OSU's Smart Named Finalist For Cousy Award, Wooden Award Midseason Top 25

Marcus Smart, a freshman on the Oklahoma State men's basketball team, has been named a finalist for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award.

"This list embodies 20 of the nation's most elite and dominant point guards in college basketball," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "The Hall of Fame is honored to celebrate these feats, as we move forward to the latter stages of the selection process."

Smart is averaging 14.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season, and is the only player in the Big 12 Conference to rank among the top-15 in nine different statistical categories. He is also the only true freshman on the list of 20 finalists for the Cousy Award.

An original list of 80 candidates was trimmed down by a nationally based committee. The current listing of 20 finalists will be narrowed down to 10 players in early February and then down to five players by early March. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner will be presented at the Hall of Fame's Class Announcement on Championship Monday in Atlanta as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Smart was also named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List, announced today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. He is one of two true freshmen on the ballot.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official ballot. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 grade point average.

Smart's teammate, Le'Bryan Nash, was on the initial top 50 list for the Wooden Award, the first time since 2007 that two Cowboys were Wooden Award candidates. Smart becomes the 13th Cowboy nominated for the Wooden Award since 1995.

The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy's will be announced on ESPN during the Final Four Weekend in Atlanta. The 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy's will take place April 11-13, 2013, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The Gala will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, All-Americans, and the Legends of Coaching Award winner, Kansas head coach Bill Self, an Oklahoma State alum.

2012-13 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List

Anthony Bennett 6-8 Fr. F UNLV Mountain West

Laurence Bowers 6-8 Sr. F Missouri SEC

Trey Burke 6-0 So. G Michigan Big Ten

Isaiah Canaan* 6-1 Sr. G Murray State Ohio Valley

Michael Carter-Williams 6-6 So. G Syracuse Big East

Jack Cooley 6-9 Sr. F Notre Dame Big East

Seth Curry 6-2 Sr. G Duke ACC

Jamaal Franklin 6-5 Jr. G San Diego State Mountain West

Erick Green 6-3 Sr. G Virginia Tech ACC

Elias Harris 6-8 Sr. F Gonzaga WCC

Pierre Jackson 5-10 Sr. G Baylor Big 12

Sean Kilpatrick 6-4 Jr. G/F Cincinnati Big East

C.J. McCollum 6-3 Sr. G Lehigh Patriot League

Doug McDermott* 6-8 Jr. F Creighton Missouri Valley

Ben McLemore 6-5 Fr. G Kansas Big 12

Brandon Paul 6-4 Sr. G Illinois Big Ten

Mason Plumlee 6-10 Sr. F Duke ACC

Otto Porter, Jr. 6-8 So. F Georgetown Big East

Phil Pressey 5-11 Jr. G Missouri SEC

Marcus Smart 6-4 Fr. G Oklahoma State Big 12

Russ Smith 6-0 Jr. G Louisville Big East

Deshaun Thomas 6-7 Jr. F Ohio State Big Ten

Jeff Withey 7-0 Sr. C Kansas Big 12

Nate Wolters 6-4 Sr. G South Dakota State The Summit League

Cody Zeller 7-0 So. F Indiana Big Ten

Players listed alphabetically.

*indicates player was 2012 Wooden Award All American

A complete list of the 2013 Bob Cousy Award Finalists:
Keith Appling, Michigan State
Lorenzo Brown, N.C. State
Trey Burke, Michigan
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
Jahii Carson, Arizona State
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse
Quinn Cook, Duke
D.J. Cooper, Ohio
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Erick Green, Virginia Tech
Pierre Jackson, Baylor
Mark Lyons, Arizona
Ray McCallum, Detroit Mercy
Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga
Phil Pressey, Missouri
Peyton Siva, Louisville
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
Kendall Williams, New Mexico
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State