Karl Malone Award Watch List 2016: Full List Released

Preseason college basketball awards watch lists are all the rage with one month to go before the regular season starts.   

Per ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello, the names of the 20 players on the Karl Malone Award watch list, given to the nation's top power forward, have been released:

Power forward is a loaded position in college basketball this season, as there are rational arguments to be made for every player on this particular list to win at least one accolade when all is said and done. 

However, Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer has to be the preseason favorite for the Karl Malone Award. The senior star is coming off of a terrific 2014-15 campaign, shooting 54 percent and averaging 16.8 points per game, and he plays in an offensive system that allows him to put up big numbers on a nightly basis. 

Kansas' Perry Ellis is a sleeper candidate, with Gary Parrish of CBS Sports naming the senior a third-team preseason All-American: "Ellis is a four-year player and big reason why Kansas has won each of the past three Big 12 titles. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds last season. He shot 45.7 percent from the field, which was down from the previous season."

The Big 12 appears to be the conference for power forwards with five total players on the list, including Baylor stars Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince. 

It's a good time to be a fan of strong, talented, athletic forwards in college basketball. The watch list for the Karl Malone Award confirms that, as this will be a fierce, intense battle for supremacy over the next four months.