SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that University of Dayton forward Obi Toppin is one of five finalists for the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball.

The only player in Division I who is averaging 19.0 points a game, 7.0 rebounds a game and shooting over 60% from the field, Toppin continues to earn plenty of national recognition.    The best player on the No. 3 team in the nation, he is on the watch list of five national awards, including the Wooden Late Season Watch List and the Mid-Season USBWA Oscar Robertson Watch List .The Athletic tabbed him its Mid-Season Player of the Year. The Sporting News named him one of its First Team Mid-Season All-Americans.  

Toppin currently averages 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, while shooting .631 (228-361) from the floor and .388 (31-80) from three-point range.  One of the most efficient players in the country, he averages nearly 20 points a game on just over 12 shots a game.  In Friday's win over Davidson that clinched the 2020 Atlantic 10 regular season championships, Toppin had a double-double (23 & 12) and made 10 of 11 shots from the floor, including three of four three-pointers.

The other finalists for the 2020 Karl Malone Award are Yoeli Childs (BYU), Killian Tillie (Gonzaga), Jalen Smith (Maryland) and Reggie Perry (Mississippi State).

This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 6 via hoophallawards.com.

The winner of the 2020 Karl Malone Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting Five. Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women's Starting Five. Additional information about the telecast will be released by ESPN in the coming weeks.

Dayton will close out the regular season Saturday at sold-out UD Arena on Senior Night against George Washington.