PThe candidate list for the Wooden Award has been cut in half, with Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart and Duke's Jabari Parker highlighting the remaining 25 players. Given annually to the best college basketball player, the Wooden Award is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 includes Marcus Smart, Jabari Parker
The Oklahoma State senior and Duke freshman made the cut, but Kansas big man Joel Embiid was notably left off the list.
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Along with Parker, freshmen on the list include Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, Kentucky's Julius Randle, Syracuse's Tyler Ennis and Arizona's Aaron Gordon. Upperclassmen receiving the nod include Creighton's Doug McDermott, Syracuse's C.J. Fair and Louisville's Russ Smith.
Notably missing is Wiggins' teammate Joel Embiid, who is No. 1 on SB Nation's Jonathan Tjarks' big board. The dominant big man can still win the award, as any player in the country can still be named a Top 15 finalist. Embiid has made a splash in his freshman season, averaging 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Here’s the full list of the Top 25:
Kyle Anderson | G/F | UCLA |
| Keith Appling | G | Michigan State |
| Cameron Bairstow | F | N. Mexico |
| Jordan Clarkson | G | Missouri |
| Aaron Craft | G | Ohio State |
| Sam Dekker | F | Wisconsin |
| Cleanthony Early | F | Wichita State |
| Tyler Ennis | G | Syracuse |
| C.J. Fair | G | Syracuse |
| Aaron Gordon | F | Arizona |
| Rodney Hood | G | Duke |
| Nick Johnson | G | Arizona |
| DeAndre Kane | G | Iowa State |
| Doug McDermott | F | Creighton |
| Shabazz Napier | G | Connecticut |
| Jabari Parker | G | Duke |
| Adreian Payne | C | Michigan State |
| Casey Prather | F | Florida |
| Julius Randle | F | Kentucky |
| Marcus Smart | G | Oklahoma State |
| Russ Smith | G | Louisville |
| T.J. Warren | F | N.C. State |
| Andrew Wiggins | G | Kansas |
| Chazz Williams | G | Massachusetts |
| Joseph Young | G | Oregon |
McDermott makes the list as the country’s second-leading scorer, averaging 24.8 points per game. The Creighton forward’s chances to win the award will hinge on the Bluejays’ success down the stretch, as it is hard to argue that any one player is more important to his team than McDermott.
Smart is another favorite, putting up a furious stat line on a nightly basis. The sophomore averages 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game as one of the nation’s most versatile players.
Michigan’s Trey Burke won the award for the 2012-2013 season.
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