Doug McDermott headlines Wooden Award finalists
Frank Victores / Reuters
Creighton star Doug McDermott headlines the 15 finalists announced Saturday for the Wooden Award, which is given annually to college basketball's player of the year.
| Player | Team | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Anderson | Delaware | Sophomore |
| Cleanthony Early | Wichita State | Senior |
| Tyler Ennis | Syracuse | Freshman |
| C.J. Fair | Syracuse | Senior |
| Gary Harris | Michigan State | Sophomore |
| Nick Johnson | Arizona | Junior |
| Sean Kilpatrick | Cincinnati | Senior |
| Doug McDermott | Creighton | Senior |
| Shabazz Napier | Connecticut | Senior |
| Jabari Parker | Duke | Freshman |
| Casey Prather | Florida | Senior |
| Julius Randle | Kentucky | Freshman |
| Russ Smith | Louisville | Senior |
| Nik Stauskas | Michigan | Sophomore |
| Andrew Wiggins | Kansas | Freshman |
McDermott is considered the runaway favorite to win the award. He has a chance to join college basketball's 3,000-point club in Saturday's game against Providence.
He is one of seven seniors on a list that features four freshmen, three sophomores, and one junior.
Syracuse is the only team with two players among the final 15.
A series of injuries have kept Kansas star freshman Joel Embiid, the projected No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, from making the list.
The Wooden Award winner will be announced April 4.