College Basketball: Top 10 Candidates for the Wooden Award

Dec 5, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Damion Lee (0) reacts to a teammate’s dunk during the second half against the against the Grand Canyon Antelopes at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Grand Canyon 111-63. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

8. Damion Lee – Louisville Cardinals

Rick Pitino felt that Damion Lee could make an immediate impact with Louisville as soon as he landed on campus after transferring from Drexel.

Louisville Cardinals

Lee already had a reputation for being a potent scorer and he has continued to live up to that rep by leading the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals in scoring at 17.3 points per contest.

He has been efficient all season knocking down 50.8% of his shots from the field and 38.5% of his three-pointers this season.

Damion Lee has kept Louisville competitive in a season where Pitino would have otherwise had to go with a youth movement that may have kept the Cardinals out of the thick of things.

It is great that things have worked out for Louisville and that Damion Lee has played up to expectation.

People may not have thought that he was going to be this special to this point of the season, but he is playing at an All-American level and should be in the running for “National Player of the Year” if the Cardinals make a run at an ACC crown.

Next: Melo Trimble - Maryland Terrapins