Another week, another look at who may end up as this year’s Wooden Award winner. The list changes with one player, but the one not listed, Kofi Cockburn, is still in contention. The previous week in college hoops was interesting with the No. 1 ranked team in the country Auburn Tigers losing to the Arkansas Razorbacks in a wire-to-wire game, 80-76 in overtime. You never know who is going to win in college hoops due to the unpredictability. That’s why college hoops are amazing to watch. Expect the unexpected.
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Jaden Ivey, Purdue
The Purdue Boilermakers went 1-1 this past week with a win at home against Illinois and a loss at Michigan. Jaden Ivery did not fail to impress. The sophomore, who is currently averaging 17.4 points per game this season, had 26 points against Illinois and 18 points against Michigan. He went 16-for-29 (55.1 percent) from the field, 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) from the free-throw line, and averaged four turnovers per game during the two-game stretch. One of the best scorers in the Big Ten, Ivey will be on this list for a decent amount of time.
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Tshiebwe had a fantastic week. The junior from Lubumbashi, Congo averaged 16.5 rebounds per game and shot 20-for-30 (66.6 percent) from the field last week. He had 18 points at South Carolina and 27 points against Florida. The last time Tshiebwe had less than 10 rebounds was against High Point on New Year’s Eve. He also contributed three blocks against the Gamecocks.
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Smith is on one of the best teams in the nation. The freshmen had a rough week with shooting 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) from the field. 4-for-12 (33.3 percent) from three-point, and 7-for-9 (77.7 percent) from the free-throw line. He did average 8.5 rebounds per game, but his shooting struggles did not help his case much. Smith still remains on the list but will need to finish these next few weeks putting up big numbers while also helping the Tigers remain at the top of the polls.
Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
Davis is leading the Badgers to a great season currently with Wisconsin only having four losses on the season so far. Davis should not let the eight-point loss against Rutgers on Saturday affect his status on the list. The game at Michigan State boosted his stats as he had 25 points, shot 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from the field, 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) from the free-throw line, grabbed six rebounds while only committing one turnover. The La Crosse, WI native scored 11 points and shot 50 percent from the field during the game against Rutgers.
Paolo Banchero, Duke
The Blue Devils had a rough game against Virginia on Monday night, but they bounced back on their games at Clemson and Boston College. Banchero especially had a rough game against the Cavaliers also scoring only nine points, shooting 3-for-9 (33.3 percent) from the field, 1-for-3 (33.3 percent) from the three-point line, and grabbing nine rebounds. The games against Clemson and Boston College were better for Banchero as he averaged 15.5 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, 12-for-29 (41.3 percent) from the field, 1-for-6 (16.6 percent) from the three-point line, and 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) from the foul line. Both of those games were double-digit victories.
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