Per Duke Sports Information:
DURHAM, N.C. – The John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s has announced its Midseason Top 25 Watch List, which includes a pair of Duke Blue Devils — freshman Vernon Carey Jr., and sophomore Tre Jones.
Carey and Jones have paved the way for a 14-1 start to the season for the No. 2 Blue Devils, with both ranking near the top of the ACC on both ends of the floor. Carey currently ranks third in the league in scoring (18.1) and second in field goal percentage (.612), while Jones leads the league in assists (7.2) and is fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.21). Defensively, Carey ranks third in the ACC in rebounds (8.8) and fourth in blocked shots (2.0), and Jones sits at second in the conference in steals (2.2).
Duke is one of three schools with two players on the watch list, alongside Kansas (Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson) and Kentucky (Ashton Hagans and Tyrese Maxey).
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best basketball player at an NCAA Division I university who has proven to his or her university that he or she meets or exceeds the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Duke’s six previous winners of the John R. Wooden Award are the most in college basketball history, with Zion Williamson (2019) being the most recent Duke winner.
The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 10, 2020.
For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to the website and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
