Purdue center Zach Edey has an opportunity to be the first repeat winner of the Wooden Award in more than 40 years with the announcement Saturday of the 15 finalists for best men's college basketball player.
As the reigning winner having perhaps an even better season in 2023-24, Edey could go back-to-back, with Virginia's Ralph Sampson the only other player to do so in 1982 and 1983.
The Wooden Award has been presented annually since 1977.
Edey is averaging career bests at 24.1 points (second in the country), 1.9 assists, 2.2 blocks and 0.3 steals, along with 11.7 rebounds (third). The 7-foot-4 senior is shooting 62.3 percent from the floor.
In leading the No. 3 Boilermakers, Edey needs 26 points and 50 rebounds to become just the fifth player in NCAA history with two seasons of at least 750 points and 400 rebounds, joining Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson, Rick Barry and Jerry West.
Among the 15 finalists, the Southeastern Conference leads with four selections, followed by the Big 12 (three), the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East (two each), and the Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Mountain West and Pac-12 with one selection apiece.
Voting for the award takes place from March 18-25, with voters to consider a player's entire season through the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The five finalists will be announced on April 2, and the awards for the Wooden Award as well as the Wooden Award All American Team will be presented on April 12 at the Los Angles Athletic Club.
The full list of 15 finalists:
Johni Broome, Auburn
RJ Davis, North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Zach Edey, Purdue
Kyle Filipowski, Duke
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State
Caleb Love, Arizona
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Tristen Newton, UConn
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Mark Sears, Alabama
Jamal Shead, Houston
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