Take Your Pick: NCAA Player of the Year

As we head into the final Saturday of the college basketball regular season there are more question marks than certainties. No team has separated themselves as a dominant force and upsets are a weekly happening. However, six individuals have separated themselves from the rest of the nation and are near the top of the Player of the Year race. Still, there is plenty of uncertainty as all six make a good case. Doug McDermott and Kelly Olynyk have dominated the mid-majors with their inside-out games. Otto Porter has done the same, but against stiffer Big East competition. Mason Plumlee averages a double-double for a Duke team that looks like a championship contender and Victor Oladipo has done it all for Indiana. Also in the Big Ten, Trey Burke has been the best point guard in America all season long. So who wins? Here's a case for all six...then you decide.

Doug McDermott -- Forward -- Creighton Blue Jays
McDermott showed up big in arguably the biggest game of the year for the Jays last Saturday against Wichita State. The junior shot 15-18 from the field and finished with 41 points. On top of that, he grabbed six rebounds and three assists. Throughout the game McDermott showed what makes him special, breaking down defenders with a plethora of moves both inside and out. He bullied opponents in the post on one possession and then hit step back threes in their face the next. He's averaging 23.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for Creighton and if you are not convinced yet then consider this: against Wisconsin McDermott dropped 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds and against Cal he scored 34 points while grabbing nine boards. He can compete with the big boys so don't hold the Missouri Valley Conference schedule against him.

Kelly Olynyk -- Forward -- Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Zags have reached the top of the mountain, at least on regular season terms, with the school's first number one ranking in history. Olynyk has been the driving force behind Gonzaga's stellar season and currently averages 17.7 points and seven rebounds per game. He also averages almost two assists per game and 1.2 blocks per game. The big man is able to step out and hit a jumper and he shoots 67 percent from the field. Olynyk posted 16 and eight against Illinois and 14 and seven against Butler. On New Year's Eve he went for 21 and nine against Oklahoma State. Much like McDermott, he comes from a small conference, but he has produced against elite competition. Couple that with the fact that he is one of the main reasons that the Zags are 21-2 and you have a legitimate PoY candidate.

Otto Porter -- Forward -- Georgetown Hoyas
The Hoyas were playing some of the best ball in the country before a slip up at Villanova and much of the team success can be credited to Porter. He has flown under the radar for much of the season, but no longer. It's hard to go unnoticed with numbers like Porter's: 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. The sophomore burst onto the national scene with an incredible put-the-team-on-his-back performance against Syracuse back on February 23rd. Porter played a full 40 minutes, scoring 33 points while grabbing eight rebounds and tallying five steals. Porter leads his team in nearly every major statistical category and he has shot a remarkable 44 percent from three point land (40-90). He will determine how far the Hoyas go in March and it may just be Atlanta.

Mason Plumlee -- Center -- Duke Blue Devils
Plumlee came into the season with big expectations and he has lived up to them. Going into the final game of the regular season he averages 17.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. He made sure the Dukies stayed near the top of the polls when Ryan Kelly went out with an injury and he has raised his numbers in every category since last season. Plumlee has posted 16 double-doubles this season and has saved some of his best games for opponents from the nation's best conference, the Big Ten. Against Minnesota he went for 20 and 17 and against Ohio State he had 21 and 17. He is arguably the best big man in the country and he has the numbers and big game performances to prove it.

Victor Oladipo -- Guard -- Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana came into the season and the number one team and Cody Zeller was the face of the franchise. Zeller has been great just like we expected, but Oladipo has been even better. A dominant force on both ends of the court, Oladipo has caused fits for Big Ten opponents this season. While his season averages of 13.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.3 steals may not look like they stack up to the other players on this list, consider that he plays on a very balanced team and also look at his big-game performances. In two games against Michigan State this season he went for a combined 40 points, 16 rebounds, 11 steals and four blocks. When the Hoosiers went into #10 Ohio State he tallied 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. His defense directly translates into his offense and he is one of the best wing players in college basketball this season.

Trey Burke -- Guard -- Michigan Wolverines
It's appropriate that the Big Ten would have multiple players on this list since it is the toughest conference in the nation. It's odd that Burke is the only point guard on the list though, considering that the NBA is such a point guard-dominated league. Unquestionably, Burke is the top floor general in college basketball and, with a showdown against Indiana looming, he averages 19.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He has improved on his decision making and is much more under control this season. Should he decide to leave for the draft he will be a lottery pick, but he may take the Wolverines all the way before that. He's that good. In his last five games he's averaging 24 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists. He's playing some of his best ball of the season right now and that's scary for whoever stands in his way.

All six players have a solid chance of winning NCAA Player of the Year. They all play on successful teams, average big numbers and have played well against other top competition. It's likely that we could see multiple players from this list playing in the Final Four and that would be a treat. For my pick it's hard to go against Otto Porter. He does the most for his team and is the complete package. There is not one thing that he doesn't do well and he has shouldered the load for a very dangerous Georgetown team. Vote on the poll to voice your opinion and comment below with your thoughts!