Kyle Wiltjer named Wooden Late Season top 20

Senior Gonzaga forward Kyle Wiltjer recently was named to the 2016 John R. Wooden Late Season Top 20 list on Wednesday.

In what many in Spokane are considering a slight down year for the team overall, it has been anything but for Wiltjer. He is averaging 21.8 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 50 percent fro the floor, 43.6 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the free throw line.

Wiltjer's 21.8 points per game rank No. 11 in the nation, and he has scored 30 or more points five times this season, including a three-game consecutive stretch. He has scored in double figures in 22 of Gonzaga's 24 games. Wiltjer has also scored 20 points in a half four times this season.

The senior forward has also been named the WCC player of the Week twice this season.

Realistically, it is an uphill climb for Wiltjer to win this award, considering how much everyone has talked about Buddy Hield from Oklahoma as of late. Still, it is a great honor to be narrowed down this late in the season.

The Wooden Award winner is revealed on April 8. Here is the complete list of the late season top 20.

Grayson Allen, Duke
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
Kris Dunn, Providence
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Kahlil Felder, Oakland
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Brice Johnson, North Carolina
Damion Lee, Louisville
Nic Moore, SMU
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
Ben Simmons, LSU
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga