Buffs' Scott Stays Among Abdul-Jabbar Award Leaders

BOULDER — Colorado senior Josh Scott remains among the statistical leaders on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award national watch list, as he has produced double-doubles in each of his last three games.

After last weekend's play, Scott was the second-leading scorer on the list (18.7 points per game), was tied for sixth in rebounding (9.8 per game) and was among the top seven players on the list in double-doubles this season with five. He was also second on the list in shooting percentage (.649).

Scott's performance also been a major contributor to the Buffs' current eight-game win streak and top 15 national RPI standing.

A total of 20 players are on the watch list for the award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and named after one of the greatest big men ever to play the game. Last year's winner was Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky, while other finalists included Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein.

The leading scorer on the watch list is still Utah's Jakob Poeltl, but Poeltl's overall numbers dropped slightly last weekend after he had just 11 points, nine rebounds and no blocks in the Utes' 67-50 loss at Wichita State. As of Wednesday, Poeltl was averaging 20.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks

West Virginia's Devin Williams, another early leader, also saw his numbers drop after he had just 10 points and only three rebounds in a 70-54 loss to Virginia. Williams is now averaging 17.0 points and 9.8 rebounds.

Making a move up was Egidijus Mockevicius of Evansville. While the Aces dropped a decision to Arkansas, the 6-foot-10 native of Lithuania had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the game, and is now averaging 17.8 points and a list-leading 13.6 rebounds. Also moving up was Washington State's Josh Hawkinson (16.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg), who has recorded three straight double-doubles and has five for the season.

Another player who continues to maintain double-double averages is Weber State's Joel Bolomboy (17.0 ppg, 12.2 ppg). But while Bolomboy's numbers are still solid, Weber State lost three in a row, falling to BYU, Utah Valley and Denver.

Colorado fans will have the opportunity to see Scott play against three of the candidates in person. Utah and Poeltl pay a visit to Boulder on Jan. 8; Hawkinson and the Cougars play at the Coors Events Center on Feb. 11; and Arizona and Kaleb Tarczewski play in Boulder on Feb. 24 (while Tarczewski is still technically a candidate, he is out for at least another month with a foot injury).

Of the early leaders, Scott, Poeltl, Williams and Hawkinson all have the benefit of playing in Power 5 conferences. Scott, Poeltl and Williams also play on teams currently ranked in the nation's top 50 RPI. While there's no specific criteria resting on a player's team's performance, three of last year's finalists led their teams to the NCAA Final Four.

The list will be narrowed down to 10 in mid-February. In March, the award committee will select five finalists to present to Abdul-Jabbar and the Naismith Hall of Fame selection committee. The winner will be announced on April 8 at the ESPN College Basketball Awards ceremony.

ABDUL-JABBAR AWARD WATCH LIST

Josh Scott, Colorado

Jakob Poeltl, Utah

Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville

Devin Williams, West Virginia

Joel Bolomboy, Weber State

Josh Hawkinson, Washington State

Zach Auguste, Notre Dame

Jameel McKay, Iowa State

AJ Hammons, Purdue

Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina

Skal Labissiere, Kentucky