The annual Wooden Award Watch list became public on Monday and eight ACC players could be found on it: In alphabetical order: Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Tyus Jones (Duke), Jahlil Okafor (Duke), Marcus Paige (North Carolina), and Terry Rozier (Louisville). This is on par with last year’s performance by the ACC, which also included eight players on the preseason list, including names such as Jabari Parker (Duke), Rodney Hood (Duke), Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke), C.J. Fair (Syracuse), Joe Harris (Virginia), and James Michael McAdoo (North Carolina). One of last year’s selections from the ACC, Dez Wells (Maryland), remains on the list this time around, but he represents the Big Ten now, following Maryland’s official departure from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Doing the math, this is presumably a list of 50 of the best players in the country, and it’s slightly troubling that the ACC doesn’t account for at least a fifth of this list, especially given its oversized presence in the preseason Top 10. This is especially concerning given the fact that Kansas and Kentucky together account for eight players on the list, the same number as the entire conference. Still, given who is on the list, can we be assured that these eight players represent the conference well? ACC fans will at the very least be pleased with the quality of this group, which could arguably match up with and beat any other conference group assembled.
- Malcolm Brogdon (2013-14: 12.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.7 APG): Brogdon became a key piece of Virginia’s ACC championship team, providing a solid stroke from the three-point line and taking some pressure off of star Joe Harris on the perimeter. This year, Brogdon will be looked upon to continue that kind of offensive play with Harris gone, and possibly even step it up a notch. He’s not the most athletically gifted player, but his natural offensive game will grab the attention of anyone watching Virginia play.
- Jerian Grant (2013-14: 19.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.2 APG): Grant became the focal point of the Notre Dame offense last year, scoring nearly 20 points per game with only five minutes of rest per contest before sitting out the second half of the season with academic issues. He is a highly efficient shooter, as he will be able to shoot teams out of zones and force double-teams. Efficiency is Grant’s game, and perhaps because of his layoff, he may enter this season as one of the more underappreciated seniors in the NCAA this year.
- Olivier Hanlan (2013-14: 18.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.9 APG): Hanlan returns as an absolute star in Chestnut Hill, the one shining hope on a team that consistently finds itself in the cellar of the conference standings. While Hanlan didn’t shoot as efficiently as Grant last season, he was a reliable piece who carried a large portion of the Boston College offense. His 18.5 points per game accounted for 27 percent of Boston College’s scoring, more than his fair share, and if we’re basing the Wooden Award on pure individual importance to his team, Hanlan definitely deserves a spot on this list.
- Montrezl Harrell (2013-14: 14.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.2 APG): Harrell is definitely not a surprise to find here, as he is one of the three ACC players named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America team. The junior looks to build on a nice sophomore season for head coach Rick Pitino by improving the diversity of his scoring opportunities; namely, an enhancement of his mid-range game. Should Harrell up his offensive output while maintaining his strong rebounding numbers, he should find himself as one of the finalists for this award in January.
- Tyus Jones (freshman): Jones is one of the two Duke freshmen who made the list, and this is a clear indication of the expectations on his play for the Blue Devils. Jones is slightly undersized at 6’1, but his ability to create for his teammates is what makes him such a valuable player. Duke may finally have the true point guard it’s been looking for, and given all the talent surrounding him, Jones could be a surprise contender for the Wooden Award later this season.
- Jahlil Okafor (freshman): Okafor is one of the most obvious choices for this list from the ACC. The highly touted recruit is likely NBA-bound after this season, and for good reason: His size, especially his length, translates well to the professional game, and he will play as a man among boys in college. His size will allow him to easily post up against most of the frontcourt competition in the ACC. Add in the natural hype that comes along with being the number one overall recruit, and the easy money is to find Okafor on the finalist list.
- Marcus Paige (2013-14: 17.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.2 APG): Paige received the most votes for the Preseason All-America list earlier this month, and while his numbers may not jump out at you, his play last year may have been more critical to his team’s success than anybody else. Paige developed a reputation as a crunch time player, following up lackluster first halves with monster second frames. He is one of the few Tar Heels with a legitimate three-point shot, and his biggest flaw may be that he doesn’t utilize it enough; he sometimes comes across as reluctant to play hero ball until absolutely necessary. Like Okafor and Harrell, it would be a shocker to find Paige off of the finalist list later in the year.
- Terry Rozier (2013-14: 7.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.8 APG): Rozier may be the most unknown ACC name on the Wooden Award Watch list, and his statistics from last year definitely don’t scream National Player of the Year. That said, with Russ Smith’s high-utilization gone, Rozier will be running the show for Louisville this year and his numbers were impressive given the limited playing time he received. Rozier benefits from the majority of the attention on this Cardinals lineup going to Montrezl Harrell; with the spotlight off of him, he can feel free to play his game without the added pressure of expectations.
The ACC may not have been well-represented in the preseason Wooden Award Watch this year, but the conference definitely has some excellent contenders for the award. Its Preseason All-Americans in Harrell, Okafor and Paige are each due for big hype surrounding monster years, which makes for the perfect formula for a winner. Another positive about this list is that six different ACC teams are represented, boding well for fun one-on-one match-ups throughout the conference season. These match-ups make January and February much more tolerable as a fan, and it’s nice to know that on any given night, we could be in for an old-fashioned showdown.