OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 10 semifinalists for this year's Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday. He is the only BIG EAST representative on the list.
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.31 blocked shots per game, which also ranks 16th nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 2.71 blocked shots per game. Kalkbrenner also leads the nation in field goal percentage (.709) this season and tops a Creighton team that has spent eight weeks in the Top 25 with 14.