Come April, Ohio State junior point guard/forward/jack-of-all-trades Evan Turner will be named college basketball’s Player of the Year. Not only will he win, but he should win.

Last season, Turner led the Buckeyes in points, assists, rebounds, steals, field goals made, free throws attempted, free throws made and he led the Big Ten in scoring.

Despite missing six games in December and early January with two broken vertebrae, Turner has been even better this year. He’s averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game. That includes two games in which he pulled down 17 boards.

Turner is Ohio State’s de facto point guard, a position defined by domination of the basketball and deft passing skills, not rebounding prowess. If Turner’s remarkable numbers make up an ice cream sundae, the cherry on top is that earlier this season he recorded two of the three triple-doubles in Ohio State history.

If the numbers don’t speak the truth, the naked eye surely does. Turner is Ohio State’s LeBron James.  The ball is always in his hands, whether he is initiating the offense, shooting his deadly mid-range jumper or driving hard to the rim.

When Turner was out with injury, the Buckeyes were 3-3 and averaged a measly 64 points a game.  When Turner’s been in the lineup, Ohio State has been 11-3 and put up 80 points a game.

Of course, there are numerous other candidates for Player of the Year. Also in the picture is senior forward Damion James of Texas. James is averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds a game for the sixth-ranked Longhorns. However, James is supported by a host of former McDonald’s All-Americans and does not have to carry the load on a nightly basis. If Turner is off on any given night, the Buckeyes’ chances to win shrink dramatically.

Another candidate is super freshman John Wall of Kentucky. Wall is averaging 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists a game and even sunk a game-winning shot against Miami of Ohio earlier this season. However, like James, Wall is surrounded by a very talented supporting cast, as evidenced by Kentucky’s school-record 19-0 start and No. 1 ranking.

Amazingly, Turner and Wall both average four turnovers a game, despite the fact that Wall has been a point guard his whole life, while Turner started halfway through last season.

The last likely candidate is Syracuse’s junior forward Wesley Johnson, who is averaging 17 points and nine rebounds a game for the fourth-ranked Orange. Again, similar to the other front runners, Johnson is flanked by superiorly talented teammates. Syracuse boasts a bevy of sharp-shooters along with a physical inside game.

Ohio State’s inside game is completely nonexistent thanks to defensive-minded junior forward Dallas Lauderdale and the early defections of Greg Oden, Kosta Koufos and BJ Mullens to the NBA.

If Turner were to win Player of the Year, he would be only the third Buckeye to accomplish the feat. In 1961 and 1962 Jerry Lucas won the award, and in 1964 Gary Bradds took home the honor.

Just like his basketball skill set, Turner’s argument to win Player of the Year is more polished than any of the other contenders. If he bolts to the NBA after this season, he will have a heavy trophy to take with him.