MBB’s Butler Named Naismith Trophy Semifinalist
3/4/2021 11:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior guard is 1 of 10 remaining candidates for National Player of the Year award
ATLANTA – Baylor junior guard Jared Butler has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year, as announced Thursday by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club.
Butler is now a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy, one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, and one of 20 players remaining on the Wooden Award watch list. He's also on midseason watch lists for the Lute Olson Award and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler joins Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham as the only semifinalists representing the Big 12 Conference. Additional semifinalists include Michigan's Hunter Dickinson, Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, Iowa's Luka Garza, Houston's Quentin Grimes, Alabama's Herbert Jones, Gonzaga's Corey Kispert, USC's Evan Mobley and Gonzaga's Drew Timme.
The Naismith Trophy semifinalist lists while be trimmed to four finalists on March 16, and the 2021 Naismith Trophy will be awarded during the Final Four.
Butler leads the Big 12 Conference in steals (2.2/game), 3-point percentage (.435) and 3-pointers made (2.7/game). He ranks third in the league in scoring (16.9/game), third in assists (5.0/game), fourth in field goal percentage (.482) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.87). He has posted 20-point games on the road against eight different Big 12 teams over the last two seasons, including a 25-point effort in Tuesday's overtime win at No. 6 West Virginia, which clinched the Big 12 title.
In addition to his success on the court, Butler is on track to graduate in May, less than three years after enrolling at Baylor in August 2018. He also serves as a student-athlete representative on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee.
A Reserve, La., native, Butler has led Baylor to its first conference championship in 71 years since the Bears were 1950 Southwest Conference co-champions. It's Baylor first outright conference title since 1948. BU is the first Big 12 team to win both the men's and women's basketball regular-season titles outright since the league's first season in 1997.
No. 3-ranked Baylor has two remaining regular-season games, both at home against top-20 opponents. The Bears host No. 17 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. CT Thursday on ESPN2. BU then hosts No. 18 Texas Tech at 3 p.m. CT Sunday on ESPN. Sunday's game will be senior day, and fans are encouraged to stay after the game for the Big 12 Championship trophy presentation.
BU will then head to the 2021 Big 12 Championship at Kansas City's T-Mobile Center. The Bears will open in the quarterfinals against either TCU or Kansas State at 1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 11.
Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.
2021 NAISMITH TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
Jared Butler, Baylor
Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Luka Garza, Iowa
Quentin Grimes, Houston
Herbert Jones, Alabama
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Evan Mobley, USC
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
2020-21 BAYLOR MBB HONORS
Jared Butler
Naismith Trophy Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Finalist (1 of 5)
Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List (1 of 15)
Lute Olson Award Midseason Watch List
NCAA National Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Naismith Trophy Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Preseason All-America Team (Associated Press)
Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year
Preseason All-Big 12 Team (unanimous)
No. 5 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
No. 2 on The Athletic's Top 20 Guards in College Basketball
Scott Drew
Naismith Men's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List (1 of 15)
Davion Mitchell
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Naismith Trophy Midseason Team (1 of 30)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 1)
No. 67 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
No. 10 on The Athletic's Top 20 Guards in College Basketball
MaCio Teague
Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalist (1 of 5)
Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention
No. 24 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
No. 12 on The Athletic's Top 20 Wings in College Basketball
Mark Vital
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention
Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List
No. 71 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
Butler is now a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy, one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, and one of 20 players remaining on the Wooden Award watch list. He's also on midseason watch lists for the Lute Olson Award and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler joins Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham as the only semifinalists representing the Big 12 Conference. Additional semifinalists include Michigan's Hunter Dickinson, Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, Iowa's Luka Garza, Houston's Quentin Grimes, Alabama's Herbert Jones, Gonzaga's Corey Kispert, USC's Evan Mobley and Gonzaga's Drew Timme.
The Naismith Trophy semifinalist lists while be trimmed to four finalists on March 16, and the 2021 Naismith Trophy will be awarded during the Final Four.
Butler leads the Big 12 Conference in steals (2.2/game), 3-point percentage (.435) and 3-pointers made (2.7/game). He ranks third in the league in scoring (16.9/game), third in assists (5.0/game), fourth in field goal percentage (.482) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.87). He has posted 20-point games on the road against eight different Big 12 teams over the last two seasons, including a 25-point effort in Tuesday's overtime win at No. 6 West Virginia, which clinched the Big 12 title.
In addition to his success on the court, Butler is on track to graduate in May, less than three years after enrolling at Baylor in August 2018. He also serves as a student-athlete representative on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee.
A Reserve, La., native, Butler has led Baylor to its first conference championship in 71 years since the Bears were 1950 Southwest Conference co-champions. It's Baylor first outright conference title since 1948. BU is the first Big 12 team to win both the men's and women's basketball regular-season titles outright since the league's first season in 1997.
No. 3-ranked Baylor has two remaining regular-season games, both at home against top-20 opponents. The Bears host No. 17 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. CT Thursday on ESPN2. BU then hosts No. 18 Texas Tech at 3 p.m. CT Sunday on ESPN. Sunday's game will be senior day, and fans are encouraged to stay after the game for the Big 12 Championship trophy presentation.
BU will then head to the 2021 Big 12 Championship at Kansas City's T-Mobile Center. The Bears will open in the quarterfinals against either TCU or Kansas State at 1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 11.
Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.
2021 NAISMITH TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
Jared Butler, Baylor
Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Luka Garza, Iowa
Quentin Grimes, Houston
Herbert Jones, Alabama
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Evan Mobley, USC
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
2020-21 BAYLOR MBB HONORS
Jared Butler
Naismith Trophy Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Finalist (1 of 5)
Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List (1 of 15)
Lute Olson Award Midseason Watch List
NCAA National Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Naismith Trophy Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Preseason All-America Team (Associated Press)
Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year
Preseason All-Big 12 Team (unanimous)
No. 5 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
No. 2 on The Athletic's Top 20 Guards in College Basketball
Scott Drew
Naismith Men's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List (1 of 15)
Davion Mitchell
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Naismith Trophy Midseason Team (1 of 30)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 1)
No. 67 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
No. 10 on The Athletic's Top 20 Guards in College Basketball
MaCio Teague
Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalist (1 of 5)
Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention
No. 24 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
No. 12 on The Athletic's Top 20 Wings in College Basketball
Mark Vital
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention
Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List
No. 71 on CBS Sports Top 101 Players in College Basketball
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