Let me start by saying I get the honor in being named to the Wooden Award watch list, and it does become a very good promotional tool for schools and the game itself. In our "what to watch for" sports landscape, the preseason Wooden watch list helps whet the appetite of basketball fans, previewing who could be the best college hoops player in America this season.
But seriously, the list is as air tight as a Chip Clip-less old bag of potato chips.
While many of the nation's elite players are recognized on the list, there is a need to cut down on the second-tier "candidates." Who really has a chance to win the thing?
Let's start dispatching the names of the guys who simply aren't legitimate contenders to win the award. Here is a quick list of suspect nominees and why they should not have been included:
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- He'll put up numbers on a Fighting Irish squad that should compete for the tournament, but national player of the year? Even Abro himself has to chuckle at that suggestion.
To see Doug Gottlieb's full list of the players who shouldn't have made the Wooden watch list, you must be an ESPN Insider.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
College Basketball Experts
Fran Fraschilla is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at New Mexico, St. John's and Manhattan.
Joe Lunardi is the resident bracketologist for ESPN.
Seth Greenberg is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at Virginia Tech, South Florida and Long Beach State.
