GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. has earned a place on the John R. Wooden Award Men’s Midseason Top 25 Watch List, announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Tuesday.
Clayton averages a team-leading 18.3 points per game and paces the eighth-ranked Gators with 43 3-pointers and 54 assists. He has five games of 25 or more points, including a 33-point outing in the SEC opener at Kentucky to match his career high.
The Lake Wales native hit five 3-pointers in three straight games vs. Wichita State, Virginia and Arizona State, becoming just the second Gator to ever do so (Anthony Roberson). He earned MVP honors in the ESPN Events Invitational, leading the Gators to the championship with 21 points vs. Wake Forest and 19 points in the championship game vs. Wichita State.
Clayton helped the Gators put together an undefeated 13-0 nonconference record, as Florida recorded the second-best start in program history (17-0 in 2005-06).
The Gators continue action on their home court Tuesday at 7 p.m. vs. No. 1 Tennessee in a sold-out top-10 showdown. Single-game tickets<https://floridagators.com/sports/2022/12/15/mens-basketball-single-game-tickets> are available for Florida’s final eight home SEC contests.
Wooden Award Midseason Top 25
Airious “Ace” Bailey | Rutgers
Johni Broome | Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr. | Florida
RJ Davis | North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson | Kansas
Eric Dixon | Villanova
Jeremiah Fears | Oklahoma
Cooper Flagg | Duke
Keshon Gilbert | Iowa St
PJ Haggerty | Memphis
Dylan Harper | Rutgers
Josh Hubbard | Mississippi State
Kasparas Jakučionis | Illinois
Tre Johnson | Texas
Kam Jones | Marquette
Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton
Alex Karaban | UConn
Chaz Lanier | Tennessee
Ryan Nembhard | Gonzaga
Derik Queen | Maryland
Maxime Raynaud | Stanford
Mark Sears | Alabama
Braden Smith | Purdue
Wade Taylor IV | Texas A&M
Zakai Zeigler | Tennessee
