Updated Player of the Year Rankings for College Basketball in 2016-17

The final week of the 2016-17 college basketball season is upon us, and with the calendar turning to March it's time to pare down our list of national player of the year candidates. After highlighting at least 10 all year long, and with only a month left before the winners of the Naismith, Wooden and other national POY awards are announced, it's unlikely someone not considered among the top seven contenders would be able to make a run for the hardware.

With that in mind we've shrunk this list in order to focus on the players who have the best shot to win those awards, and if you see whom they play for you'll know their teams also happen to be in the best position to compete for a national title.

At this point in the season, the overall statistics these players are producing don't matter as much as how much they're helping get their teams prepared for the postseason. We've still listed their numbers but their rank is more dependent on the intangibles that don't end up in the box score.

7. Dillon Brooks, Oregon

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Previous rank: Not ranked

2016-17 stats: 15.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 51.7% FG, 42.3% 3-pt FG, 70.8% FT

Great players make big plays in key moments, even if they struggled the rest of the game. How else do you explain how Dillon Brooks was a combined 1-of-7 from three-point range against UCLA in December and 1-of-4 from deep at California last week before draining game-winning threes in the final second each time?

The junior wing isn't lacking in confidence—some might say he has too much, leading to a level of cockiness that rubs many the wrong way—but in clutch situations being cocksure usually pays off. It has for the Ducks, who, when Brooks was out at the start of the season and even early on after his return, were offensively inept. But as he's healed up, so has their attack.

Oregon can win a second straight Pac-12 regular-season title with a win this weekend over rival Oregon State, and it's in the hunt for a No. 1 seed. And with Brooks leading the way the Ducks could be in line to improve on last year's Elite Eight performance.

6. Justin Jackson, North Carolina

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Previous rank: 6th

2016-17 stats: 18.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 45.6% FG, 39.3% 3-pt FG, 75.8% FT

North Carolina's second consecutive ACC regular-season title has been the product of having a balanced team that isn't overly reliant on just one player. But as nice as that is, in order for the Tar Heels to get back to the national championship game they'll need someone to step forward and be the leader.

Justin Jackson is the best fit for that role, the junior forward who is UNC's leading scorer and most frequent shooter. He shouldn't be asked to do it all himself, but it's imperative that Jackson gets his chances if the Heels are going to make another deep run.

Monday night saw Jackson attempt 10 shots, tied for the third fewest he's taken this season and fewest in any ACC game; he made only three for a season-low seven points. Not surprisingly, UNC lost 53-43 at Virginia for its lowest point total in coach Roy Williams' 14 seasons.

Less than two weeks earlier, against the same slow-paced Virginia defense, Jackson had 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He needs to be more aggressive, particularly against teams bent on shutting him down, or the Heels will be lacking that go-to player that's so important in the postseason.

5. Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga

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Previous rank: 5th

2016-17 stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 50.9% FG, 36.3% 3-pt FG, 90.9% FT

Turns out Gonzaga is mortal, just like every other team in Division I. The Bulldogs' shocking loss to BYU in their regular-season finale on Saturday—the third straight year they've lost at home to BYU—left us with zero unbeaten teams and provided the first indication that Gonzaga might be flawed.

Nigel Williams-Goss still had a solid game, with 19 points, but he missed all three of his three-point attempts and turned it over four times, matching a season high. He's been able to do it all year but even the best players have an off night from time to time. The key is how they respond to it.

With that in mind, expect the junior guard and the rest of the Bulldogs to put forth one of their best efforts in their next game in the West Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. He and his teammates no longer have to endure the pressure of going undefeated, and that should allow them to return to being the Gonzaga that won its first 29 games by an average of more than 24 points.

4. Lonzo Ball, UCLA

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Previous rank: 4th

2016-17 stats: 14.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.9 SPG, 54.8% FG, 41.4% 3-pt FG, 66.3% FT

If the season ended today and Lonzo Ball were named national player of the year, he'd have the second-lowest scoring average of anyone to win the Wooden Award and third-lowest among Naismith winners. Only Kentucky's Anthony Davis in 2011-12 (14.2 PPG) and Georgetown's Patrick Ewing in 1984-85 (14.6 PPG) were less prolific.

