Saunders Added to Naismith Watch List

Five games into the season, nobody is playing better basketball in the Ivy League than senior wing Wesley Saunders—and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Wednesday, Saunders was named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s Top 50 watch list. The senior ranks seventh in the NCAA in scoring at 21.8 points a game, putting up 27—including the game-clinching three-point play—in the team’s most recent 77-75 win over UMass. The reigning Ivy League Player of the Year leads the team with 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals a game, ranking first in assist-to-turnover ratio as well.

The Ivy League was the first to recognize the wing’s stellar play last week with Saunders’ ninth career Ivy League Player of the Week award—tying the all-time record. Last year, the then-junior was awarded AP All-America honorable mention and was named to the Lou Henson All-American team, which takes only players from ‘mid-major’ programs.

Among the top 10 scorers in the nation, Saunders ranks third in field goal percentage behind Northwestern State’s Zikiteran Woodley and St. Mary’s forward Brad Waldow. For the season, the senior is making 57 percent of his shots, 30 percent of his threes, and 83 percent of his free throws.