Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball duo named to Wooden Award Preseason Watch List

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 12: RJ Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks during the game at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 12, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 90-68. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 12: RJ Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks during the game at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 12, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 90-68. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Two UNC basketball standouts are featured on the annual John Wooden Award Preseason Watch List for the 2023-2024 college basketball season.

On Tuesday, the Principal announced the list of 50 student-athletes who have been named to the John Wooden Award Preseason Watch list for the 2023-2024 season.

Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the Wooden Award All-American Team as well as the Most Outstanding Player Award.

Two UNC basketball standouts have made this year’s initial list, as Armando Bacot and RJ Davis are among the players selected.

The Atlantic Coast Conference tied the Big East for the most players on the list, as each conference had ten student-athletes recognized. The list is very upperclassmen-heavy, as 41 of the 50 players are upperclassmen, including 29 seniors.

Both Tar Heels are upperclassmen, as Bacot is in his fifth (and final season) with the UNC basketball program while Davis embarked on his true senior season. Both are well-deserving of the recognition, as they have been important pieces to North Carolina’s success over their collegiate careers.

Although last year’s winner, Zach Edey of Purdue, is back for another go-around, Bacot is one of the players who could certainly challenge for the award this season. He’s off to a monster start to his final season in Carolina Blue, as he’s coming off a 22-point, 20-rebound performance against Lehigh on Sunday afternoon.

Davis is destined to be an even bigger part of North Carolina’s offensive attack, as he tied Bacot’s team-high 22 points during Sunday’s contest. Based on what we’ve seen early on, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to see Davis rank among the top scorers in not only the ACC but the country as a whole.

Click here to find out more about the John Wooden Award, along with the full 50-player preseason watch list.

Next. Armando Bacot earns multiple weekly honors. dark

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