Buddy Hield One of Final Four in Running for 2016 Naismith Trophy

It wasn't the ending to his Michigan State career that he had hoped for, but senior guard Denzel Valentine still has a few things left he can accomplish in the green and white.

Kentucky's Tyler Ulis was named 1 of the 4 finalists for the Naismith Trophy which is given to the player of year in college basketball.

Is that the case?

Stewart won the Naismith Trophy the past two seasons and seeks to become the first three-time college victor since Cheryl Miller (USC) in 1984-86.

Best game: 46 points, eight rebounds, seven assists in a triple overtime loss at Kansas on January 4.

Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, Michigan State's Denzel Valentine and Kentucky's Tyler Ulis are the remaining players culled from a list of 50 at the start of the year, according to NCAA.com's Brian Mull. The victor will be announced on Sunday, April 3 in Houston. Ulis had six games with 10 assists or more and assisted on more than one-third of the field goals scored by the nation's most efficient offense.

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The four finalists were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, which based their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the 2015-16 college basketball season.

Mitchell tied for the team lead with 3.3 assists per game. Valentine finished his career with 1,645 points, 856 rebounds and 639 assists through his four years.

The Spartans senior guard ended his season averaging 19.2 points, 7.8 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Brogdon's lock-down defense and scoring were both on display in Saturday's 77-69 win over Butler in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Her 15.7 points per game in the conference postseason led the Gamecocks to their second-straight SEC Tournament title, earning her the honor of SEC Tournament MVP.

Named in honor of the founder of the game, Dr. James Naismith, the Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the women's and men's college basketball players of the year.