Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Purdue’s Edey, Gonzaga’s Timme and Kansas’s Wilson among contenders for Wooden Award
By ROB ROSE
Purdue center Zach Edey (21.7 ppg, 13.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg), Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (22.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (20.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg) are among the top candidates to claim the Wooden Award.
The trio headlined the Midseason Top 25 list announced Wednesday, while several newcomers also made the list.
The reigning Wooden winner, Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe (16.8 ppg, 13.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg) was also part of the midseason top 25 list. Tshiebwe would be the second player to win the award twice after Ralph Sampson in 1982 and 1983.
Most of the list is filled with players from the perennial powerhouse programs, but the nation’s top scorer received the honor. UAB senior guard Jordan Walker (25.2 ppg) was among the top 25.
Four freshman made the list: Alabama’s Brandon Miller, Baylor’s Keyonte George, Kansas’ Gradey Dick and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski.
Wilson and Dickey are part of the Kansas squad tied with the most players on the list. Baylor also had two players with George and senior Adam Flagler as well as North Carolina senior Armando Bacot and junior Caleb Love.
The entire top 25 is listed below:
