Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Audige Named Semifinalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
2/28/2023 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA – Chase Audige has been named as one of 10 Semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday.
The senior guard has had one of the more prolific defensive seasons in Northwestern basketball history, racking up 69 steals during the 2022-23 season, the most in the Big Ten and seventh-most nationally. Audige's average of 2.41 steals per game is tied for most in the conference and ranks 11th nationally.
The Coram, N.Y. native ranks third in Northwestern's record book for most steals in a single-season, five thefts behind Pat Baldwin's second-place output of 74 during 1992-93. Throughout his career in a Northwestern uniform, Audige has tallied 148 pilfers, sixth-most by any Wildcat ever.
During his NU career, Audige has recorded four games totaling five steals or more, the most by any Northwestern player since at least 2010-11.
Audige has been a key factor in Northwestern's improvement defensively this season. The Wildcat defense ranks third in the conference and 20th nationally, allowing just 62.5 points per game this season. The Wildcats also rank third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 41.0% from the field.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club will name four finalists on March 14, and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year will be announced on April 2.
The senior guard has had one of the more prolific defensive seasons in Northwestern basketball history, racking up 69 steals during the 2022-23 season, the most in the Big Ten and seventh-most nationally. Audige's average of 2.41 steals per game is tied for most in the conference and ranks 11th nationally.
The Coram, N.Y. native ranks third in Northwestern's record book for most steals in a single-season, five thefts behind Pat Baldwin's second-place output of 74 during 1992-93. Throughout his career in a Northwestern uniform, Audige has tallied 148 pilfers, sixth-most by any Wildcat ever.
During his NU career, Audige has recorded four games totaling five steals or more, the most by any Northwestern player since at least 2010-11.
Audige has been a key factor in Northwestern's improvement defensively this season. The Wildcat defense ranks third in the conference and 20th nationally, allowing just 62.5 points per game this season. The Wildcats also rank third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 41.0% from the field.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club will name four finalists on March 14, and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year will be announced on April 2.
| 2023 NAISMITH MEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALISTS | |||
| PLAYER NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL |
| Chase Audige | Senior | G | Northwestern |
| Moussa Cisse | Junior | F | Oklahoma State |
| Jaylen Clark | Junior | G | UCLA |
| Zach Edey | Junior | C | Purdue |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | Senior | F | Indiana |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Junior | C | Creighton |
| Caleb McConnell | Fifth Year | G | Rutgers |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | Senior | G | Kansas |
| Marcus Sasser | Senior | G | Houston |
| Zakai Zeigler | Sophomore | G | Tennessee |
Players Mentioned
G
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