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Maryland guard Melo Trimble misses the AP preseason All-American team by 1 vote

Trimble has an entire season ahead to make up that one vote.

Sammi Silber

Maryland guard Melo Trimble isn't on the Associated Press preseason All-American team this year, having missed out by a tantalizing one vote. Trimble finished with 26 votes, which was No. 6 among all players. The last spot on the team went to LSU super freshman Ben Simmons, who earned 27. Here's the paper team Trimble narrowly missed joining:

Player Team Votes
Kyle Wiltjer Gonzaga 51
Georges Niang Iowa State 46
Kris Dunn Providence 43
Buddy Hield Oklahoma 40
Ben Simmons LSU 27

That's a worthy team, and it's impossible to gripe about anyone who made it. Even Simmons, who's never played a minute of college basketball, is such a freakish talent that it'd be sort of surprising for him not to dominate. The team's 65-member panel was also supposed to pick a team that could "realistically take the floor," so Trimble, a guard, was probably disadvantaged against a forward like Simmons.

Still, Trimble's got a legitimate case. Voters seem to clearly peg him as the No. 6 player in the nation (and bordering on No. 5), unless North Carolina guard Marcus Paige lost more than six votes because of a broken hand.

Here's everyone who got votes but didn't make the AP's team:

Player Team Votes
Melo Trimble Maryland 26
Marcus Paige North Carolina 20
Malcolm Brogdon Virginia 17
Nigel Hayes Wisconsin 11
Ron Baker Wichita State 9
Skal Labissiere Kentucky 9
Fred VanVleet Wichita State 9
Perry Ellis Kansas 4
Wayne Selden Kansas 3
Yogi Ferrell Indiana 2
Jakob Poeltl Utah 2
Kyle Collinsworth BYU 1
Anthony Gill Virginia 1
Damian Jones Vanderbilt 1
Domantas Sabonis Gonzaga 1
Tyler Ulis Kentucky 1
Denzel Valentine Michigan State 1

Here's a prediction: Maryland's going to be better than Gonzaga, Iowa State, Providence, Oklahoma and LSU. Trimble will be Maryland's best player, and hence will find a way into that group when the AP votes again after the season.