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Unlike the Heisman Trophy, the Wooden Award has not been pigeonholed by position. Since 1990, all but three Heisman winners either played quarterback or running back. 

By contrast, the Wooden Award has crowned 12 “bigs,” seven point guards, seven “wings” and six centers since 1990. Suffice to say, it’s an equal opportunity award. And that holds true this season. 

Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (16.2 ppg, 15.3 rpg) currently sits at 3/2 at BetMGM as the market favorite, but it’s worth noting if he were to win, he’d be the lowest-scoring Wooden Award winner since Anthony Davis in 2012 (14.2 ppg). 

Tshiebwe is the top dog right now by virtue of his rebounding prowess, which opens the door, in my opinion, for him to be flanked by a higher-scoring player who offers Wooden voters more “wow factor.” 

Here are two players I think could make a move down the final stretch and edge out Tshiebwe at the ballot box. 

To say Davis has come out of nowhere would be an understatement. The homegrown Wisconsin talent has tripled his scoring output, while doubling both his rebounding and assist totals year over year. 

He is the Badgers’ offensive engine, and is carrying them to the verge of a Big Ten title. Wisconsin now sits a half game out of first place in the conference with every opportunity to leapfrog Purdue and Illinois in the coming weeks. 

Of the Badgers’ five remaining games, they have a pair of layups (Minnesota, Nebraska), a home tilt against Michigan, a road revenge spot against Rutgers and a pivotal showdown against Purdue sandwiched in the middle. 

It sets up for Davis to showcase his immense talent on the way to a title, and that’s the kind of stage that voters associate with eventual winners. 

Davis has already stepped up in huge spots this year, including a 30-point outing against Houston, a 37 and 14 outburst at Purdue and a 22 and 15 night in a losing effort against Illinois. 

There will be no room for morale victories — even with huge stat lines — so that means Davis and the Badgers would either need a clean sweep of their final five games or a 4-1 showing with a win at Purdue. However, I think they have the goods to get it done. At 6/1, I’m at least willing to find out. 

Year over year, Cockburn has improved his production, seemingly across the board. He has increased his points per game average by nearly four points and is raking in more rebounds, as well (+1.9 over 2020-’21). 

When he hits his scoring average (21.4 ppg), Illinois is undefeated. When he fails to hit 19 points or more, the Fighting Illini are decidedly more mortal (4-3 SU). He is everything to a team that is currently seeded on the four-line, according to BracketMatrix. 

Like Davis, a regular-season title would go a long way in helping Cockburn leapfrog Tshiebwe, whose Kentucky Wildcats are all but drawing dead in the SEC regular-season title race (two games behind Auburn and the tiebreaker working against them). 

Can Illinois get it done with a final stretch that features four opponents with winning conference records? 

That is a difficult question to answer, but given the fact Cockburn will be the first 20 and 10 player from a major conference since 2018, I believe there is a path to the Wooden Award that doesn’t necessitate his team winning a regular-season conference championship. 

Any number better than 4/1 is generous enough to roll the dice on the most well-rounded big man in college basketball. 

Mike Calabrese analyzes college basketball for Action Network.