Purdue center Zach Edey is an Associated Press first-team All-American for the second time, once again a unanimous pick by the pool of voters.
Edey is in pole position for the top individual honors in men's basketball after averaging 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game entering the NCAA tournament.
North Carolina's RJ Davis, Tennessee's Dalton Knecht, UConn's Tristen Newton and Houston's Jamal Shead joined him on the AP first team.
Here's the entire AP All-American team:
First Team
- Zach Edey, C, Purdue
- Dalton Knecht, G, Tennessee
- RJ Davis, G, North Carolina
- Tristen Newton, G, UConn
- Jamal Shead, G, Houston
Second Team
- Hunter Dickinson, C, Kansas
- Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke
- DaRon Holmes II, F, Dayton
- Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
- Mark Sears, G, Alabama
Third Team
- Johni Broome, F, Auburn
- Jaedon LeDee, F, San Diego State
- Caleb Love, G, Arizona
- Baylor Scheierman, G, Creighton
- Terrence Shannon Jr., G, Illinois
Newton has been the top standout on the best team in the country. The senior guard is the Huskies' leader in points (15.2) and assists (6.0), while his seven rebounds per game trail only 7'2" center Donovan Clingan.
Knecht was the second-highest vote-getter behind Edey. The 6'6" guard has thrived in the SEC after taking a step up from Northern Colorado. His 21.1 points per game and 39.7 percent clip from beyond the arc are both personal bests.
"His journey is one that you kind of read about, like fairy-tale type deals," Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey said, per the AP's Aaron Beard. "Just to see him get to this point and achieve what he's achieved, it's amazing. But it goes to his hard work, his work ethic, his mindset, his confidence and belief in himself."
Davis has made incremental improvements across his four years with the Tar Heels. That's culminating in 21.4 points per game, 11th-best in Division I, along with 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Knecht (SEC) and Davis (ACC) were both named the Players of the Year in their respective conferences.
The same was true of Shead in the Big 12, with the 6'1" guard also capturing the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year trophy. He's averaging 2.3 steals through 34 games and played a key role in the Cougars allowing the fewest points (57 per game) in Division I.
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