University of North Carolina Athletics
RJ Davis and Armando Bacot
Photo by: Jaylynn Nash/ACC
Davis & Bacot Named To Wooden Award Top 25 Watch List
January 10, 2024 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.  – The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Midseason Top 25 Watch List on Wednesday. The list includes University of North Carolina guard RJ Davis and big man Armando Bacot. Carolina is one of three schools with two players on the list.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 season thus far, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor.
On the 2024 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, eight players make their debut on the Wooden Watch: David Jones (Memphis), Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), Jaedon LeDee (San Diego State), Caleb Love (Arizona), Antonio Reeves (Kentucky), Mark Sears (Alabama), Reed Sheppard (Kentucky), and KJ Simpson (Colorado).
Three schools have two players on the list: Kansas (Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr.), Kentucky (Reeves and Sheppard), and North Carolina (Bacot and Davis).
The Big 12 & SEC lead all conferences with five selections each, followed by the ACC with four, the Big East with three, and the American, Big Ten, Mountain West and Pac-12 with two selections apiece.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year. Players not chosen to the preseason or midseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.
The Wooden Award All American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented following the
NCAA Tournament in April.
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Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 season thus far, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor.
On the 2024 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, eight players make their debut on the Wooden Watch: David Jones (Memphis), Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), Jaedon LeDee (San Diego State), Caleb Love (Arizona), Antonio Reeves (Kentucky), Mark Sears (Alabama), Reed Sheppard (Kentucky), and KJ Simpson (Colorado).
Three schools have two players on the list: Kansas (Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr.), Kentucky (Reeves and Sheppard), and North Carolina (Bacot and Davis).
The Big 12 & SEC lead all conferences with five selections each, followed by the ACC with four, the Big East with three, and the American, Big Ten, Mountain West and Pac-12 with two selections apiece.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year. Players not chosen to the preseason or midseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.
The Wooden Award All American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented following the
NCAA Tournament in April.
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