There have been a number of sensational individual performances in the college basketball world over the past week. Three freshmen — BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Houston’s Kingston Flemings and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler — scored more than 40 points on the same day, which hasn’t happened in at least 20 seasons. Another National Player of the Year candidate registered a triple-double last Tuesday, the leader in the race posted 30-plus points in back-to-back outings and a new addition to the list notched a career-high at Bud Walton Arena.
Below are the top 10 contenders to win the Wooden Award as of Jan. 27. We’ll update these rankings again soon, so stay tuned.
1. Cameron Boozer, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, Duke
Last installment: No. 1
23.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.8 steals, 57.9 FG%, 37 3FG%
One could reasonably argue that the talent level in college hoops has never been higher than it is right now. And yet, Boozer has separated himself from everybody else. The freshman phenom remains the clear favorite to win the Wooden Award and has been just as, if not more, dominant than former Duke star Cooper Flagg was last year. Boozer needed just 16 games to collect 300+ points, 150+ rebounds and 50+ assists, which is the second fewest needed by any player this century (Ben Simmons reached those marks in 15 games in 2015-16).
2. AJ Dybantsa, 6-foot-8 freshman wing, BYU
Last installment: No. 2
23.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 53 FG%
Dybantsa’s 43 points in Saturday’s win over Utah broke Danny Ainge’s record for the most points scored by a BYU freshman. In just 20 games with the program, he owns three of the top six scoring performances by a freshman. He is the centerpiece of the nation’s No. 10 offense, according to KenPom’s efficiency metrics. While he struggled to find his shot in Monday’s loss to Arizona, Dybantsa has still averaged 26.4 points (on 52.3-percent shooting), 6.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals over his last 12 outings. He currently leads the country in scoring.
3. Joshua Jefferson, 6-foot-9 senior forward, Iowa State
Last installment: No. 3
17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 50.0 FG%, 40.4 3FG%
After Iowa State lost consecutive games to Kansas and Cincinnati two weeks ago, Jefferson helped his team bounce back by recording his second triple-double of the year (17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists) in a dominant 87-57 win over UCF. He became the first player in program history to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season. Jefferson leads the Cyclones in rebounding and ranks fourth nationally in assists per game among big men.
4. JT Toppin, 6-foot-9 junior forward, Texas Tech
Last installment: No. 7
22.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 56.2 FG%
Texas Tech has won six of its first seven Big 12 games thanks in large part to Toppin, who’s been playing some of the best basketball of his career. Over his last four outings, the big man is averaging 27.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 58 percent from the field and 46 percent from three. Facing Houston’s stout defense on Saturday — headlined by 6-foot-8 junior forward Joseph Tugler, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year — Toppin put up 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Red Raiders to a 90-86 win.
5. Braden Smith, 6-foot senior guard, Purdue
Last installment: No. 6
15.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 49.8 FG%, 43.6 3FG%
If his current averages hold, Smith would become just the third player in NCAA history to average more than 15.0 points, 9.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds in a season, joining Murray State’s Ja Morant (2018-19) and Oakland’s Kay Felder (2015-16). During conference play, the Purdue star has taken his game to another level, averaging 19.0 points, 9.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals while shooting 56.9 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from three. Smith leads the nation in assists per game and broke the Big Ten’s career assist record earlier this month.
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6. Caleb Wilson, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, North Carolina
Last installment: No. 3
19.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, 58.8 FG%
Wilson dropped a few spots mainly because Toppin and Smith have been otherworldly. North Carolina has also stumbled a bit in ACC play, but it had its best win of the year on Saturday, toppling Virginia 85-80 on the road behind 20 points and 8 rebounds from Wilson. The freshman leads the Tar Heels in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and free throws. His scoring average is on pace to set the UNC freshman record, and he has a chance to become the first freshman in program history to average a double-double in points and rebounds in a season.
7. Kingston Flemings, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, Houston
Last installment: No. 9
17.0 points, 5.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 52.6 FG%, 39.1 3FG%
Houston lost to Texas Tech on Saturday, but Flemings had one of the best individual performances of the year, erupting for a career-high 42 points on 15 of 26 shooting. The 19-year-old broke the program’s single-game freshman scoring record and recorded the most points by a Cougar since guard Robert McKiver dropped 52 points during the 2007-08 campaign. Overall, Flemings is averaging 27 points and 5.2 assists in games against ranked opponents this season.
8. Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-foot-9 senior forward, Michigan
Last installment: No. 5
14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks, 51.4 FG%
Lendeborg averages just 27.5 minutes per game (he’s the only player on this list averaging fewer than 30) but he still manages to stuff the stat sheet. The do-it-all forward leads the Wolverines in points, rebounds and steals, and has scored in double figures in 14 of 19 games. He won MVP of the Players Era Festival in November, averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks across three outings.
9. Darius Acuff Jr., 6-foot-3 freshman guard, Arkansas
Last installment: N/A
20.2 points, 6.2 assists, 50 FG%, 42 3FG%
After averaging 24 points and 5.5 assists in Arkansas’ wins over Vanderbilt and LSU last week, Acuff was named SEC Freshman of the Week for a record-tying sixth time. He took over the LSU game, scoring 24 second-half points and connecting on his final 10 field goals to finish with a career-high 31. An explosive lead guard, Acuff is one of only three players in Division I averaging at least 19 points and 6 assists (Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson and SMU’s Boopie Miller).
10. Jaden Bradley, 6-foot-3 senior guard, Arizona
Last installment: N/A
14.0 points, 4.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 50.3 FG%, 44.4 3FG%
The undefeated, top-ranked Wildcats have a balanced attack, which includes freshman stars Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, but Bradley has been their leader and go-to option in crunch time. According to CBBAnalytics, the senior has shot 9 of 13 in clutch minutes this season, helping Arizona secure narrow wins over Florida, UCLA and UConn. Bradley put up 26 points (on 10 of 15 shooting), 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in the Wildcats’ victory over BYU on Monday.
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