Eric Dixon Makes Karl Malone Award Top 5

The 2024-25 Division 1 Men’s Basketball regular season is nearing a close, and with it the short lists for national awards narrow down. To little surprise, Villanova forward Eric Dixon continues to make the cut.

Among such honors is the Karl Malone award, which put out a top five list on Thursday, March 6. Given annually to the top men’s collegiate power forward, Dixon made the list alongside Danny Wolf (Michigan), Johni Broome (Auburn), Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), and JT Toppin (Texas Tech).

Dixon leads the nation in scoring with 23.6 points per game, knocking down 42.9 percent of his three-point attempts as a legitimate threat on the wing in spite of his 6-foot-8, 265 pound stature.

He also contributes 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Despite his scoring prowess, Dixon could face an uphill battle to win the Karl Malone Award. Broome is neck and neck with Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg as the favorite to win honors like the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson Awards (other watchlists Dixon currently occupies), each given to the most outstanding player in men’s basketball each season. As such, Dixon might struggle to supplant the Auburn star as the best player at his position.

Even if he doesn’t end up taking home the Karl Malone Award, Eric Dixon is expected to hear his name called in June’s NBA Draft… no small feat given he’s already 24 years old.