University of Dayton’s Toppin finalist for national power forward of year award

(Courtesy/David Jablonski/Dayton Daily News)

(Courtesy/David Jablonski/Dayton Daily News)

University of Dayton standout Obi Toppin is one of five finalists for the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday.

Named after Malone, the Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.

RELATED: Toppin is a semifinalist for national player of year award

The only player in Division I averaging 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds a game and shooting over 60% from the field, Toppin continues to earn plenty of national recognition.

The best player on the No. 3 team in the nation is on the watch list of five national awards including the Wooden Late Season Watch List and the Mid-Season USBWA Oscar Robertson Watch List.

The Athletic 10 tabbed him its Mid-Season Player of the Year. The Sporting News named him one of its First Team Mid-Season All-Americans.

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Toppin is averaging 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, while shooting .631 (228-361) from the floor and .388 (31-80) from three-point range.

One of the most efficient players in the country, he averages nearly 20 points a game on just over 12 shots a game. In Friday’s win over Davidson that clinched the 2020 Atlantic 10 regular season championship, Toppin had a double-double (23 & 12) and made 10 of 11 shots from the floor, including three of four three-pointers.

The other finalists for the 2020 Karl Malone Award are Yoeli Childs (BYU), Killian Tillie (Gonzaga), Jalen Smith (Maryland) and Reggie Perry (Mississippi State).

This month, the finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 6, via hoophallawards.com.

The winner of the 2020 Karl Malone Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on April 10, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting Five.

Dayton will close out the regular season Saturday at sold-out UD Arena on Senior Night against George Washington. Game time is 7 p.m.

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