AJ Dybantsa, more freshmen headline men’s Wooden Award midseason top 25

Jeff BorzelloJan 7, 2026, 06:30 PM ET
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Nine freshmen, led by Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, headline the men’s Wooden Award midseason top 25 watchlist released Wednesday.

Boozer leads the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game, with Dybantsa just behind him at 23.1 per game. Boozer has been arguably the most consistent player in college basketball since the start of the season, scoring at least 14 points in every game and tallying seven double-doubles to lead Duke to a 14-1 start. The 6-foot-9 forward is also averaging 9.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Dybantsa, meanwhile, recently put together one of the most impressive stretches ever by a freshman. In the month of December, he averaged 27.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals, shooting nearly 66% from the field.

North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson isn’t far behind the two stars, averaging 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds with 10 double-doubles in his first 15 games.

The midseason list also included two talented freshmen with lingering injury issues. Kansas’ Darryn Peterson has played in only six games this season because of a hamstring injury, although he has started the Jayhawks’ past two games and had 32 points in 32 minutes Tuesday against TCU. Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. has sat out five games in a row because of a lower-back injury.

Those five freshmen made up the top five in ESPN’s latest 2026 NBA draft big board.

There also are a number of college veterans poised to make a second-half run at the award. Purdue’s Braden Smith entered the season as the favorite thanks to his status as an All-American last season and the top player on the AP’s preseason No. 1 team. He leads the nation in assists, averaging 9.6 entering the week, setting the Big Ten career record earlier this month. Should he maintain that average, Smith would be on pace to set the all-time Division I career assists record (1,076) held by Bobby Hurley.

Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson and Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg have emerged as legitimate contenders for the award after an outstanding first two months of the season. Jefferson is the anchor for a 14-0 Cyclones team, averaging 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Lendeborg, a former UAB transfer, leads the No. 2 Wolverines in scoring (14.7) and is second in rebounding (7.0) and assists (3.4).

Players not on Wednesday’s watchlist are still eligible for the late-season list and the final ballot whose voting determines the winner.