For the first time ever, we could have freshmen win the Wooden Award in back-to-back years. The John R. Wooden Award is given to the most outstanding men’s and women’s basketball players. On the men’s side, three of the top five likely winners at this point in the season are freshmen. Check out Florida sports betting websites for the best odds on this year’s Wooden Award favorites.
Cameron Boozer, Duke
Freshman Cameron Boozer is the heavy favorite to win the award and give Duke another freshman Wooden Award winner following Cooper Flagg in 2025. Through a dozen games, Boozer is averaging 23.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He is the leader in each of those categories on a very good Duke Blue Devils team. However, Duke is coming off an 82-81 loss to Texas Tech and ACC play is right around the corner. Boozer still tallied 23 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists against the Red Raiders, but the rest of the Wooden Award favorites will start to the close the gap more and more if Duke keeps losing.
AJ Dybansta, BYU
Out in the Big 12, another freshman is off to an amazing start to his collegiate career. AJ Dybantsa is leading a one-loss BYU team with 22.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. The 6-9 forward is also adding 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Cougars have not played too difficult of a non-conference schedule, so Dybansta still has a lot to prove. He did score 25 points in a two-point loss to Connecticut and added 18 points against Wisconsin and 28 against Clemson, but a lot of his more impressive statistical games have come against lesser opponents. Dybansta will have to prove that he can keep having big games when Big 12 play starts in January.
Braden Smith, Purdue
Braden Smith is back among the Wooden Award favorites after being named one of five finalists last season. Any returning First-Team All-American is going to be high on the list. Through 12 games, Smith has seen his scoring drop a little bit to 12.6 points per game from last season, but his assists are what really matters. Last year he averaged 8.7 per game. So far in 2025-26, he is up to 9.6 assists per game. The Boilermakers already have some good wins this season with victories over Alabama, Texas Tech and Auburn, but it was their early December blowout loss to Iowa State that has raised questions about this team. In that game Smith scored a team high 11 points, but also dished out 8 assists for a team that scored just 58 points. As a point guard who does not put up huge numbers in the scoring column, Smith’s Wooden Award chances will closely follow the success or failure of the team as a whole.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Yaxel Lendeborg may be the biggest surprise of the season. Michigan is off to an amazing start this year with some quality wins against power five opponents, but it was late November 101-61 drubbing of Gonzaga that really put the Wolverines atop nearly everybody’s top 25 rankings. Lendeborg transferred in after two years at UAB, where he averaged 17. 7points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks last season. Those are big numbers across the board, but not many expected him to do anything close to that with a more talented roster around him and tougher competition. Lendeborg did not even start the first game of the season, but he has started every game since then and is leading the Wolverines with 15.6 points per game. He is also still doing a lot more than just scoring and averages 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks.
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
The last of the freshmen in the top five is Caleb Wilson. The 6-10 forward has scored at least 20 points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five of the team’s 12 games. That is an impressive start to a collegiate career. On the year he is averaging 19.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. The Tar Heels are off to an 11-1 start despite missing point guard Seth Trimble for most of that time. The return of Trimble will only help Wilson in the scoring department and now the Tar Heels are set up for a strong ACC season. If UNC can get the best of Duke in the ACC, Wilson will quickly catch up to Boozer in the Wooden Award pecking order.
