Sport-Blog.com

As the NCAA basketball season heads towards the annual event known as March Madness, many have begun speculating as to which player will earn the coveted John R. Wooden Award symbolic of being college basketball's top player for the 2005-06 season.

For the first time in recent years, the majority of the top candidates are all seniors. There appear to be a number of worthy candidates for this year's award but at this point there appear to be two players as the Vegas favorites. Early bets would have to be on either Adam Morrison of Gonzaga or J.J. Redick of Duke as being most likely to take home the coveted award.

Redick may have the advantage, given that he plays for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both his team and his league may be key factors as the 6-4 shooting guard receives more national attention.

It wasn't all that long ago that Redick was looked upon as a Steve Alford type, an average player with an ability to shoot the open jumper. But the Duke senior has rounded out his offensive repertoire and is part and parcel to Duke's pressure man-to-man defense. In 23 games to date, Redick has tossed in 90 three pointers and is shooting more than 50% from the field despite playing a perimeter-oriented game. His 28.4 points-per-game average is astonishing considering he averages less than 18 shots per game.

But the 6-8 Morrison is also having an astonishing season, even if it is against somewhat lower caliber competition. That factor may hurt the junior in the polling but he too is averaging 28 plus per game and shooting more than 50 percent from the floor. Though Morrison has half as many threes as Redick, he has tossed in 45 while shooting 43% from beyond the arc (Redick is at 44%). A key for the forward is that the Zags have also been at the top of the polls all year long, keeping Morrison's name before the public on a regular basis.

Though it will be a major surprise for someone other than Redick or Morrison to win the Wooden, there are a number of other players who are having outstanding collegiate seasons. Seniors Mike Gansey of West Virginia, Shelden Williams of Duke, and Randy Foye of Villanova could all receive some votes as well.

The 6-4 Gansey is considered the top player in the Big East Conference, particularly because of his ability to raise his game and have outstanding performances against the best competition. Gansey is averaging 18 plus points per game while shooting almost 60% from the floor and 47% from beyond the three point arc. Helping Gansey would be a strong finish by the Mountaineers during March Madness.

The 6-8 Williams gives the Blue Devils the top one two punch in the country. While Redick dominates the perimeter, Williams controls the lane. He is a force on the low blocks, a strong physical presence for the Dukies. The senior is tossing in 18 points a game while grabbing nearly 10 rebounds and blocking four shots per game. Williams .582 field goal percentage is exceptional for any player, especially for some one playing in tough ACC.

Foye is another guard with exceptional game. Villanova is also one of the top teams in the Big East and their outstanding play as a team has helped Foye gain national recognition as well. The guard cannot match the shooting percentages of the other top players but he is averaging more than 20 points game while playing sterling defense.

Yet one other senior, Dee Brown of Illinois could also get some votes. At 5-11, the smallish Brown still has a profound effect on every game. A poor shooting season has cost him a chance at the top spot but he is averaging 15 points and nearly 6 assists per outing for the 20-3 Fighting Illini.

Among the top candidates this year, only Morrison is an underclassman. Perhaps that is due to the constant defection of the better underclassmen each year, but for once the NBA draft could feature several seniors in the top ten picks.