’22 winner Tshiebwe on Wood preseason list

Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, who could end up being the second two-time winner of the Wooden Award, tops the list of the preseason top-50 candidates for the award that was launched Tuesday.Tshiebwe, who has missed Kentucky’s very first two games while recuperating from an offseason knee treatment, has not yet bet the No. 4 Wildcats, who will deal with Michigan State at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis on Tuesday. He is signed up with on the preseason list by 2 teammates: freshman Cason Wallace and point player Sahvir Wheeler.North Carolina, the No. 1 group in the nation in the current AP poll, also has three players on the Wooden Award top-50 list. Armando Bacot, an AP preseason All-American, is joined by R.J. Davis and Caleb Love.Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Indiana’s Trayce

Jackson-Davis– the three other members of the AP preseason All-American group, together with Tshiebwe and Bacot– are also featured on the Wood Award’s preseason list.With name, image and similarity (NIL )rules, a number of stars who may’ve picked to turn pro chosen to return to college this season, where they’ll make significant amounts with sponsorship offers. No group was affected by this trend more than the leading huge guys in the nation and the Wood Award top-50 preseason list reflects as much.Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and Purdue’s Zach Edey are two of eight players 6-foot-10 or taller on the list.While the bulk of the representation includes athletes from the Power 5 schools and the Big East, a handful of mid-major stars are noted, too.Detroit Grace’s Antoine Davis, a

fifth-year star who has actually completed top-five in scoring for the previous four years, and Oral Roberts’Max Abmas, who led the nation in scoring 2 years ago,

are mentioned.And the youth were not overlooked, either. Arkansas standout Nick Smith Jr., a forecasted lottery badger ESPN’s newest mock draft, is one of 7 freshmen on the top-50 preseason list.Max Abmas, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, 6-0, Sr., G Swank Alexander, St. John’s Red Storm, 6-0, Jr., G Timmy Allen, Texas Longhorns, 6-6, Sr., F Armando Bacot, North Carolina Tar Heels, 6-11, Sr., F/C Matt Bradley, San Diego State

Aztecs, 6-4, Sr., G Tyger Campbell, UCLA Bruins, 5-11, Sr., G Colin Castleton, Florida Gators, 6-11, Sr., F

Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy Titans, 6-1, Sr., G Kendric Davis, Memphis Tigers,

6-0, Sr., G R.J. Davis, North Carolina Tar Heels, 6-0, Jr., G Hunter Dickinson, Michigan Wolverines,

7-1, Jr., C Zach Edey,

Purdue Boilermakers, 7-4, Jr., C Adam Flagler, Baylor

Bears, 6-3, Sr., G

Jayden Gardner, Virginia Cavaliers, 6-6, Sr., F

Keyonte George, Baylor Bears, 6-4, Fr., G

DaRon Holmes II, Dayton Flyers, 6-10, Soph.

, F Tyrese Hunter, Texas Longhorns,

6-0, Soph., G Harrison Ingram, Stanford Cardinal, 6-7, Soph. F Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana Hoosiers, 6-9, Sr., F

Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA Bruins,

6-7, Sr., G/F Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Bluejays, 7-1, Jr., C Dereck Lively II

, Duke Blue Devils, 7-1, Fr., C Caleb Love, North Carolina Tar Heels, 6-4, Jr., G

Hunter Maldonado, Wyoming Cowboys, 6-7, Sr., G

Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas Jayhawks, 6-6, Sr., G

Darius McGhee, Liberty Flames, 5-9, Sr., G

Mike Miles Jr., TCU Horned Frogs, 6-2, Jr., G

Brandon Miller, Alabama Crimson Tide, 6-9, Fr., F Kris Murray, Iowa Hawkeyes, 6-8, Jr., F

Nijel Pack, Miami Hurricanes, 6-0, Soph.,

G Will Richardson, Oregon Ducks

, 6-5, Sr., G

Jeremy Roach, Duke Blue Devils, 6-2, Jr., G

Adama Sanogo, UConn Huskies, 6-9, Jr., F

Marcus Sasser, Houston Cougars, 6-2, Sr., G

Baylor Scheierman, Creighton Bluejays, 6-7, Sr., G Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois Battling Illini, 6-6, Sr., G Terquavion Smith, NC State Wolfpack, 6-4, Soph.,

G Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas Razorbacks, 6-5, Fr., G

Julian Strawther, Gonzaga Bulldogs, 6-7, Jr., G

Drew Timme, Gonzaga Bulldogs, 6-10, Sr., F

Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky Wildcats

, 6-9, Sr., F

Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona Wildcats, 6-11, Jr., F

Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee Volunteers, 6-3, Sr., G

Jordan Walker, UAB Blazers, 5-11, Sr., G

Cason Wallace, Kentucky Wildcats, 6-4, Fr., G

Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky Wildcats, 5-9, Sr., G

Dariq Whitehead, Duke Blue Devils, 6-7, Fr., F

Cam Whitmore, Villanova Wildcats, 6-7, Fr., F

Jalen Wilson, Kansas Jayhawks, 6-8, Jr., F

Isaiah Wong, Miami Hurricanes, 6-4, Jr., G