College Basketball: Top 4 Players At Each Position

Dec 6, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) celebrates in game against the Davidson Wildcats during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won 98-65. Mandatory Credit: Evan Pike-USA TODAY Sports

Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina C

There aren’t a whole lot of great true centers in college basketball this season, so the list gets a bit murky and wholly debatable when you get past Jakob Poeltl. I’ve chosen Kennedy Meeks as the second-best center in the NCAA, despite a meager stat line of 13 points and 8 boards per game. The 6’ 10” Sophomore is probably more of a power forward, but what sticks out about Meeks is his true shooting percentage of 64 percent and his overall plus/minus of 13. A top-tier team needs a bruiser who can go down low, score and rebound the ball, and stay out of foul trouble.

The Tar Heels come into the season with high expectations, and having dropped a tough loss to Northern Iowa, find themselves sitting at third in the AP poll. Thanks in part to a win over Maryland – in which Meeks put in 12 points and pulled down six boards – the Tar Heels will take some momentum into the conference season. There is a tilt with UCLA awaiting prior to conference season, so the Heels have one more opportunity to make a statement before kicking off an ACC slate that sees Duke, Syracuse and NC State has home-and-home opponents. Throw in games at Notre Dame, Louisville and Virginia, and the Heels will need to bring their A game if they are serious about a one-seed in March.

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