We know about Oscar Tshiebwe's candidacy for national player of the year honors.
We've seen it night after night, game after game, rebound after rebound.
But who are the other candidates in the mix with Oscar?
Here's my top 10 list, starting with Kentucky's center:
1. Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky: What more can you say? Heading into Tuesday night's game against Ole Miss, the 6-foot-9 junior was averaging 16.9 points and a nation-leading 15.3 rebounds per game. Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq was second at 13.9. Tshiebwe had recorded 23 double-doubles. Twice he'd scored 30 points in a game. Five times Tshiebwe had grabbed at least 20 rebounds in a game, including 28 against Western Kentucky.
2. Johnny Davis, Wisconsin: The 6-5 sophomore was averaging 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Badgers heading into Tuesday night's showdown against visiting Purdue. Wisconsin was 23-5 overall and led the Big Ten at 14-4. Davis had scored in double figures in every game but one. He'd scored 20-or-more points in 15 of 26 games. And he'd looked spectacular doing it.
3. Kofi Cockburn, Illinois: The 7-foot center is shooting 60.1 percent from the floor. That ranks ninth nationally in that category. Cockburn is also averaging 21.5 points and 10.7 rebounds. He's recorded 14 double-doubles in 23 games. A plus: Cockburn scored 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Illinois' win over Wisconsin on Feb. 2. One knock: Illinois has lost two of its last four games.
4. Keegan Murray, Iowa: The 6-8 sophomore is fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 23.2 points per game. Murray was on fire in February, scoring 30 points at Maryland, 37 against Nebraska and grabbing 18 rebounds in the Hawkeyes' win over Northwestern on Monday.
5. Jaden Ivey, Purdue: The 6-4 sophomore has improved from 11.1 points per game as a freshman to 17.3 as a sophomore. Ultra-athletic, Ivey is also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He's scored 20-or-more points in five of his last nine games. With a 6-9 wingspan, Ivey is also a terrific defender for Matt Painter's Boilermakers, who trailed Wisconsin by a game heading into Tuesday night.
6. Jabari Smith, Auburn: The 6-10 forward gets my nod over Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren for national freshman of the year honors. Smith is averaging 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds with a bullet. The Fayetteville, Ga., native is averaging 25.3 points per game over his last four games. By NCAA Tournament time, he'll be hard for any team to handle. After that, he's a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
7. Ochai Agbaji, Kansas: Heading into Tuesday night's game at TCU, the 6-5 senior was averaging 20.4 points and shooting a gaudy 42.3 percent from three-point range. He'd hit the 20-point mark in 16 of his 27 games, including each of the last four. Agbaji was just 4-of-14 from three in Kansas' loss at Baylor on Saturday. He scored just 13 points in KU's 80-62 home loss to Kentucky on Jan. 29.
8. Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga: The 7-foot freshman from Minneapolis is living up to the hype. Holmgren is averaging 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds. Better still, he's shooting 61.6 percent from the floor and has made 38 of 89 three-point attempts for 43.8 percent for the top-ranked Zags. Holmgren has grabbed double-digit rebounds in seven of his last nine games. When all is said done, Holmgren could finish much higher on this list.
9. EJ Liddell, Ohio State: The 6-7 junior was averaging 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists going into Tuesday's game against visiting Nebraska. The Buckeyes were 9-2 when Liddell scored at least 20 points, 9-6 when he fell short of that mark. Last Sunday's 75-60 loss to Maryland won't help his cause.
10. Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona: The 6-6 Canadian has had much to do with Arizona's stellar season. Mathurin was averaging 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists heading into Tuesday night's game at USC. He's in a bit of a slump now, scoring 26 points over his last two games, but will be expected to pick it up at tournament time for the No. 2-ranked Wildcats.
