The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Basketball’s Abmas named to Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 watch list
01.10.2024 | Men's Basketball
Abmas on midseason watch list for award that honors the Division I Player of the Year in men’s college basketball.
LOS ANGELES — University of Texas Men's Basketball graduate Max Abmas is one of 25 midseason watch list candidates for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Wednesday. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 thus far, 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.
In his first 15 contests at Texas, Abmas leads the team in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (67) and minutes (34.1 mpg). He has converted 45.5-percent (90-198) from the floor, including a 39.8-percent (43-108) mark from three-point range, and 91.7-percent (33-36) from the free throw line this season. Abmas also sports a 1.91-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (67-35).
Abmas has already hit two game-winning baskets in the final seconds this year for the Longhorns. He knocked down a jumper from the right elbow with 0.4 seconds left to beat Louisville (Nov. 19) in Madison Square Garden. In Tuesday night's 74-73 victory at Cincinnati (Jan. 9), Abmas hit a jumper from the right baseline with 6.2 seconds remaining to provide the winning margin.
Abmas is the NCAA Division I active career scoring leader (2,818 points) and has moved into the No. 19 spot on the NCAA all-time career points chart. He has played and started 138 games and registered 463 assists, 452 rebounds and 151 steals over the last five seasons at Oral Roberts and Texas. Abmas also has climbed into fifth place on the NCAA all-time career three-point field goals made chart (463).
Players on the midseason Top 25 watch list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Principal. The National Ballot will consist of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament, and the winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.
No. 25 Texas (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) returns to the court when it travels to face West Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tip is set for 5 p.m. Central/6 p.m. Eastern at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, and the contest will be streamed nationally by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Midseason Top 25 Watch List
|
Player |
School |
|
TEXAS |
|
|
Armando Bacot |
North Carolina |
|
LJ Cryer |
Houston |
|
Johnell Davis |
Florida Atlantic |
|
RJ Davis |
North Carolina |
|
Hunter Dickinson |
Kansas |
|
Zach Edey |
Purdue |
|
Kyle Filipowski |
Duke |
|
PJ Hall |
Clemson |
|
David Jones |
Memphis |
|
Dalton Knecht |
Tennessee |
|
Tyler Kolek |
Marquette |
|
Jaedon LeDee |
San Diego State |
|
Caleb Love |
Arizona |
|
Kevin McCullar Jr. |
Kansas |
|
Tristen Newton |
UConn |
|
Antonio Reeves |
Kentucky |
|
Baylor Scheierman |
Creighton |
|
Mark Sears |
Alabama |
|
Reed Sheppard |
Kentucky |
|
KJ Simpson |
Colorado |
|
Isaiah Stevens |
Colorado State |
|
Wade Taylor IV |
Texas A&M |
|
Tyson Walker |
Michigan State |
|
Ja'Kobe Walter |
Baylor |
