Reigning winner Zach Edey, Purdue's dominant 7-foot-4 star, topped the Wooden Award men's late-season Top 20 list announced Tuesday night.
The award is given annually to the best college basketball player in the country.
Edey was the big winner of the Wooden Award on the men's side last season and entered this season as the heavy favorite to become the first repeat winner since Virginia's Ralph Sampson won the awards in 1982 and 1983. He has only cemented his status as a leader since the season began, leading the No. 2-ranked Boilermakers with an average of 23.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 62.7% from the field.
Entering the final month of the regular season, Edey will likely face a broader group of legitimate contenders than he did a year ago. Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht has been the nation's top transfer, averaging 19.5 points this season but 32.0 points in his last four games, with the Volunteers ranked in the top five nationally. North Carolina's RJ Davis has been arguably America's best point guard, producing a true breakout season and averaging 21.2 points and 3.3 assists as the Tar Heels look like ACC favorites and a Finals threat Four.
UConn guard Tristen Newton (15.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.8 rpg) has been the best player on the best team in the country, while Kentucky's Antonio Reeves is scoring 19, 5 points on 50.2% shooting (43.1 3PT%) for the top 10 Wildcats. The Kansas duo of Hunter Dickinson (18.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (19.8 rpg, 4.7 rpg) are also enjoying campaigns of the caliber All-America and could figure into the conversation if the Jayhawks get a late-season raise.
There are two players in the late-season Top 20 who were not in the midseason Top 25: Auburn's Johni Broome and Dayton's DaRon Holmes II.
The men's Wooden Award has been awarded every year since 1977, beginning with UCLA star Marques Johnson.
The Complete Wooden Award Late Season Top 20:
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Johni Broome, Chestnut
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
RJ Davis, North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)
Zach Edey, Purdue
Kyle Filipowski, Duke
P.J. Hall, Clemson
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
David Jones, Memphis
Dalton Knecht (Tennessee)
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State
Caleb Love, Arizona
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Tristen Newton, University of Connecticut
Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)
Baylor Scheierman, Creighton
KJ Simpson, Colorado
