FARGO, N.D.--North Dakota State guard Ben Woodside was named the Most Valuable Player in Division I independent men’s basketball by the staff of CollegeInsider.com on Wednesday, March 1.

Woodside, a 5-foot-11 redshirt freshman from Albert Lea, Minn., averaged 17.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals for North Dakota State, which finished the year with a 16-12 record.

Woodside shot 43 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line. He had 11 games of 20 or more points and scored in double figures 23 times. He had 14 games with six or more assists.

Woodside made all 28 starts for NDSU and averaged 34 minutes per game.

Seven-foot center Chris Daniels of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was named Player of the Year. He averaged 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Islanders.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi finished 20-8 for the second straight season under head coach Ronnie Arrow, who was selected as Coach of the Year.