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UCLA Basketball: Lonzo Ball Named a Finalists for the Naismith Award

By Mike Regalado

Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) prepares to shoot the ball against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) prepares to shoot the ball against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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UCLA Basketball freshman point guard Lonzo Ball has been named one of four finalists for the Naismith Award which is given to the best college basketball player in the nation.

Whether he wins or not, being named as one of the four remaining players considered to win the Naismith Award is a huge achievement. That is what is happening with UCLA Basketball‘s star freshman Lonzo Ball.

Ball has led the revolution of UCLA Basketball as he helped take a 15-17 team and transformed them into a National Championship contender. The Bruins have gone from a 10th place Pac-12 team to third in the conference and currently has a 30-4 record. They missed the Big Dance last year, but were a solid lock for a #3 seed, this season.

Ball had a huge part in all of that as he has helped make the Bruins the top scoring and field goal percentage team in the nation. That is easy to do when he himself leads the nation in assists with 7.6 assists per game. He also added 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and limited his turnovers to 2.5.

This is a freshman we are talking about here. The only freshmen among the four finalists which includes Josh Hart of Villanova, Frank Mason III of Kansas and Caleb Swanigan of Purdue.

Ball and the Bruins continue their journey in the NCAA Tournament tonight when they take on the defensive-minded #6 Cincinnati Bearcats at approximately 6:40 p.m. PT. The winner goes to the Sweet 16 in Memphis.

Next: NCAA Tournament: UCLA vs Cincinnati Preview

Let us hope Ball, one of the best players in the nation, can help make that happen. Go Bruins! Go Ball!