Ranking college basketball's top 20 players thus far in 2017

Welcome to theScore’s NCAA player power rankings, which shouldn’t be confused with an NBA mock draft. This top 20 is based purely on evaluations of performance at the college basketball level, while taking quality of team and opponent into consideration.

Here’s how the best players stack up through just over a month of action:

20. Kenrich Williams, G (Senior), TCU

Williams has been the driving force behind a TCU team ranked 14th in the nation. The 6-foot-7 guard can do it all, leading the team in points (14.2), rebounds (10.1), and steals (2.7) per game. Williams paces all NCAA guards with six double-doubles on the season and has played a leading role in preserving TCU’s perfect 10-0 record, most recently putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Nevada.

19. Lagerald Vick, G (Junior), Kansas

Vick is thriving with increased responsibility and expectations, stuffing the stat sheet to the tune of 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He’s proven to be both a scoring threat and willing facilitator. For a Jayhawks team that takes 41 percent of its shots from behind the 3-point line, Vick’s ability to hit from deep (45 percent on 4.4 attempts) is significant.

18. Miles Bridges, G/F (Sophomore), Michigan State

Many expected more from Bridges out the gate, but he remains the most important player on the nation’s second-ranked team. Sure, his scoring (15.6 PPG) and shooting (.442 percent) numbers are down from a year ago, but his free-throw percentage, assists, and blocks are up. His turnovers and fouls per game have also decreased. The Spartans are a sum-of-their-parts squad, and Bridges is the most important link in the chain. The preseason All-American’s numbers are sure to improve as the season progresses.

17. Jock Landale, C (Junior), Saint Mary’s

Casual fans are likely unfamiliar with the 8-2 Gaels, but they’re missing out on the towering Aussie’s dominant play. Landale is averaging 21.3 points per game on 65 percent shooting, while hauling in 9.4 rebounds. The 2017 first-team All-WCC center is a force, ranking third nation-wide in made field goals (86) and sixth in Player Efficiency Rating (33.6). When the big man is on his game, he’s almost impossible to defend.

16. Collin Sexton, G (Freshman), Alabama

Sexton is the heartbeat that’s kept Alabama humming so far this season. Arguably the single most exciting player to watch in college basketball, the 2017 McDonald’s All-American slam dunk champion plays every possession like it could be his last and, at 21.6 points per game, has supplied nearly 25 percent of Alabama’s total scoring. Everything you need to know about Sexton was on display in the now infamous 5-on-3 game against Minnesota, in which he scored 17 of his game-high 40 points during a final 30-22 run for Alabama, which was playing two men short.

15. Desi Rodriguez, F (Senior), Seton Hall

Rodriguez is neither the biggest name nor the flashiest player, but he’s the most efficient offensive threat on a deep Seton Hall team. The senior forward has saved his best for the Pirates’ toughest matchups of 2017: wins against ranked Louisville and Texas Tech. He scored 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting against the Cardinals, and contributed 24 points and seven rebounds against the Red Raiders. On the year, Rodriguez is averaging 19.4 points and 5.2 rebounds.

14. Trevon Bluiett, G (Senior), Xavier

One of the most talented offensive players in college basketball, Bluiett deserves a place on our list. Through 10 games, the senior is averaging 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and nearly three assists. Bluiett leads the charge on the NCAA’s second-best offense (125.4 points per 100 minutes). He’s also shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc on nearly seven attempts per game. Stepping up in the clutch, Bluiett scored 28 points with five 3-pointers against crosstown rival Cincinnati.

13. Grayson Allen, G (Senior), Duke

After a junior season to forget, Allen is putting together a senior campaign to remember. Allen’s 17.2 points per game don’t jump off the page compared to the 21.6 he averaged in his sophomore year, but his improved efficiency has resulted in career highs from both two- and 3-point range, as well as at the free-throw line.The 6-5 guard is also averaging a career-high 4.4 assists, and dropped a career-best 37 points in Duke’s biggest win of the season, against Michigan State.

12. Luke Maye, F (Junior), North Carolina

Maye’s rise from unknown March Madness hero to national superstar has been fun to watch. He’s averaging just under 20 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent in a breakout season. The star forward is a nightmare to defend anywhere the court. He can post up, come off screens, and shoot from long range (48 percent on 3-pointers). Maye has been a model of consistency for a surprisingly strong Tar Heels squad, scoring at least 12 points in all but one game.

