Durant or Oden can become first freshman to win Wooden Award

Apr 7, 2007 - 6:57 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Kevin Durant was the first freshman to win the Naismith Award. The Texas forward hopes to become the first to capture the Wooden Award as well.

Ohio State center Greg Oden also has a chance to become the first freshman to win the Wooden Award, which honors college basketball's best player.

The winner will be announced on Saturday during a national telecast from the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

This marks the first time in the 31-year history of the award that two freshmen have been included in the top five finalists.

Wisconsin senior swingman Alando Tucker, North Carolina sophomore forward Tyler Hansbrough and Texas A&M senior guard Acie Law IV were the other finalists selected from a panel of over 1,000 writers and experts.

Durant won the Naismith Trophy, which also is presented to the top collegiate men's player, last week.

Joining a team that had lost all five starters from the previous season, Durant, 19, led the Longhorns to a 25-10 record and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-9 Durant became the first freshman to garner the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year Award, leading the conference in scoring (25.8 points), rebounding (11.1) and blocks (67).

Durant also set the league's single-season scoring mark with 903 points, becoming just the second freshman in NCAA history to eclipse 900 points. Louisiana State's Chris Jackson was the first with 965 in the 1988-89 season.

The nation's fifth-leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder, Durant also was named the winner of the Adolph Rupp Trophy and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

The 7-foot Oden was instrumental in leading Ohio State (35-4) to the national championship and both the regular-season and tournament titles in the Big Ten Conference.

Oden averaging team highs of 15.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks this season.

The 6-6 Tucker averaged 19.9 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Badgers (30-6), who won all 19 of their home games this season. However, second-seeded Wisconsin was ousted by Nevada-Las Vegas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region.

The 6-9 Hansbrough averaged team highs of 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels to a 31-7 overall record and an appearance in the East Regional final of the NCAA Tournament.

Law averaged 18.1 points and 5.0 assists to pace the Aggies to a 27-7 mark. But the 6-3 guard missed a key layup down the stretch in Texas A&M's loss to Memphis in the South Regional semifinals.