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We know you are sad the countdown is over. The second Bobcat on the list was a no-brainer for our writers, though. The number one spot, Antonio Campbell, manhandled the post all season a year ago.
Campbell is the MAC’s renaissance man if you will, as he placed top five in five different major statistical categories. He came in first in blocks and defensive rebounds, second in total rebounds and fourth in scoring and field goal percentage.
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He is the undoubted leader of the defending MAC top scoring offense and Saul Phillips knows he has a top-10 big man in the country. Standing 6’9 and weighing 251 lbs, Campbell isn’t even the biggest guy on his own team, but he makes up for that with his incredible feet and his unmatched effort.
Campbell may be one of the best ball-handlers in the conference regardless of position and also has the range to match. He shot around 37 percent from behind the three point line last season and was 56 percent from the field.
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Ohio was the third best team in the MAC when it came to shot blocking a year ago, and much of that is due to Campbell’s 1.8 blocks per game.
It’s hard to find anything to pick on with Campbell, but some deep digging will show the one area of his game where he might struggle a bit is his ability to stay out of foul trouble. His mind for grabbing boards and hustle to block shots put him in many aggressive situations and he lead Ohio with just over three fouls per game.
All this incredible play led to an Honorable Mention All-American season for Campbell and before the Bobcats even touched the floor this year, he has already been named to the Lute Olson preseason watch list. The award is given to the best player in the country who has played at least two seasons in college.
He is the only player from the MAC on that watch list, but is joined by several notable names including Jalen Adams and Melo Trimble.
We are sorry the countdown has to end and unfortunately this is all we wrote — but don’t worry there will be plenty more MAC hoops to come this weekend and it’s a long season.