2013 College Basketball Predictions: John Wooden Award Favorites

2013 College Basketball Predictions: John Wooden Award Favorites: The start of the 2013-14 college basketball season is a couple of weeks away, and while teams are hoping that a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament title are in their futures, the Wooden Award is the top honor an individual player can strive for. The award is given to the player deemed to be the most outstanding performer in the country during the regular season, and recent history suggests that no particular player has a leg up. After all, the last five winners have played four different positions, and during the stretch, a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior have all earned the honor at least once. Last year, Michigan’s Trey Burke took home the Wooden Award with a combination of excellent numbers and unquestioned leaderships. However, Burke left for the NBA after the season, ensuring that Virginia’s Ralph Sampson will remain the only two-time winner of the award at least for now. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the top candidates for the 2013-14 Wooden Award heading into the college basketball season.

1.      Marcus Smart, Point Guard, Oklahoma State

Last year, he turned Oklahoma State into an instant contender in the Big 12 last season, and point Smart shocked many experts by deciding to return to school for his sophomore year. As a freshman, he stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game. More importantly, he was able to get to the foul line with regularity, averaging 6.5 attempts per game. Smart is a go-to scorer and a floor general all rolled into one, and with his 6-4 frame, he is able to bulldoze his way into the lane seemingly at will. He is a safe bet to be one of the most valuable players to his team yet again, and assuming he used the offseason to work on his jump shot a bit, Smart could be the easy choice for the Wooden Award when all is said and done.

2.      Russ Smith, Shooting Guard, Louisville Cardinals

He was named the MVP of the Final Four last year, and Smith could be adding to his collection of awards this year. Smith made huge strides last year, averaging a career-high 18.7 points and 1.6 3-pointers made per game. He also got to the line a career-best 6.9 times per game while averaging more than two steals per game for the second year in a row. Smith will likely be the main scoring option for the defensive-minded defending champs, and if he averages around 20 points and continues to hit big shits like he did last March, he will make a compelling case to be receive to receive the Wooden Award

3.      Doug McDermott, Power Forward, Creighton Blue Jays

McDermott decided to return for his senior season, and he will be the unquestioned most polished offensive player in the country. Last year, he averaged 23.2 points per game, including 2.1 3-pointers per game and 5.3 free throws per game. McDermott is as efficient as he is versatile, hitting 54.8 percent of his shots, including 49.0 percent of his 3-point attempts and 87.5 percent of his fouls shot last year. He isn’t bad on the boards either where he is good for at least eight a night. Playing for a non-traditional power like Creighton will make it tough for McDermott to get as much national attention as some other contenders, but if he continues to be among the top scorers in the country and a double-double machine, he will still have a great chance to win the Wooden Award.

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