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Wisconsin’s Taylor could be headed for a monster season

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If Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor matches his stellar junior year, the national player of the year race won’t be a race.

It’ll be a rout.

The 6-1 point guard put up solid numbers – 18.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 43 percent shooting from beyond the arc – but those don’t show just how good he was in Wisconsin’ deliberate offense. He rarely turned the ball over, scored more efficiently than guys like Derrick Williams and Jared Sullinger and did it while playing more than 36 minutes a game.

So it’s not a huge surprise to see Cracked Sidewalks declare Taylor the most valuable offensive player of the 2010-11 season, ahead of the likes of Kemba Walker, Jimmer Fredette and Charles Jenkins.

(Their methodology can be found here.)

Asking Taylor to replicate that performance may be a bit much given that the Badgers lose Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil and Tim Jarmusz, three highly efficient scorers who could take some of the pressure off Taylor (not that Jarmusz scored that much).

But it could help Taylor with his overall stats. A higher scoring average, more shots, etc. Combine that with an already efficient scorer and it should provide for a potent season.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.