BATON ROUGE – LSU super senior forward KJ Williams, who is 11 points shy of cracking the career 2,000-point mark, is one of 50 college basketball players named on Thursday to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List.
The players represent 18 different conferences.
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 award and the only one named after a former player.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the award. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2023 Men’s Final Four in Houston with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
All Division I players remain eligible for the 2022-23 Oscar Robertson Trophy. The watch list merely spotlights the top candidates, as selected by the USBWA board.
Williams, who has already cracked the 1,000 rebounds mark, enters Saturday’s 3 p.m. game with 1,989 career points between Murray State and LSU and with his 11th point will join a distinguished list of some 122 players who have earned 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their careers. Williams is averaging 17.9 points a game and 7.3 rebounds this year at LSU.
Williams is averaging 52.1 percent overall from the floor (125-240) and has made 34 three-pointers. He is ranked in the top 10 in the Southeastern Conference in points, rebounds and field goal percentage.
The complete 50-man Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List:
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (6-0, 175, Sr. G, Rockwall, Texas)
Tyree Appleby, Wake Forest (6-0. 175, Gr., G, Jacksonville, Ark.)
Armando Bacot, North Carolina (6-11, 235, Sr. F/C, Richmond, Va.)
Oumar Ballo, Arizona (7-0, 260, Jr., C, Koulikoro, Mali)
Souley Boum, Xavier (6-3, 175, Gr., G, Oakland, Calif.)
Jordan Brown, Louisiana (6-11, 225, Jr., F, Roseville, Calif.)
Kobe Brown, Missouri (6-8, 250, Sr., G/F, Huntsville, Ala.)
Marcus Carr, Texas (6-2, 175, Gr., G, Toronto, Ont.)
Jaylen Clark, UCLA (6-5, 205, Jr., G, Riverside, Calif.)
Josh Cohen, St. Francis (Pa.) (6-10, 220, Jr., F, Lincroft, N.J.)
Yuri Collins, Saint Louis (6-0, 190, Jr., G, St. Louis, Mo.)
Ricky Council IV, Arkansas (6-6, 205, Jr., G, Durham, N.C.)
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy (6-1, 165, Gr., G, Birmingham, Ala.)
Kendric Davis, Memphis (6-0, 177, Sr., G, Houston, Texas)
Gradey Dick, Kansas (6-8, 205, Fr., G, Wichita, Kan.)
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan (7-1, 260, Jr., C, Alexandria, Va.)
Jordan Dingle, Penn (6-3, 195, Jr., G, Valley Stream, N.Y.)
Zach Edey, Purdue (7-4, 305, Jr., C, Toronto, Ont.)
Kyle Filipowski, Duke (7-0, 230, Fr., C, Westtown, N.Y.)
Adam Flagler, Baylor (6-3, 185, Sr., G, Duluth, Ga.)
Keyonte George, Baylor (6-4, 185, Fr., G, Lewisville, Texas)
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton (6-10, 231, So., F, Goodyear, Ariz.)
Bryce Hopkins, Providence (6-7, 220, So., F/G, Oak Park, Ill.)
Jaelen House, New Mexico (6-0, 170, Sr., G, Phoenix, Ariz.)
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (6-9, 245, Jr., F, Greenwood, Ind.)
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA (6-7, 225, Sr., G/F, Camarillo, Calif.)
Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State (6-6, 230, Sr., F, Norfolk, Va.)
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton (7-1, 260, Jr., C, Florissant, Mo.)
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall (6-5, 191, Sr., G, Columbus, Ohio)
Caleb Love, North Carolina (6-4, 200, Jr., G, St. Louis, Mo.)
Mike Miles Jr., TCU (6-2, 195, Jr., G, Highland Hills, Texas)
Brandon Miller, Alabama (6-9, 200, Fr., F, Antioch, Tenn.)
Kris Murray, Iowa (6-8, 220, Jr. F, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Jameer Nelson Jr., Delaware (6-1, 200, Jr., G, Haverford, Pa.)
Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (5-8, 160, Sr., G, Harlem, N.Y.)
Jalen Pickett, Penn State (6-4, 209, Sr., G, Rochester, N.Y.)
Marcus Sasser, Houston (6-2, 195, Sr., G, Dallas, Texas)
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois (6-6, 225, Sr., G, Chicago, Ill.)
Terquavion Smith, NC State (6-4, 165, So., G, Greenville, N.C.)
Adama Sanogo, Connecticut (6-9, 245, Jr., F, Bamako, Mali)
Joel Soriano, St. John’s (6-11, 280, Sr., C, Yonkers, N.Y.)
Jake Stephens, Chattanooga (7-0, 275, Gr., C, Bunker Hill, W. Va.)
Drew Timme, Gonzaga (6-10, 235, Sr., F, Richardson, Texas)
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (6-9, 260, Sr., F, Lubumbashi, Congo)
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona (6-11, 245, Jr., F, Vilnius, Lithuania)
Hunter Tyson, Clemson (6-8, 217, Gr., F, Monroe, N.C.)
Jordan Walker, UAB (5-11, 170, Sr., G, Brookville, N.Y.)
KJ Williams, LSU (6-10, 250, Sr., F, Cleveland, Miss.)
Jalen Wilson, Kansas (6-8, 225, Jr., F, Denton, Texas)
Isaiah Wong, Miami (6-4, 184, Jr., G, Piscataway, N.J.)
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season.