Kansas guard Devon Dotson (1) erupts after hitting a three-pointer in front of Iowa State guard Tre Jackson (3) during the second half on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

For more than a month, one Kansas player has been in the No. 1 spot of the KenPom.com Player of the Year standings: Devon Dotson.

It’s not just Dotson’s presence that makes Kansas (25-3, 14-1 Big 12) the nation’s top-ranked team. Marcus Garrett and Udoka Azubuike have made major contributions for the Jayhawks, as well.

But Dotson is this team’s most valuable player for a number of reasons, the biggest of which is that when he’s been healthy, he simply hasn’t had an off night. Having an elite point guard has long been the biggest key to success in March, and this Kansas team wouldn’t have as much to look forward to in the NCAA Tournament if Dotson weren’t there.

When Dotson announced last May that he’d be returning to KU for his sophomore season, he added “#UnfinishedBusiness” to his Twitter post. It proved to be prophetic, as Dotson has managed to reach another level during his sophomore campaign.

After averaging 12.3 points per game as a freshman, Dotson is shouldering more of the scoring load this year. He is leading the team — and the Big 12 conference — with an average of 17.9 points per contest and is shooting 46% on 351 total shots from the floor. No other KU player has had more than 242 attempts from the field this season.

More than that, though, Dotson has provided an unmatched level of consistent production for KU on a nightly basis. Dotson, who has scored at least 15 points in 21 of his 27 contests this season, has also reached double figures in every game except one.

The lone exception? When Dotson scored 9 points in 28 minutes in a 67-55 loss to Baylor on Jan. 11. Dotson suffered a hip injury in that contest and missed the next game as a result.

Dotson and the Jayhawks got their revenge, of course, securing a 64-61 win in the rematch with Baylor this past weekend. Dotson played all but three minutes in that game, which helped Kansas reclaim the No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll.

Since the first meeting with Baylor, Kansas has won 13 games in a row. Dotson has been a big reason for that.

He missed the win over Oklahoma, but Dotson played in all 12 of the other games. Over that span, Dotson has averaged 17.8 points, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

KenPom.com put Dotson as the team’s MVP in five of those games. Azubuike had three MVP performances over that same stretch, while Garrett only has two. For the season as a whole, Dotson was KenPom’s MVP in 11 games — more than Azubuike (six) and Garrett (two) combined.

It is easy to focus on what Dotson can’t do and why he came back to the college basketball world after testing the waters during the 2019 NBA draft process. Dotson still hasn’t been very efficient from deep this season, a necessary skill for a guard hoping to have a prolonged professional career.

However, at this level, Dotson has the traits of a premier player. He’s quick and great at getting to the rim. Despite his smaller stature, Dotson is able to finish at the rim at a high level.

According to barttorvik.com, Dotson has converted on 109 of his 172 attempts (63.4%) at the rim. Dotson was 103-for-168 (61.3%) at the rim as a freshman. By comparison, Frank Mason III made 107 of his 191 shots (56%) at the rim when he won national player of the year honors as a senior in 2017.

Dotson also hardly ever comes off the floor, averaging 34.6 minutes per game. He even leads the team with 56 steals, though Azubuike and Garrett typically get most of the credit for Kansas having an elite defense.

KU’s success this season wouldn’t have been possible without a full team effort. But make no mistake, Dotson is KU’s most valuable player with three games remaining in the regular season, and whether KU cuts down the nets in Atlanta in April will ultimately depend on him.

More MVP chatter from KUsports.com

• The Case for Udoka Azubuike

• The Case for Marcus Garrett