photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Perry Ellis goes to the bucket against UC Santa Barbara forward Alan Williams during the first half on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse. At right is UCSB guard John Green.

I wonder how John Wooden, in some ways the most famous name in the history of college basketball, would feel about the list of preseason candidates for the player of the year award that bears his name being based on NBA potential, not college performance.

Actually, having seen him coach and be interviewed on TV many times, I don’t wonder. Surely, he would not like it.

Yet, the preseason list of 50 candidates for the Wooden Award, released Monday, three days after the season started, had an omission that anyone who spent Friday night in Allen Fieldhouse would agree is unfortunate.

UC Santa Barbara center Alan Williams is not on a list that four Kansas players made: freshmen Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, sophomore Wayne Selden and junior Perry Ellis.

Kansas defeated UCSB, 69-59, and in the process did a nice job of defending Williams. The senior finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. He scored 10 of his points in the final 5:16.

Oubre played four minutes and didn’t score a point or pick up a rebound. That’s not to say he won’t develop into a fine player by midseason, but that’s why the midseason Wooden Award watch list and allows for midseason adjustments. Twenty-five will make that cut and all the names don’t have to come from the original 50.

Williams ranked 12th in the nation in scoring (21.3) and second in rebounding (11.5) last season, but that didn’t merit top 50 status. Shame.

Interestingly, the Big 12, not the ACC, had the most candidates (10), followed by the ACC (eight), and the Big Ten and SEC (7).

The other Big 12 players on the list, listed in alphabetical order by player’s last name: Marcus Foster (Kansas State), Buddy Hield (Oklahoma), Georges Niang (Iowa State), Juwan Staten (West Virginia), Isaiah Taylor (Texas), Myles Turner (Texas).

Kansas and Kentucky (Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, freshman Karl Anthony-Towns) are the only schools with as many as four players. Wichita State’s Fred Van Vleet is among the 50, which makes Kansas the only state represented by three different schools.