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NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Ben Simmons #25 of the LSU Tigers dribbles the ball during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers during the quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 11: Ben Simmons #25 of the LSU Tigers dribbles the ball during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers during the quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Ben Simmons Wins 2016 Wayman Tisdale Award: Latest Comments, Reaction

Timothy Rapp
Mar 16, 2016

LSU forward Ben Simmons was named the 2016 Wayman Tisdale Award winner Wednesday, according to the USBWA, given to the top freshman in college basketball. ย ย 

LSU Basketball congratulated Simmons on Twitter:

The otherย finalistsย for the award included California guard Jaylen Brown, Marquette forward Henry Ellenson, Duke forward Brandon Ingram and Kentucky guard Jamal Murray.

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Sign up andย play Bleacher Report's Bracket Challengeย now for a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Trip to four events of your choice.ย  And click here forย B/R's Printable Bracket.ย 

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Despite LSU's failure to reach the NCAA tournament this season, Simmons was excellent, averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. His 23 double-doubles this season were tied for the third-most in college basketball history for a freshman with Kevin Love, behind only Michael Beasley (28) and Julius Randle (24), according toย ESPN Stats & Information.

At 6'10" and 225 pounds, he's the rare breed of forward who can play inside, outside and operate as a point forward, distributing to his teammates.ย While his jump shot will need to improve at the next level and he's been critiqued for a lack of aggressiveness at times, Simmons is widely considered one of the top two prospects in the 2016 NCAA draft, alongside Ingram.

One NBA general manager compared him to Milwaukee Bucks starย Giannis Antetokounmpo, perย Chad Ford and Kevin Peltonย of ESPN.com:ย "Simmons is more advanced for his age, but if you are watching what Giannis is doing right now, I could see Simmonsโ€”if he reaches his ceilingโ€”putting up similar numbers. Simmons is stronger, a more explosive athlete, a better rebounder and an even better passer than Giannis."

Any team drafting Simmons this season will certainly be hoping for that type of impact, asย Antetokounmpo has four triple-doubles in his last 12 games. Despite, at times, failing to live up to the enormous hype that followed him to LSU, Simmons was nonetheless dominant enough to be considered the top freshman in all of college basketball and one of the best players in the nation this season, period.

You can follow Timothy Rapp onย Twitter.

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