The race for the John Wooden Award in college basketball was shaping up like the race for the Heisman trophy in the 2013 college football season. Creighton’s Doug McDermott had a pretty big cushion between himself and the rest of the pack, much like Jameis Winston when Florida State Seminoles quarterback won the award.
However, much like the Heisman, a team’s record is a factor for the Wooden Award and Creighton’s Sunday night loss to St. John’s closed the gap a bit and the race figures to see an exciting finish with players and teams hoping to head into March with momentum.
It remains to be seen if McDermott can take his Bluejays team to the promised land as Winston did for the Seminoles, but what’s clear is he is the game’s best pure scorer and his decision to return for his senior season has been a gift to all fans of the sport.
- Doug McDermott-Creighton Bluejays
- Jabari Parker-Duke Blue Devils
- C.J. Fair-Syracuse Orange
- Xavier Thames-San Diego State Aztecs
- Nick Johnson-Arizona Wildcats
- Russ Smith-Louisville Cardinals
- Cleanthony Early-Wichita State Shockers
- DeAndre Kane– Iowa State Cyclones
- Sean Kilpatrick-Cincinnati Bearcats
- Shabazz Napier-Connecticut Huskies
Just missed the cut: Julius Randle (Kentucky Wildcats), Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh Panthers), Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins (Kansas Jayhawks), Cameron Bairstow (New Mexico Lobos).
Sound of in the comments section with your thoughts on the biggest challenger is to McDermott for the Wooden. Next week’s Wooden power rankings will be released at 7:00 a.m on Monday, Feb. 16.