What did those two players have in common? Both led their teams to the national championship game despite not being the most explosive scorers, finding other ways to contribute. That's the same thing Ball has done during his freshman year and why UCLA is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was a season ago.

His 11 points in Saturday's win at Arizona was among his lowest of the season, but he made up for it with five rebounds, eight assists and two steals. On a team that doesn't get much praise for defense, Ball has been one of the most dedicated to that job, the only backcourt player with a defensive rating under 100.

Ball leads the nation in assists per game and is essential to UCLA ranking first in the country in shooting (52.9 percent) and scoring (91.6 PPG).

3. Caleb Swanigan, Purdue

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Previous rank: 2nd

2016-17 stats: 18.6 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 54.0% FG, 45.5% 3-pt FG, 79.3% FT

Purdue clinched at least a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title with Tuesday's 86-75 home win over rival Indiana. And as was the case almost every game this year, that victory involved Caleb Swanigan posting a double-double.

The sophomore big man scored 21 points with 10 rebounds for his 24th double-double, remaining tied with Seton Hall's Angel Delgado for the national lead. Swanigan had failed to do so in Purdue's previous two games, a narrow win at Penn State and a loss at Michigan, averaging 14 points and seven rebounds in that span.

Those would be good numbers for most but not for Swanigan, who entered Tuesday second in the nation in total rebound percentage by pulling down 23.1 percent of rebounds when on the court. And because he's been such a beast on the boards this year, that's led to him drawing more fouls, getting more trips to the line and making more free throws (149) than anyone else in the Big Ten.

2. Josh Hart, Villanova

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Previous rank: 3rd

2016-17 stats: 18.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 50.6% FG, 39.9% 3-pt FG, 75.4% FT

Villanova was shocked at home last week by Butler, its seniors losing at their on-campus arena for the first time in their career. That game saw senior guard Josh Hart miss all four of his foul shots while missing a season-high 11 field goals.

It was one of Hart's worst shooting nights of the season and had a direct impact on the result. Three days later he was 7-of-11 from the field in a Senior Day win over Creighton.

Hart is averaging 33.3 minutes per game, nearly two minutes more than during his junior year when he helped pilot Villanova to the national title. That team was much deeper than this one, which for the past few weeks has consisted of a six-man rotation with forward Darryl Reynolds nursing a rib injury, and the extra minutes have led to across-the-board fatigue for the Wildcats.

Villanova only has one game this week, so Hart and his teammates can rest up for the postseason, when it will be trying to be the first defending champion to make it past the Sweet 16 since Florida repeated in 2006-07.

1. Frank Mason III, Kansas

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Previous rank: 1st

2016-17 stats: 20.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 48.5% FG, 50.0% 3-pt FG, 76.9% FT

It may seem like Frank Mason III hit a wall recently, his overall shooting numbers dipping in February even to the point that he's no longer Kansas' most reliable three-point shooter. But what hasn't changed is that when push comes to shove, the Jayhawks want him on the court and will do whatever it takes to get the ball into his hands.

Mason only had six of his 23 points during Kansas' massive comeback Monday against Oklahoma, a 31-8 run over the final 9:43, but he assisted on five other baskets while also picking up two steals. By tapping into his point guard roots rather than focusing totally on being a scorer, the senior makes it so others could contribute and prevents the Jayhawks from being too dependent on one player.

What we saw Monday from Mason was a microcosm of how he's played all year: No matter how the rest of the game goes, in the late stages he's been at his best. It's why Kansas has won seven in a row and has wrapped up an amazing 13th consecutive Big 12 title, and why the Jayhawks are primed for a second straight No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Mason averaged 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in last year's tourney. Expect him to blow those numbers out of the water this time around.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.