If the 33 seconds of action that preceded Zion Williamson's knee injury in a loss to North Carolina on Wednesday night was the last time we'll see the freshman on a collegiate court, he'll still be a serious candidate for every meaningful award after the season.
To date, he has been an unrivaled competitor on both ends of the floor and the clear favorite to win the Wooden Award.
Some players have been in this position -- namely Kenyon Martin, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament in 2000. At the time, Martin was averaging 18.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.5 BPG and 1.4 SPG for No. 1 Cincinnati. He still won the Wooden Award and secured the No. 1 spot in the NBA draft.
Williamson's numbers are comparable: 22.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 SPG and 1.9 BPG. We're not sure if and when he'll play again. If he's done, he's still the front-runner to win this award.
Martin's injury occurred in the postseason, and Duke has five more games remaining in the regular season.
It will be interesting to see if this injury has any impact on the Wooden Award race.
Who would win the award today
Zion Williamson
Entering Wednesday's 16-point loss to North Carolina, the Blue Devils had been a great defensive team with or without Williamson.
Per hooplens.com, the Blue Devils had held their opponents to an average of 86 points per 100 possessions when RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish were on the floor together and Williamson was on the bench. When all three played together, their opponents averaged 85 points per 100 possessions.
But this team's offensive plan unraveled without Williamson against North Carolina. Reddish and Barrett combined to make nearly 47 percent of their field goal attempts against the Tar Heels, but the rest of the team finished 4-for-27.
On both ends of the floor, Williamson is an Instagram filter, hiding the flaws of America's No. 1 team.
Wednesday's loss should actually boost his Wooden Award campaign. The Blue Devils aren't the same team without him.
Next three contenders
Markus Howard: After a 5-for-17 effort in a loss to St. John's earlier this month, the Marquette star bounced back with a 38-point outing in a win over Villanova that triggered a three-game win streak. The Golden Eagles are on top of the Big East with Villanova losing three of its past four games. Howard continues to enlarge his profile. He has a multitude of flashy numbers that will enhance his chances of winning the Wooden Award, but his 44.4 percent clip from the 3-point line and 92 percent mark from the charity stripe, both in league play, stand out.
RJ Barrett: He would have risen on this list even if Williamson had not been injured. But Barrett is the definitive leader of this Duke squad while Williamson recovers. He finished with a triple-double on Saturday in a win over NC State (23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). In the loss to North Carolina, he and Reddish were the only reasons Duke didn't lose by 100. He might produce a similar stat line (33 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists) in the remaining games if Williamson is out for a lengthy stretch.
Grant Williams: Kentucky did a great job shadowing Williams on Saturday. The Wooden Award candidate took only four shots. In a modest effort, however, the Tennessee veteran also finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He has made 83 percent of his free throws this season. And he finished 8-for-9 at the free throw line against Kentucky. Saturday's outing was a tough loss that dethroned the former No. 1 team in America. But Williams found other ways to impact the game, which is his greatest asset in those situations.
The other contenders
Ja Morant: 24.3 PPG, 10.2 APG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG
Ethan Happ: 17.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.0 SPG
Rui Hachimura: Scored 20 points or more in four of the past six games
Carsen Edwards: 23.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.2 APG
Dedric Lawson: 19.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Cassius Winston 18.9 PPG, 7.4 APG, 3.0 RPG, 43 percent from the 3-point line
Brandon Clarke: 16.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.0 BPG
De'Andre Hunter: 14.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 45.5 percent from the 3-point line
Jordan Caroline: 18.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 41 percent from the 3-point line
PJ Washington: 14.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 49 percent from the 3-point line in SEC play