As the Final Four of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments take place later this week, it’s officially postseason award time.
On Tuesday, the Wooden Award announced the top five finalists for this year’s awards, which goes to the most outstanding player in men’s and women’s college basketball.
Headlining the men’s Wooden Award finalist list are Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Auburn’s Johni Broome, who sustained elbow and leg injuries in the Tigers’ Elite Eight win over Michigan State. Flagg is currently averaging 18.9 points per game this season and nearly averaging a double-double in his first NCAA Tournament for the Blue Devils. As for Broome, the 6-foot-10 forward is having a career year for Auburn and has been a force to be reckoned with inside the paint this season, a she is averaging 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
On the women’s side, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and UCLA’s Lauren Betts headline the five finalists. Bueckers has come alive in the women’s NCAA Tournament for the Huskies, who are making their 24th Final Four appearance, as she has scored at least 30 points in each of the last three games. Betts has been the catalyst behind the Bruins’ historic season, as she is averaging 20 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
Both the men’s Final Four and women’s Final Four will feature a combined seven players from the top five finalists for each award.
Here’s what you need to know about who were named finalists for the men’s and women’s Wooden Awards on Tuesday, including when the awards will be announced:
Men’s basketball Wooden Award finalists
Here’s a look at the top five finalists for the men’s Wooden Award:
- Auburn’s Johni Broome,forward
- Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., guard
- Houston’s L.J. Cryer, guard
- Duke’s Cooper Flagg, guard/forward
- Marquette’s Kam Jones, fuard
Creighton forward Ryan Kalkbrenner, Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, Alabama guard Mark Sears, Purdue guard Braden Smith and Wisconsin guard John Tonje were all named top 10 finalists for the 2025 men’s Wooden Award All-American team.
Women’s basketball Wooden Award finalists
Here’s a look at the top five finalists for the women’s Wooden Award:
- Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore, guard
- UCLA’s Lauren Betts, center
- Texas’ Madison Booker, forward
- UConn’s Paige Bueckers, guard
- Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, guard
Former Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson, former Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles, LSU forward Aneesah Morrow, TCU’s Hailey Van Lith and USC’s JuJu Watkins were all named top 10 finalists for the 2025 women’s Wooden Award. All-American team.
When are the Wooden Award winners announced for men’s, women’s basketball?
- Date: Friday, April 11
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
The winners for the 2025 men’s and women’s Wooden Award will be announced on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
