Naismith Award 2011: Jimmer Fredette Leaves Door Open for Walker/Sullinger

Player of the season front runner Jimmer Fredette, who struggled yesterday from the Florida Gators failed to lockup school basketballs most prestigious award. Jimmer's final stat line looks very good, as he scored 32 points, but have a deeper appear into his stats and it is not all roses for Fredette. Jimmer shot only 11-29 from the field, like just 3-15 from beyond the arc, but probably the most glaring stat was his overtime performance or lack there of.

Fredette managed zero points with two turnovers on 0-2 shooting throughout the most vital moments of his career. In my experience, the best player inside the nation should thrive in an overtime scenario like Jimmer is at, not flop. Search at UConn's Kemba Walker. The bigger the stage, the better he performs. Within the most clutch situations, Kemba comes by way of, as all excellent players ought to. It really is something to score a bunch of points in a standard season game, but it is what you do on the massive stages that comprise correct champions.

Jimmer will nonetheless be the front-runner to win the award, despite the fact that Personally i think this overall performance need to give Kemba Walker and Ohio States Jared Sullinger an opportunity to make up some ground. Walker has been absolutely nothing brief of magnificent inside the tournament, scoring 18, 33 and 36 points respectively, in each and every game to date. Kemba has enhanced his degree of play because the competition has gotten tougher and the stage is becoming larger.

Jared Sullinger has not necessary to become as huge for his Buckeyes, mainly because they've won their first couple of tournament games by a combined 61 points. Sullinger will have the greatest game of his career nowadays, as Ohio State undertake the University of Kentucky at 9:45. If Sullinger can have a dominating performance against the Wildcats, he will put his name back into the mix.