Four biggest snubs from the Wooden Award midseason list
Even though most of the teams in college basketball's title picture aren't a huge surprise, many of the guys who have emerged as national player of the year candidates are.
Absent from the newly released 25-man Midseason Wooden Award list are popular preseason All-American selections Marcus Paige (North Carolina), Fred VanVleet (Wichita State), Sam Dekker (Wisconsin) and Aaron Harrison (Kentucky). In their place are surprise standouts Justin Anderson (Virginia), Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Delon Wright (Utah) and Jerian Grant (Notre Dame).
That shift is warranted based on how the season has gone so far but there are a couple of players left off the Wooden Award list that should've made it. A look at the list to the right and some of the biggest snubs below:
1. Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse): While Syracuse is no shoo-in for the NCAA tournament with Christmas, it probably wouldn't even be in contention without him. The 6-foot-9 senior is the most improved player in the nation this season, transforming himself from a defensive anchor who contributed little besides offensive boards at the other end into one of the ACC's dominant interior players. Christmas averages 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks this season. He put up 35 points on Tuesday night in a victory over Wake Forest.
2. LaDontae Henton (Providence): How is a guy averaging 21.2 points per game for a Big East title contender not one of the nation's best 25 players? That's probably what Henton and Providence fans are wondering. Henton is sixth in the nation in scoring, and none of the five guys ranked ahead of him are doing it in power conferences. He is shooting a respectable 47.1 percent and has cracked double figures in all but two of Providence's games this season, leading the Friars to an impressive 13-4 record.
3. LeBryan Nash (Oklahoma State): The biggest reason Oklahoma State has unexpectedly cracked the AP Top 25 is Nash taking another step forward as a senior. The former elite recruit is playing to his potential this season, averaging 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting a solid 47 percent from the floor. Nash shot a bit higher percentage and didn't turn the ball over as frequently last season, but that's understandable given his increased role with Marcus Smart and Markel Brown both having moved on.
4. Keifer Sykes (Green Bay): The Wooden Award list is surprisingly devoid of mid-major players, which is a shame because Sykes is worthy of recognition. Green Bay's 6-foot catalyst is enjoying an even better year than what he delivered last season even though his scoring has dropped slightly. He's still averaging 19.2 points per game and he's shooting better from the field and behind the 3-point arc, a big reason why the Phoenix boast a 14-3 record despite losing 7-foot center Alec Brown to the NBA.
Others worthy of consideration: Treveon Graham (VCU), Kris Dunn (Providence), Larry Nance Jr. (Wyoming), Kevon Looney (UCLA)
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
