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Isaiah Canaan thinks he’s the best player in the nation

NCAA Basketball Tournament - Murray State v Marquette

LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 17: Isaiah Canaan #3 of the Murray State Racers goes up for a shot against Jamil Wilson #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the second half during the third round of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 15, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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....And honestly, he’s got a pretty good case for it.

The Murray State senior point guard told USAToday’s Scott Gleeson that he believes he’s the best, based on a lot of things. One of those being that he’s “got a lot of wins under [his] belt.”

“I don’t like to toot my own horn, but honestly, I do feel that way, I think I’m the best. Physically, I know I’m stronger than most point guards. I’ve been around longer than most, I don’t back down from nobody. It’d be hard for me to say I’m not the best point guard in the country.”

The Biloxi, Miss. native came back after being projected as a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft — an incredibly smart move — and has a lot to live up to after a 31-win season with the Racers last season, a team record.

Not that he’s not up to it, CBSSports.com ranks Canaan as the top point guard in their Top 50 list.

The crazy thing about Murray State — and the article says as much — is that Canaan is currently one of only two guys for Murray State that return as impact players. Gone are Jewuan Long, Ivan Aska and Dante Poole, with only forward Ed Daniel coming back. As of now, the jury is still out on the return of guard Zay Jackson after he basically ran two people over this summer. In fairness, seniors Latreze Mushatt, Stacey Wilson and Brandon Garrett return. The Trio all played in at least 32 of 33 games, with Mushatt starting nine.

Coach Steve Prohm has a definite chemistry with his roster. But will that, combined with the return of Canaan and Daniel, be able to be enough with a retooled roster that includes six freshman?

Well, according to Canaan, they’ve got the best player in the nation. So that’s a start.

David Harten is the editor of The Backboard Chronicles. You can follow him on Twitter at @David_Harten.