11. Bonzie Colson, F (Senior), Notre Dame

Owning one of the most fun names in college hoops, Colson can really ball. The senior has been the most consistent player for the Fighting Irish, scoring in double digits and grabbing at least six rebounds in every game this season. He leads at both ends of the floor, ranking fifth in the ACC in blocks (2.3 per game) and second in steals (2.1). In a one-point victory over Wichita State, Colson chalked up 25 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

10. Devonte’ Graham, G (Senior), Kansas

It won’t make up for a rocky week for Jayhawk nation, but Graham has been a stud for Kansas this season. The 6-2 guard is thriving as the team’s primary playmaker, averaging a career-high 7.7 assists, good for sixth in the country. Graham, who scored a career-high 35 points in back-to-back games against Toledo and Syracuse, rarely rests, logging 119 of a possible 120 minutes over the team’s past three games.

9. Landry Shamet, G (Sophomore), Wichita State

Shamet is picking up the slack for the Shockers in the absence of Markis McDuffie, averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 assists while shooting over 55 percent from the field and almost 54 from three. The guard displays an intellectual game well beyond his years (20), ranking sixth in the country in offensive rating and fifth in offensive plus/minus. With or without McDuffie, Shamet is the driving force behind Wichita State’s prolific offense.

8. Jordan Murphy, F (Junior), Minnesota

Despite Minnesota being bumped out of the top 25, Murphy’s dominant start can’t be ignored. The San Antonio native is setting records a 6-6 forward has no business setting. Murphy became the first D-l player to open a season with 12 straight double-doubles since Michael Beasley (Kansas State) 10 years ago. Murphy leads the nation in total rebounds (135) and his 64 offensive boards put him 20 ahead of the next-closest player. He’s doing all this while averaging 20.3 points per game.

7. DeAndre Ayton, F (Freshman), Arizona

The big man from the Bahamas stands 7-foot-1 and is equipped with a 250-pound frame of pure muscle. Ayton is averaging a monstrous 20.5 points on 61 percent shooting to go along with 11.9 rebounds per game - good for fourth in the nation. The 19-year-old’s best game yet came on Dec. 9 against Alabama, when he scored 29 points and vacuumed up 18 rebounds in a win. Ayton has also collected the third-most double-doubles in the country (eight).

6. Trae Young, G (Freshman), Oklahoma

No player has been more effective stuffing the stat sheet in 2017 than Young. Only eight games into his college career, he leads all players with 28.8 points per game. The freshman is not just a scorer, though; he ranks third in the nation with 8.8 assists per game. In ridiculous fashion, the former McDonald’s All-American has scored 28 or more points in six of eight games. The only factor preventing Young from claiming a top-five spot is Oklahoma’s breezy early-season schedule.

5. Mikal Bridges, G (Junior), Villanova

Few players impact every level of a game the way Bridges does for the Wildcats, averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds. The guard is also a key cog in Villanova’s defense - No. 1 in the Big East - averaging 2.1 steals, 1.4 blocks, and a 14.8 box plus/minus (sixth in the country). In his team’s biggest game against Gonzaga, Bridges dominated, scoring 28 points and grabbing six boards.

4. Jevon Carter, G (Senior), West Virginia

Carter has been a one-man wrecking crew for the 9-1 Mountaineers, leading the team in scoring (19.4) and assists (six), as well as the country in steals (3.8). He owns one of the most ridiculous stat lines in college hoops this season, putting up 20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and nine steals in a win against American U. Carter also made easy work of the best defense in the nation, chalking up 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in a win over Virginia.

3. Tra Holder, G (Senior), Arizona State

The 9-0 Sun Devils have turned a lot of heads, and Holder is their catalyst. The California native ranks third in the Pac-12 in both points (21.2) and assists (5.2) per game. Against one of the best offenses in college basketball in Xavier, the senior fought fire with fire, scoring 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting in a 102-86 shootout win. He proceeded to put up 29 points and seven assists in an upset at Kansas, propelling Arizona State to the fifth spot in the AP rankings.

2. Jalen Brunson, G (Junior), Villanova

Brunson, the most important player on college basketball’s top-ranked club, is averaging 18.5 points on 63 percent shooting (including 53.5 percent on threes). The guard runs Jay Wright’s offense to perfection, averaging more than five assists and somehow just 1.2 turnovers per game. Brunson ranks second in offensive box plus/minus (12.6) and third in offensive rating. He’s the nation’s best pure point guard and has Villanova in position for another Final Four run.

1. Marvin Bagley III, F (Freshman), Duke

The most talented player in college basketball claims top spot on our rankings. Bagley has undoubtedly lived up to the hype thus far, averaging 21.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the field. The future NBA lottery pick leads the country in field goals (102) and defensive rebounds (91), illustrating his dominance on both ends of the court. Duke may have been temporarily knocked off the top spot in the AP Poll, but it's likely to hang around with Bagley on the floor. He’s only getting better.