In a college men’s basketball campaign distinguished by the exceptional caliber of its first-year cohort, the rosters of Wooden Award candidates and All-America selections similarly reflect this pattern. Darius Acuff Jr. from Arkansas, Cameron Boozer of Duke, and AJ Dybantsa from BYU all secured spots on both prestigious lists.
Boozer has been widely regarded as the leading contender for the accolade throughout a significant portion of the season. The ACC’s Player of the Year posted a double-double average for the Blue Devils, registering the ninth-highest scoring figure nationwide (22.5 PPG) and the twelfth-best rebounding rate across the country (10.2 RPG). He also achieved actual double-doubles in 22 of his 38 appearances. Furthermore, he dished out 4.1 assists per contest and converted 39.1% of his three-point attempts, thereby fueling Duke’s top-10 standing in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Dybantsa concluded his season as the nation’s premier scorer (25.5 PPG), amassing 20 or more points in 28 games — the second-highest frequency for a Division I freshman in the past two decades, according to ESPN Research, trailing Kevin Durant’s 30 in 2006-07 by only two. Closely following Durant and Dybantsa is Acuff, who ended his campaign with 26 games scoring 20-plus points, placing him fourth on that same compilation. The SEC Player of the Year became the first individual to pace the conference in both points (23.5) and assists (6.4) per game since Pete Maravich in the 1969-70 season.
These three rookie talents are joined by two seasoned players on both the Wooden Award candidate and All-America rosters: Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Purdue’s Braden Smith. Lendeborg has spearheaded the scoring for the Wolverines, who are advancing to the Final Four (15.2 PPG), while Smith concluded his final year ranking second nationally in assists (8.8 APG). Smith also shattered Bobby Hurley’s career NCAA assists record, finishing his tenure with 1,932.
The three other freshmen who earned spots on the Wooden All-America team are Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., Houston’s Kingston Flemings, and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler. Fears led the country in assists (9.4 APG); his three contests with at least 15 helpers surpassed the combined total of all other players in program history. Flemings was the top performer for an experienced squad in both scoring (16.1 PPG) and assists (5.2 APG). Wagler, too, has spearheaded his team in scoring (17.9 PPG) and assists (4.3 APG), with the Illini proceeding to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
Also featured on the All-America list are two standouts whose seasons were prematurely cut short due to ailments: Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin. Jefferson was sidelined for the Cyclones’ last two NCAA tournament games with an ankle sprain but stood out as one of the country’s most versatile contributors, achieving personal bests in scoring (16.4 PPG), rebounding (7.4 RPG), and assists (4.8 APG). Toppin faced an extended absence after suffering an ACL tear in mid-February, but he still posted a double-double average (21.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG) for the Red Raiders.
Wooden Award Finalists
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
Cameron Boozer, Duke
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Braden Smith, Purdue
Wooden All-American Team
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
Cameron Boozer, Duke
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Kingston Flemings, Houston
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Braden Smith, Purdue
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Keaton Wagler, Illinois