Caris LeVert Named a Finalist for the Jerry West Award

Michigan senior Caris LeVert didn't play basketball in the month of January, but that hasn't exempted him from being a finalist for national awards. On Tuesday, LeVert was named one of 10 finalists for the Jerry West Award, which is given to the nation's best shooting guard:

Ten finalists for Jerry West Award, given to the best shooting guard in the country: pic.twitter.com/vRUmYQm3Dz

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 2, 2016

LeVert has missed the last eight games with what Michigan has classified only as a "lower left leg" injury -- though his status is day-to-day and he will be a game-time decision tonight when Michigan hosts #22 Indiana -- but his stats from his first 14 games were sufficient to put him on this list. LeVert has averaged 17.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 5.2 APG and owns the best offensive rating among Big Ten players with a usage rate of at least 20 percent (129.4). While it's unlikely that LeVert will win this award because of the time he has missed and with Oklahoma's Buddy Hield on the list, there's little question that LeVert has been one of the country's best shooting guards when he's been healthy.

The only other finalist for this award from a Big Ten school is Illinois' Malcolm Hill.