Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award: Cooper Flagg, Zakai Zeigler, and more among candidates for national honor

With the regular season now over, Naismith has announced its semifinalists for Men's Defensive Player of the Year. 10 dominant defensive stars were named to the exclusive list, which was posted to Instagram on Wednesday.

Among the semifinalists are freshman phenom Cooper Flagg and Tennessee senior guard Zakai Zeigler.

2025 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year semifinalists

Here are the 10 players listed as semifinalists for this year's award:

• Cooper Flagg, Duke
• Hayden Gray, UC San Diego
• Denver Jones, Auburn
• Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
• Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
• Jahmai Mashack, Tennessee
• Stevie Mitchell, Marquette
• Kadary Richmond, St. John's
• Joseph Tugler, Houston
• Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

Favorites for the Naismith Award ft. Cooper Flagg

Flagg's phenomenal freshman season and his Duke team's top national ranking has put him in a good position to be named the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year.

The forward came to Duke as the No. 1 recruit in the nation, and now, it is likely he will be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He is the only freshman included in the semifinalists list and has also emerged as a contender for National Player of the Year.

NCAA Basketball: Duke at North Carolina - Source: Imagn

Flagg leads the Blue Devils in every major stat category. His 19.4 points per game are 18th in NCAA, and he adds 7.6 average rebounds and 4.2 assists. The freshman's 1.5 average steals and 1.3 blocks have become invaluable to Duke's success this season.

NCAA Basketball: South Carolina at Tennessee - Source: Imagn

Two Tennessee players could pose a threat to Flagg. On Monday, Jahmai Mashack was named the Field of 68 National Defensive Player of the Year.

The senior guard is second in the NCAA in defensive box plus-minus with 7.1. He averages 0.6 blocks, 1.6 steals and 2.9 defensive rebounds per game for the No. 8-ranked Volunteers. Maschack shoots 47.4% from the field, including 38.6% from beyond the arch.

Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel - Source: Imagn

Mashack's teammate, fellow senior guard Zakai Zeigler, is also a promising candidate for this year's award. Zeigler is the back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Year and is a semifinalist for the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year award for the third straight year.

The Tennessee guard has 239 career steals, 11th in SEC history. This season, he averages a team-best 1.9 steals per game, along with 0.3 blocks and 2.5 defensive rebounds. His 7.5 average assists also lead Tennessee.

It will be a tough race for the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year award this season, with no lack of strong candidates.