Braden Smith, Purdue

As explained above, a guard is not winning NPOY because either Flagg or Broome is winning POY barring a major, major surprise. But there are still great guards having great seasons. I think the best among them is Kam Jones, Marquette’s 6-foot-5 guard who is set to play in his fourth straight NCAA Tournament.

Jones excelled from the day he stepped on campus, but this has been his best season. With the ball in his hands more than ever (in the absence of ex-Golden Eagle Tyler Kolek), Jones has flourished. He’s averaging 19.2 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting nearly 50% from the field for a team that’s ranked No. 11 in CBS Sports’ Top 25 And 1. Jones is already third on Marquette’s all-time scoring list. By the time this season is over, he should be second behind only Markus Howard. – Gary Parrish

PJ Haggerty, Memphis

Haggerty is underappreciated nationally because he toils in the relative anonymity of the AAC. But if you’re using that to discredit the special season he’s having, take stock of his non-conference stats. Against what KenPom rated as the No. 4 most difficult out-of-league schedule in college basketball, Haggerty averaged 22.1 points on 47.5% shooting – including 40.5% shooting from 3-point range.