John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 announced NCAA.com
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PRESENTED BY LOS ANGELES, CA (January 11, 2018) – The Los Angeles Athletic Club has announced its John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s Midseason Top 25 on ESPN.com. The list will be featured tonight on ESPN2 at 1 am E.T. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the first half of the 2017-18 season, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor. On the 2018 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list, five players debut on the Wooden Watch after not being named on the Preseason Top 50: Mikal Bridges of Villanova, Tra Holder of Arizona State, Luke Maye of North Carolina, Brandon McCoy of UNLV, and Jordan Murphy of Minnesota. Four schools have two players that were chosen: Arizona (Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier), Duke (Grayson Allen and Marvin Bagley III), North Carolina (Joel Berry II and Luke Maye), and Villanova (Bridges and Jalen Brunson). The ACC and Big East lead all conferences with five selections each, followed by the Big 12 and Pac-12 with four apiece; the Big Ten and SEC with two apiece; and The American, Mountain West and WCC with one selection each. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2018 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s. The leading candidates will be further pared to 20 top players in early February. Fifteen top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA will be submitted to voters on the Final Ballot prior to the NCAA Tournament. Every year, players have made the Final Ballot that were not on the preseason or midseason lists. Voters are permitted to take into consideration the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament when casting the ballot. The ten-man Wooden Award All American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2018 John R. Wooden Award will be presented during the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s on Friday, April 6, 2018. About the John R. Wooden Award Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best basketball player at an NCAA Division I university who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress towards graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), and last year’s recipients, Kelsey Plum of Washington and Frank Mason III of Kansas. Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All-American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All-Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend. The Legends of Coaching Award will be presented during the 4th Annual ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s, which will take place on Friday, April 6, 2018. For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to and follow the and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram. Name School Conference Class Position Grayson Allen Duke ACC Sr. Guard Deandre Ayton Arizona Pac-12 Fr. Forward Marvin Bagley III Duke ACC Fr. Forward Mohamed Bamba Texas Big 12 Fr. Forward Joel Berry II North Carolina ACC Sr. Guard Trevon Bluiett Xavier Big East Sr. Guard Mikal Bridges Villanova Big East Jr. G/F Miles Bridges Michigan State Big Ten Soph. G/F Jalen Brunson Villanova Big East Jr. Guard Jevon Carter West Virginia Big 12 Sr. Guard Bonzie Colson Notre Dame ACC Sr. Forward Angel Delgado Seton Hall Big East Sr. Center Marcus Foster Creighton Big East Sr. Guard Devonte' Graham Kansas Bg 12 Sr. Guard Tra Holder Arizona State Pac-12 Sr. Guard Aaron Holiday UCLA Pac-12 Jr. Guard Jock Landale Saint Mary's WCC Sr. Center Yante Maten Georgia SEC Sr. Forward Luke Maye North Carolina ACC Jr. Forward Brandon McCoy UNLV Mountain West Fr. Forward Jordan Murphy Minnesota Big Ten Jr. Forward Collin Sexton Alabama SEC Fr. Guard Landry Shamet Wichita State The American Soph. Guard Allonza Trier Arizona Pac-12 Jr. Guard Trae Young Oklahoma Big 12 Fr. Guard No 2 Gonzaga survives Michigan State men' s college basketball in the Armed Forces Classic
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