Edey leads Wood finalists; Bama’s Miller off list
Reigning Wooden Award winner Oscar Tshiebwe and this season’s preferred Zach Edey were among the 15 finalists called to the males’s nationwide tally Saturday morning, as revealed on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
Edey, Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center, is heading into the postseason as the perceived front-runner for the Wood Award, offered every year to the very best college basketball player in the country.He has actually been the most dominant player in men’s college basketball for the majority of the season, ranking ninth in the country in scoring (22.1 PPG) and second in rebounds (13.1 RPG) while obstructing 2.3 shots per game and shooting 61.6% from the field. Edey assisted lead Purdue to its first straight-out Huge 10 regular-season title because 2017.
Men’s Wooden Award Finalists
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
Zach Edey, Purdue
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State
Mike Miles Jr., TCU
Kris Murray, Iowa
Jalen Pickett, Penn State
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
Jalen Wilson, Kansas
Isaiah Wong, Miami
On Edey’s heels is Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, who has had an exceptional second half of the season, consisting of assisting the Hoosiers complete a season sweep of the Boilermakers. Jackson-Davis ranks 22nd nationally in scoring (20.3 PPG) and sixth in rebounds (11.1 RPG) while balancing 3.8 helps and 2.8 blocks. He is just behind Edey in scoring and rebounding in Big Ten play and leads the conference in blocks.Although Kentucky’s Tshiebwe is unlikely to repeat, he still has actually been one of the very best players in the SEC. Tshiebwe leads the nation in rebounding at 13.1 per game while balancing 16.5 points and shooting almost 57 %from the field.Tshiebwe is among simply 2 players who were likewise named to last season’s last Wooden Award ballot, joined by Gonzaga’s Drew Timme.Among the other candidates is Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis, who leads the nation in scoring and is just four points from passing Pete Maravich as the all-time scoring leader in Division I men’s college basketball. Davis set the Division I career record for 3-pointers made in January and is averaging 28.2 points.Editor’s Picks
1 Associated One notable omission is Alabama star Brandon Miller, the nation’s finest freshman and a possible top-five pick in June’s NBA draft. He is balancing 19.6 points and 8.0 rebounds for the No. 2 Crimson Tide and was consisted of on January’s Late Season Top 20 list for the award. Police affirmed last month that Miller transported previous colleague Darius Miles’ weapon to him on the night of the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris after Miles asked him to do so through text message. Miles and Michael Lynn Davis are facing capital murder charges in the shooting. Miller worked together with police, is not considered a suspect in the case and has actually continued to play for the Crimson Tide.The men’s
Wooden Award has actually been offered every year because 1977. UCLA’s Marques Johnson was the first winner of the award.