Seven Big 12 men’s basketball players were named to the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s® Preseason Top 50 Watch List. Adam Flagler (Baylor), Keyonte George (Baylor), Kevin McCullar Jr. (Kansas), Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Mike Miles Jr. (TCU), Timmy Allen (Texas) and Tyrese Hunter (Texas) were among the honorees chosen in a preseason poll of national college basketball experts.

Fourteen conferences are represented on the preseason list. The Big 12’s seven selections are tied for the second-most. Baylor, Kansas and Texas are among the 10 schools with multiple selections. George is one of seven freshmen recognized.

The preseason top 50 are the early front-runners for the prestigious Wooden Award All-American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.  Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens before the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All-American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.