Flagg, Broome headline Wooden Award finalists
Duke's Cooper Flagg and Auburn's Johni Broome are among the five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the country's most outstanding men's basketball player of the season.
Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., Alabama's Mark Sears, and Purdue's Braden Smith join the pair as Wooden Award finalists.
Flagg is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft after earning ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year this campaign. He's averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to its first Final Four under Jon Scheyer.
The 18-year-old also set the ACC freshman record for points in a game, erupting for 42 points in a win over Notre Dame in January.
Broome dominated to start the season, lifting Auburn to the AP Poll's No. 1 spot for multiple weeks. He totaled 47 points and 30 rebounds across the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight as he led the Tigers to the Final Four and is averaging 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds over the season.
Clayton's averaging 18.1 points and 4.2 assists in 2024-25 to guide Florida to its first Final Four since 2014.
Sears finished the season with 18.6 points per game but will be best remembered for his Sweet 16 performance when he recorded 30 points and splashed 10 threes.
Smith became the leader at Purdue following Zach Edey's departure to the NBA. His 8.7 assists per game this campaign rank second in the nation.
The five finalists also received Wooden Award All-America team selections, along with Houston's L.J. Cryer, Marquette's Kam Jones, Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner, Tennessee's Chaz Lanier, and Wisconsin's John Tonje.
The winner of the Wooden Award will be announced on April 11 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.