Here are the 50 players named to the Wooden Preseason Watch List:
2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List, Men
| Name | Height | Class | Position | University | Conference |
| Tim Abromaitis | 6-8 | GS | F | Notre Dame | Big East |
| Harrison Barnes | 6-8 | So. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
| Will Barton | 6-6 | So. | G | Memphis | Conference USA |
| Dee Bost | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Mississippi State | SEC |
| William Buford | 6-5 | Sr. | G | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Allen Crabbe | 6-6 | So. | G | California | Pac-12 |
| Aaron Craft | 6-2 | So. | G | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Marcus Denmon | 6-3 | Sr. | G | Missouri | Big 12 |
| Festus Ezeli | 6-11 | Sr. | C | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Ashton Gibbs | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Pitt | Big East |
| Michael Glover | 6-7 | Sr. | F | Iona | MAAC |
| Drew Gordon | 6-9 | Sr. | F | New Mexico | Mountain West |
| Draymond Green | 6-7 | Sr. | F | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| JaMychal Green | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Alabama | SEC |
| Jorge Gutierrez | 6-3 | Sr. | G | California | Pac-12 |
| Tim Hardaway, Jr. | 6-5 | So. | G | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Elias Harris | 6-7 | Jr. | F | Gonzaga | WCC |
| John Henson | 6-11 | Jr. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
| Tu Holloway | 6-0 | Sr. | G | Xavier | Atlantic 10 |
| Robbie Hummel | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Joe Jackson | 6-1 | So. | G | Memphis | Conference USA |
| Scoop Jardine | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Syracuse | Big East |
| John Jenkins | 6-3 | Jr. | G | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Orlando Johnson | 6-5 | Sr. | G | UCSB | Big West |
| Darius Johnson-Odom | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Marquette | Big East |
| Kevin Jones | 6-8 | Sr. | F | West Virginia | Big East |
| Terrence Jones | 6-8 | So. | F | Kentucky | SEC |
| Perry Jones III | 6-11 | So. | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Kris Joseph | 6-7 | Sr. | F | Syracuse | Big East |
| Jeremy Lamb | 6-5 | So. | G | Connecticut | Big East |
| Kendall Marshall | 6-4 | So. | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Trevor Mbakwe | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Ray McCallum | 6-1 | So. | G | Detroit | Horizon League |
| Doug McDermott | 6-7 | So. | F | Creighton | Missouri Valley |
| Khris Middleton | 6-7 | Jr. | F | Texas A&M | Big 12 |
| Reeves Nelson | 6-8 | Jr. | F | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Andrew Nicholson | 6-9 | Sr. | F | St. Bonaventure | Atlantic 10 |
| Alex Oriakhi | 6-9 | Jr. | C | Connecticut | Big East |
| Thomas Robinson | 6-9 | Jr. | F | Kansas | Big 12 |
| John Shurna | 6-9 | Sr. | F | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| Peyton Siva | 6-0 | Jr. | G | Louisville | Big East |
| Joshua Smith | 6-10 | So. | C | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Jared Sullinger* | 6-9 | So. | C | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Jeffery Taylor | 6-7 | Sr. | G/F | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Jordan Taylor | 6-1 | Sr. | G | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Casper Ware | 5-10 | Sr. | G | Long Beach State | Big West |
| Maalik Wayns | 6-2 | Jr. | G | Villanova | Big East |
| Keith Wright | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Harvard | Ivy League |
| Patric Young | 6-9 | So. | F/C | Florida | SEC |
| Tyler Zeller | 7-0 | Sr. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
