward

Class: Freshman

Ht: 6'10"  Wt: 220 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 13.3

Rebounds: 10.3

Assists: 0.9

Steals: 1.5  Blocks: 4.6

This past week: Davis had a rather quiet outing against Georgia (4 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks), before getting back to a more normal 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks against LSU.

Davis leads the nation in blocked shots with 101 blocks in UK's 22 games.

4. Harrison Barnes: North Carolina

Position: Small Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'8"  Wt: 215 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 17.3

Rebounds: 4.7

Assists: 1.0

Steals: 1.3  Blocks: 0.4

This past week: Harrison Barnes only played 22 minutes and scored 15 points in the Tar Heels' rout of NC State.

Barnes led the way in UNC's victory over Georgia Tech, scoring 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

3. Doug McDermott: Creighton

Position: Shooting Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'7"  Wt: 210 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 23.5

Rebounds: 8.4

Assists: 1.3

Steals: 0.1  Blocks: 0.1

This past week: D-McD had two excellent games this week, dropping 30 points and pulling down 9 boards on Drake, and going for 24 points and grabbing 6 rebounds against Bradley.

In both games, McDermott shot an identical 10-for-14 from the field and hit a combined 12-for-13 from the line.

McDermott is the No. 2 scorer in the nation, while Creighton is 18-2 on the season.

2. Jared Sullinger: Ohio State

Position: Power Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'9"  Wt: 280

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 17.3

Rebounds: 9.3

Assists: 1.0

Steals: 1.5  Blocks: 0.8

This past week: Sullinger is having a steady sophomore season. On Wednesday, he went for 20 points and 13 points in only 27 minutes in a OSU win against Penn State.

On Sunday, Sullinger coasted to a 13 point, 5 rebound outing against Big Ten rival Michigan.

On the year, the 6'9" sophomore PF has almost identical numbers to what he had last year when he won the National Freshman of the Year award.

1. Thomas Robinson: Kansas

Position: Power Forward

Class: Junior

Ht: 6'9"  Wt: 237 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 17.5

Rebounds: 11.8

Assists: 1.6

Steals: 1.2  Blocks: 1.2

This past week: Robinson made all ten of his free throws on Monday against Texas A&M on his way to scoring 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking 4 shots.

He had a substandard outing in Ames as the Jayhawks were upset by Iowa State on Saturday. Robinson scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, but also committed 5 TO's.

Robinson is the No. 2 rebounder in the nation.