Well, well, well: per Jeff Goodman, Jordan Williams has made the cut for the Wooden Award Top 30 list, whittled down from the original 50 of the preseason watch list. Getting on watch lists isn't anything new to Jordan - he made both the Wooden and Naismith lists in the preseason - but it's always nice to see some national recognition.
When you look at the fact that he gets double-doubles essentially every game and is leaned on extremely heavily by a team with no ability to take pressure off of him, it seems kind of obvious that he deserves the slot. But it's still strange to think of him as one of the 30 best players in the country. His progression has been lightning quick, and it's still sometimes tough to believe he's as good as he is.
Of course, he doesn't exactly have a great shot at winning the thing, at least not this year. It's pretty much Jared Sullinger's to lose, with Kemba Walker maybe giving a challenge with a strong Big East season. But the majority of the players on the list are seniors (eg Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, Jimmer Fredette) or primed to leave early (eg Sullinger, Terrence Jones, Alec Burks). If Williams returns, he could be an honest-to-goodness contender next year, especially if Austin Rivers isn't the God everyone is expecting.
Props to Jordan, and hopefully he can continue his strong play in ACC competition. (He'll be a front-runner for ACC player of the year, if he does.) And as is required with any "This is how good Jordan Williams is" post, I give you the poster: