Wooden Award midseason list includes UConn’s Boatright

UConn guard Ryan Boatright has survived the midseason cut for the 2015 John R. Wooden Award and is the only player from the American Athletic Conference to make the midseason Top 25 list.

The Wooden Award, presented by Wendy’s, released the midseason Top 25 Wednesday and Boatright is one of nine seniors on the list. Boatright leads the Huskies in scoring (16.3 ppt), assists (4.5) and steals (1.8).

Five freshmen were named to the list: Stanley Johnson of Arizona, a two-time high school Wooden Award winner; Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor of Duke; D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State; and Melo Trimble of Maryland. Duke (Jones, Okafor), Gonzaga (Kevin Pangos, Kyle Wiltjer), and Louisville (Montrezl Harrell, Terry Rozier) each had two players chosen to the Midseason Top 25.

In terms of conferences, the ACC leads the way with six picks, followed by the Big Ten with four; the SEC, Pac-12, Big 12 and WCC with three each; and The American, Big East, and Missouri Valley each with one selection.

The leading candidates will be further pared to 20 top players in early February. Fifteen top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA will be submitted to the voters on the ballot prior to the NCAA Tournament. Every year, players make the ballot who are not on the preseason or midseason lists. Voting will take into consideration the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Wooden Award All American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.

Here is the Top 25 list: