Tennessee junior Grant Williams is among 20 Division I basketball players selected by the United States Basketball Writers Association for inclusion on its 2018-19 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the National Player of the Year.
The award is to be presented by its namesake at the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis in April.
Through 10 games this season, Williams is the Southeastern Conference’s leading scorer (19.4 ppg). The reigning SEC Player of the Year e is the only player to rank among the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding (8.3 rpg, 4th) and assists (4.4 apg, 7th). His .571 field-goal percentage ranks second in the conference.
Williams has a team-high three double-doubles and has scored 10 more points in every game this season.
He also is a candidate for the Citizen Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year, the Wooden Award, NABC Division I Player of the Year, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award and the Lute Olson Award.
The Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List includes six seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen.
In March, the USBWA will announce its 2018-19 All-America Team. At that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest player of the year award and the only one named after a former student-athlete.
For the 10th straight season, the USBWA also is presenting an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week each Tuesday. Tennessee senior Admiral Schofield won the weekly award on Dec. 11.
2018-19 USBWA OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
R.J. Barrett, Duke
Bol Bol, Oregon
Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan
Jordan Caroline, Nevada
Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
Mike Daum, South Dakota State
Carson Edwards, Purdue
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
Markus Howard, Marquette
De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Caleb Martin, Nevada
C.J. Massinburg, Buffalo
Luke Maye, North Carolina
Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s
Grant Williams, Tennessee
Zion Williamson, Duke
