BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
College basketball’s award season is drawing near, and the finalists for the highest honor a collegiate point guard can receive have been announced.
The elite guards in contention are Mark Sears, Walter Clayton Jr., Kam Jones, Braden Smith, and Zakai Zeigler. This continues the trend of dominance the SEC has had in college basketball this season, as the conference is represented by three of the five finalists for the award.
Sears has led No. 7 Alabama to a 23-6 record and the third-best record in a ruthless SEC conference this season. The senior guard is averaging 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Clayton Jr. is representing the No. 5 Florida Gators, who are 25-4 overall and currently tied with Alabama in conference play. He is averaging 17 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
Jones is one of the two non-SEC guards to be a finalist for the award for No. 20 Marquette, who is second in the BIG EAST with a 22-7 record. The BIG EAST guard is averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
Smith is the second non-SEC finalist, as he represents No. 18 Purdue who is 5th in the Big Ten with a 20-9 record. The junior guard is averaging 16 points and 4.5 rebounds and is second in the nation in assists at 8.7 assists per game.
Zeigler is the last SEC representative for No. 4 Tennessee with a 24-5 record. The 5’9 guard is averaging 13.7 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists per game.
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