Purdue center Zach Edey and reigning winner Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky were among the 15 finalists named Saturday for the Wooden Award as the best men’s college basketball player.
The 7-foot-4 Edey averages 22.1 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game for the fifth-ranked Boilermakers.
Tshiebwe is averaging 16.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Wildcats, down from his totals when he won the award last season (17.4, 15.2 and 1.8).
A notable omission from the list of 15 finalists is Alabama freshman forward Brandon Miller, who averages 19.6 points and 8.0 rebounds but is embroiled in an off-court controversy. Last month, police said Miller delivered a gun to former teammate Darius Miles prior to a fatal shooting on Jan. 15.
The Wooden Award has been presented annually since 1977.
The full list of 15 finalists:
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
Zach Edey, Purdue
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State
Mike Miles Jr., TCU
Kris Murray, Iowa
Jalen Pickett, Penn State
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
Jalen Wilson, Kansas
Isaiah Wong, Miami
–Field Level Media