CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—University of North Carolina freshman forward Caleb Wilson is one of 50 players nationally included on the 2025-26 Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Selected by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 50 student-athletes who are frontrunners for some of the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-America team and the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award midseason, late-season list and the national ballot. The national ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award qualifications.
Wilson, who enters Tuesday night’s home game against Navy is shooting 66.7 percent from the floor while averaging 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds through four games in 2025-26. He is a member of watch lists for the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, the Naismith Trophy and the Oscar Robertson (USBWA) Trophy and a second-team preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick.
