Michigan basketball's Hunter Dickinson named a finalist for John R. Wooden Award

Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
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Michigan basketball center Hunter Dickinson is one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award for the nation's top player.

The star freshman is one of six Big Ten players on the list, joining Iowa's Luka Garza; Illinois' Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu; Ohio State's E.J. Liddell; and Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis. The winner of the award will be announced after the NCAA tournament.

The 7-foot-1, 255-pound center has been a key reason why the Wolverines are ranked No. 2 and won the Big Ten title this season. He leads the team in points (14.4), rebounds (7.8) and blocks (1.5).

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Hunter Dickinson is defended by MSU's Thomas Kithier during the first half Thursday at Crisler Center.
Hunter Dickinson is defended by MSU's Thomas Kithier during the first half Thursday at Crisler Center.

Dickinson has played in all 21 games and has seen his role increase over the course of the season. He began the fall as a backup center and came off the bench in Michigan's first five games. Despite not starting, Dickinson scored double digits in all five contests and led the Wolverines to an overtime victory against Oakland with 19 points. He eventually took over the starting job after Austin Davis suffered a plantar fascia injury.

Dickinson has scored 20-plus points in four games this season, including a career-high 28 points on 12 of 15 shooting in a 82-57 win over Minnesota on Jan. 6. His scoring output dropped as teams began to double team him consistently, but Dickinson has still played a key role on offense and defense, and he recorded his latest 20-plus point game by scoring a team-high 22 points in a 92-87 win at then-No. 4 Ohio State on Feb. 21.

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Notably, Dickinson held Garza to 16 points on 6 of 19 shooting in Michigan's win over Iowa on Feb. 25; the next game, he limited Jackson-Davis to 10 points on 3 of 12 shooting in a win at Indiana on Feb. 27.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Hunter Dickinson finalist for John Wooden Award