Want to know why North Carolina is number one in nearly all preseason polls? Look no further than the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, which notes the top fifty returning players in the country, four of whom will be wearing Carolina blue this season. Another surprise is that no other ACC teams are represented. First we’ll look at the four selections:

• Harrison Barnes was a lock: face it, even Duke fans know Barnes and Jared Sullinger are the two favorites as far as national player of the year awards are concerned. As soon as he opted to return, the Tar Heels vaulted into the top national spot. Don’t expect another lackluster start out of Barnes this season.

Harrison Barnes Headlined Four North Carolina Players on the Wooden Presesason Top 50 List.

• John Henson is a more interesting pick. Henson’s defensive prowess is well-documented. He alters nearly every drive or post-up within his extensive wingspan. Here’s the caveat: Henson is as raw as they come offensively. If it’s not an alley-oop from Kendall Marshall or a put-back dunk, he struggles (though it should be noted, his free throw shooting improved dramatically the second half of last season). Until we see how much Henson has developed, it will be tough to evaluate his chances as a player of the year candidate.

• Kendall Marshall also suffers from one-dimensionality. Don’t understate his effect on the team, but also don’t overlook Harrison Barnes’ dramatically improved play when evaluating the Tar Heels’ turn around last season. Especially towards the end of the season, teams started playing Marshall like NBA teams play Rajon Rondo, forcing him to create his own offense instead of leaving passing lanes open for others. Marshall also suffers from relatively slow lateral quickness that may make him a defensive liability against the conference’s top guards on defense. If Marshall developed a consistent and confident jump over the summer, I’m definitely on board with this selection.
• Finally we get to the senior cornerstone Tyler Zeller. Zeller put up very impressive numbers in the paint last season for North Carolina. He’s definitely one of the most polished post presences in the country, but he’ll need to take a more active offensive role on this year’s team (much along the lines of his early games last season) if he wants to contend for the Wooden Award this year.

As for the snubs, I agree wholeheartedly with Andy Katz’s list. I expect either Malcolm Grant or Durand Scott to step up this season for Miami, though the loss of big man Reggie Johnson for the first chunk of the season certainly hurts their chances. Duke’s Seth Curry definitely will be in the limelight as the Blue Devils’ probable starting point guard.

Virginia‘s Mike Scott was probably the most egregious of the players left off the list: Scott was a double-double machine last season (averaging 16 PPG and 10 RPG) until he got injured. It’s safe to say he will be one of the best interior players in the league, not too mention the Cavaliers’ brightest star. The two biggest questions for Scott are whether he can stay healthy and whether Virginia will be relevant enough to merit an award.

As for a sleeper candidate, look no further than NC State’s CJ Leslie. Basketball Prospectus’ Drew Cannon got it right when describing Leslie on his Top 100 Players: “Nobody on this list has a wider range of possible 2012s than Leslie. There’s an argument to be made that he has the most raw talent of any college basketball player in the country.” This year might not be Leslie’s year, but don’t write him off. Maryland‘s Terrell Stoglin also may play himself into the running, but both him and Leslie feel at least a year away from that kind of performance.

Official List

• Harrison Barnes
• John Henson
• Kendall Marshall
• Tyler Zeller

CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman’s Ballot

• Harrison Barnes
• John Henson
• Ryan Kelly
• Kendall Marshall
• Tyler Zeller

CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish’s Ballot

• Harrison Barnes
• John Henson
• Kendall Marshall
• Tyler Zeller

ESPN Andy Katz’s “Snubs” and Freshmen

• Seth Curry
• Malcolm Grant
• Mike Scott

mpatton (576 Posts)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 9:00 am by mpatton and is filed under acc, microsites. Tagged: cj leslie, duke, durand scott, harrison barnes, john henson, kendall marshall, malcom grant, miami, nc state, north carolina, reggie johnson, seth curry, tyler zeller, virginia, wooden award, wooden award 2012, wooden award preseason watch list. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.