Villanova Forward Eric Dixon Makes Wooden Award Top 25

Villanova graduate forward Eric Dixon leads the nation in scoring, averaging 25.9 points per game this season, and on Tuesday, Jan. 7 he made the midseason top 25 for the Wooden Award, the most prestigious honor given to collegiate basketball players.

Named in honor of John R. Wooden, the national player of the year for the 1932 Purdue Boilermakers, the Wooden Award goes to the players in men’s and women’s college basketball deemed “most outstanding” in a given season. Making the top 25 counts as a sort of watch list. There’s no telling where in the top 25 he ranks… that would take the fun out of wondering who will end up winning the award.

A new entry to the watch list, Dixon didn’t make the preseason top 50. One of four Big East members along with Kam Jones (Marquette), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), and Alex Karaban (UConn, who the Wildcats will play tonight), the full top 25 list can be found here.

Three-Point Sharpshooter

Dixon’s scoring frenzy stems from renewed success beyond the arc, where he’s making 48.98 percent of his shots, good for the fifth-best clip in the nation. He’s also far from a picky shooter, as his 3.43 three-pointers per game rank No. 13 in the nation. At 6-foot-8, Dixon also possesses the ability to drive to the basket and draw fouls, a volume scorer who can succeed at every level. In addition, he does the little things well, setting screens and adding 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

He initially declared for the NBA draft in April 2024 before deciding to return to Villanova for his final year of eligibility, and could help the Wildcats sneak into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. Dixon would be the second Villanova player to win the Wooden Award, joining Jalen Brunson, who did so during the 2017-18 season that ended with the Wildcats’ third NCAA Championship.

For more on Eric Dixon, read where the experts think he’ll land in the 2025 NBA Draft.