Maryland basketball's Dez Wells named to Wooden Award preseason top-50 list

Maryland basketball guard-forward Dez Wells is a member of the preseason top-50 list for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the country, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Monday.

Wells had 18 points for Maryland in the Terps' first game of the season, last Friday night against Wagner. Last year, he was Maryland's best player, averaging 14.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for Mark Turgeon's team.

He is one of seven Big Ten players on the list. Also included are Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, Michigan's Caris LeVert, Nebraska's Terran Petteway, Indiana's Yogi Ferrell and Michigan State's Branden Dawson

The watch list will be pared to 25 in early January, then to 20 a month later. The final 15 contenders will be placed on a ballot, and voting will take into account the regular season and opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. A winner will be announced in March at the time of the tournament's Elite Eight round.