Omoruyi Selected to Naismith NDPOY Watchlist
Feb 07 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi is being recognized among the nation's best defenders.
Omoruyi, who is currently fourth in the nation in blocked shots was named to the 2024 Naismith Women's & Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time on Wednesday. Omoruyi was selected among 15 of the nation's top defenders.
Omoruyi leads the second-most efficient defense in the nation at Rutgers according to KenPom. Omoruyi has 66 blocked shots on the season amassing three per game. Rutgers is 36th in the nation allowing just 65.4 points per game. Rutgers is 25th in the nation holding opponents to 39.8 percent from the field. Omoruyi was named to the Big Ten Conference's All-Defensive Team last season for the first time in his career alongside Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell.
This marks the third consecutive season a Scarlet Knight has been selected to the watchlist as McConnell made the top four finalists last season and the year before. McConnell was later named the National Defensive Player of the Year by ESPN and received the Lefty Driesell Award for the nation's top defender.
The top-10 semifinalists are selected on March 12 and the four finalists are selected on March 21. The National Defensive Player of the Year will be named on April 7th. The full watchlist is below:
Omoruyi, who is currently fourth in the nation in blocked shots was named to the 2024 Naismith Women's & Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time on Wednesday. Omoruyi was selected among 15 of the nation's top defenders.
Omoruyi leads the second-most efficient defense in the nation at Rutgers according to KenPom. Omoruyi has 66 blocked shots on the season amassing three per game. Rutgers is 36th in the nation allowing just 65.4 points per game. Rutgers is 25th in the nation holding opponents to 39.8 percent from the field. Omoruyi was named to the Big Ten Conference's All-Defensive Team last season for the first time in his career alongside Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell.
This marks the third consecutive season a Scarlet Knight has been selected to the watchlist as McConnell made the top four finalists last season and the year before. McConnell was later named the National Defensive Player of the Year by ESPN and received the Lefty Driesell Award for the nation's top defender.
The top-10 semifinalists are selected on March 12 and the four finalists are selected on March 21. The National Defensive Player of the Year will be named on April 7th. The full watchlist is below:
| Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. | Senior | G | Penn State |
| Reece Beekman | Senior | G | Virginia |
| Adem Bona | Sophomore | F/C | UCLA |
| Johni Broome | Junior | F/C | Auburn |
| Devin Carter | Junior | G | Providence |
| Ryan Dunn | Sophomore | G | Virginia |
| Zach Edey | Senior | C | Purdue |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. | Junior | G | Kansas |
| Jaelen House | Grad Student | G | New Mexico |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Senior | C | Creighton |
| Tamin Lipsey | Sophomore | G | Iowa State |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | Senior | G | Kansas |
| Clifford Omoruyi | Senior | C | Rutgers |
| Jamal Shead | Senior | G | Houston |
| Zakai Zeigler | Junior | G | Tennessee |
Players Mentioned
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