LOS ANGELES – Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams continued to receive national player of the year consideration Wednesday, as the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s announced its Midseason Top 25 Watch List.
Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.
Williams (18.8 ppg) and Schofield (18.0 ppg) currently lead the SEC in scoring for the season. The All-SEC duo has combined for 36.8 ppg, 14.0 rpg and 6.7 apg while shooting 54 percent from the floor to help the No. 3 Vols (13-1, 2-0 SEC) get off to their best start since the 2007-08 season.
Williams is the only player in the SEC to rank in the league’s top 10 in scoring (1st/18.8 ppg), rebounding (9th/7.8 rpg) and assists (7th/3.9 apg). He also ranks second in field-goal percentage (.572).
Schofield, who wasn’t named to the preseason list, stepped into the national spotlight for his dominant performance to defeat then-No. 1 Gonzaga, dropping a career-high 30 points and six 3-pointers, including the game-winner with 24 seconds left.
Tennessee was one of three schools to have two players on the list, joining Duke (RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson) and Nevada (Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin). Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson was the only other SEC player to receive the consideration.
The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2019 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 12, 2019.
Tennessee is on the road again Saturday with a challenging test against the Florida Gators in Gainesville. That game will tip at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
WILLIAMS NAMED TO ANOTHER POY LIST: Grant Williams also earned a spot on Lute Olson Award Watch Mid-Season Watch List, which is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I player in College Basketball. He was one of three SEC players on the list, joining Auburn’s Jared Harper and Kentucky’s Reid Travis. The 2019 Lute Olson Award will be presented at the College Insider awards event in April at the site of the men’s division I national championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
