2012 John Wooden Award Favorites and Contenders – Top 5 Midseason Candidates to Win College Basketball’s Top Individual Honor: With conference play in full swing, the top teams in the country are beginning to separate themselves from the pack. The same goes for the top players in the country as well, and the battle for the 2012 Wooden Award is starting to heat up. Team success, individual numbers and a player’s overall impact all play a role in determining the eventual winner, and this year’s frontrunners make the grade in all three categories. There is an intriguing mix of familiar faces, newcomers and complete surprises that have risen to the top, and at this point, any of the leading candidates could walk away with the award.
- Thomas Robinson, Power Forward, Kansas Jayhawks
Early losses to Kentucky and Duke knocked Robinson and the Jayhawks out of the national spotlight, but both have roared back to life. Robinson is averaging almost 18 points a game while connecting on more than 54 percent of his shots. He has also dominated on the glass and currently ranks second in the country with 12.1 rebounds per game. The double-double machine has poweredKansasto wins over second-ranked OhioState, third-ranked Baylor, and 23-ranked Kansas State at home as well as a road win against Texas. The Jayhawks have won nine straight games and are sitting atop the Big 12 standings. Robinson is the main reason why. His motor never stops, and he has emerged as a premier post scorer and an elite rebounder.
- Anthony Davis, Center, Kentucky Wildcats
Without question,Davisis the most dominant force on the defensive end of the court in the country. The scary thing is that he is only a true freshman. He is averaging an incredible 4.6 blocks per game and has already broken the Kentucky single-season record. He is also averaging 1.6 steals per game and more than 10 rebounds. Davis is a little raw on the offensive end, but he is averaging almost 14 points and is making 63.0 percent of his shots. More importantly, he is hitting more than 70 percent of his foul shots, allowing him to be on the court even in crunch time of close games. When Davis is on the court, life is easier for the rest of the team on the offensive and defensive ends. The Wildcats are cruising toward a No. 1 seed come March, and having Davis gives Kentucky a weapon that no other team has.
- Doug McDermott, Small Forward, Creighton Blue Jays
McDermott is a wild card in the Wooden Award race because Creighton isn’t exactly regarded as a powerhouse basketball program. However, the Blue Jays are off to an 18-2 start and are ranked in the top 25, and the play of McDermott deserves a lot of the credit. He is a versatile scorer, and he currently ranks fifth in the country at 23.2 points per game. McDermott is also an incredibly efficient scorer. He is hitting more than 60 percent of his shots overall and more than 50 percent of his 3-point attempts. At almost nine rebounds per game, he is far from a one-trick pony. Playing for Creighton puts him at a disadvantage, but if he keeps pumping in points, voters will pay attention. Just ask former BYU star Jimmer Fredette.
- Jared Sullinger, Center, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ironically missing time with an injury may have actually helped his chances of winning the Wooden Award. The Buckeyes lost to Kansas when Sullinger was out of the lineup and lost to Indiana when he was limited by the same injury. When he was fully healthy, Ohio State annihilated Duke and destroyed the Hooisers in a rematch. Plain and simple, the Buckeyes are a legitimate top-five team with Sullinger and are average at best without him. He is averaging more than 17 points and nine rebounds per game and is shooting almost 60 percent from the field. He may not be overly athletic or flashy, but Sullinger controls the glass and scores in the post as well as any player in the country.
- Kevin Jones, Small Forward, West Virginia Mountaineers
How many players are averaging at least 20 points and at least 10 rebounds this season? The answer is only one, and it is Kevin Jones. At 15-5, the Mountaineers would have to at least finish near the top of the Big East standings to give him a realistic shot to win the Wooden Award, but it’s tough to argue with his production. He is fourth in the country in rebounding at almost 12 per game and is 12th in scoring at 20.6 per game. Jones is hitting more than 55 percent of his field goal attempts this year and is averaging more than a 3-pointer per game to go along with a block per game. The number in West Virginia’s win column will ultimately determine whether or not he can overtake some of the bigger names from the high-profile schools, but Jones’ stats alone should have him on the radar.
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