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Both Kevin Pangos and Kyle Wiltjer survived another round of cuts in their individual hunts for the Naismith Trophy after the semifinalists were revealed on Wednesday.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs' stars gave the WCC just as many nominees as the Big 10 and the ACC, and are the made sure Gonzaga was the only school with two nominees. The four finalists will be announced on March 22 and the 2015 Naismith Trophy Award will be announced on April 5.
It is a huge honor for the two Bulldogs, but also each player has a massive hill to climb in their pursuit of the crown. Most national writers have bounced between Frank Kaminsky and Jahlil Okafor as the potenital winner. Occasionally another name creeps into the mix, but either Pangos or Wiltjer would need an NCAA run of the ages to capture the crown.
Here is the full list of the semifinalists.
player | school | class | conference |
Willie Cauley-Stein | Kentucky | Jr | SEC |
Jerian Grant | Notre Dame | Sr | ACC |
Frank Kaminsky | Wisconsin | Sr | Big 10 |
Jahlil Okafor | Duke | Fr | ACC |
Kevin Pangos | Gonzaga | Sr | WCC |
Cameron Payne | Murray State | So | Ohio Valley |
D'Angelo Russell | Ohio State | Fr | Big 10 |
Seth Tuttle | Northern Iowa | Sr | MVC |
Kyle Wiltjer | Gonzaga | Jr | WCC |
Delon Wright | Utah | Sr | Pac 12 |