LOS ANGELES – The Wooden Award announced its midseason top-25 watchlist Wednesday on ESPN2 and LSU – with Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams – was the only school with three players featured.
The LSU trio leads the team as the top three scorers; Reese averages 19.8, Morrow averages 18.5 and Williams averages 16.9. LSU’s other two starters also average in double-figures with Flau’Jae Johnson at 13.6 and Hailey Van Lith at 11.8. The Tigers lead the country scoring 94.2 points per game.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year. Players not chosen to the preseason or midseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.
LSU is also one of just two programs in the country that has two players with at least seven double-doubles this season. Morrow has 10 while Reese has 7 as they averaged 9.4 and 11.o rebounds per game, respectively.
In 12 games Reese has continued to put up big numbers after leading LSU to its first national championship last season. She currently ranks second in both scoring and rebounding in the SEC while she also ranks No. 7 in the league with 2.3 steals per game. Reese has seven games this season with at least 20 points, including in both of the first two conference games as well as in six of LSU’s past seven games. She also has one 20-rebounds game.
Morrow, in her first season in Baton Rouge, has become an impact player on both ends of the floor for the Tigers. She ranks No. 3 in scoring and No. 7 in rebounding in the SEC and ranks No. 3 with 2.7 steals per game. In LSU’s win over Kent State Morrow earned 10 steals. She has been a trusty free-throw shooter as well at 83.6-percent to rank No. 3 in the league. Morrow’s led LSU to a win over Virginia when she scored 37 points and brought down 10 rebounds at the Cayman Island Classic.
Williams is one of three freshmen on the list. Despite LSU’s offensive star power, Williams has shined as a freshman, integrating herself into the offense seamlessly. In LSU’s win over Kent State she scored 42 points which was the most by a LSU freshman in the NCAA era. She ranks in the top-20 in the SEC in scoring and rebound and also ranks No. 4 with 4.5 assists per game. Williams has five games with at least 20 points and was named this week’s SEC Freshman of the Week. She scored 20 points on Sunday at Ole Miss to go with 7 rebounds, a career-high 4 steals and 2 assists.