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Duke basketball: Vernon Carey Jr. falls short in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar race

Vernon Carey Jr. put together a sensational season in his first year as a Duke basketball player, which ended up in his being named an All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year.

However, Carey Jr. was bested by Iowa's Luka Garza for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which is given to the best center in the country.

Garza was the runner-up for the Naismith National Player of the Year Award to Dayton power forward Obi Toppin as all of the nation's awards were presented on Tuesday afternoon.

The Iowa center averaged 23.