Freshman sharpshooter Jamal Murray was named the Southeastern Conference’s Freshman of the Week after helping lead UK to a pair of double-digit wins at Arkansas and against Vanderbilt this week.
Murray averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the two wins. Monday’s honor marks the second such award of his career.
The Kitchener, Ontario native continued to be a threat offensively while emphasizing his defensive performance in the two wins this week. Murray and Co. helped lead UK to its first win in Arkansas under the direction of John Calipari on Thursday. Murray poured in 19 points and added seven rebounds. He also contributed a block and a steal in the victory.
Murray followed up that performance less than 48 hours later with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven more rebounds, three steals, and another block in the impressive rout of Vanderbilt.
Two of Murray’s four total blocks on the season have come in the last two games. He has also swiped at least one ball in seven consecutive outings with at least three steals in two of his last three games.
Murray continues his hot streak from behind the arc by connecting on at least one 3-pointer in all 19 games this season. He’s the only player in program history to knock down at least one 3-pointer in each of his first 19 collegiate games. It’s also the longest such streak of made 3-pointers for any player since Doron Lamb hit at least one in 20 consecutive games throughout the 2011-12 season.
Furthermore, Murray has scored at least 12 points in 18 of his first 19 UK games. Only Cotton Nash in 1961-62 and Bill Spivey in 1949-50 had better starts. Nash had 12 or more points in 35 of his first 36 games, while Spivey posted 12 or more points in 24 of his first 25 outings.
Kentucky has now won an SEC award a league-high six times. Murray and teammate Tyler Ulis lead the Wildcats with two SEC honors. Ulis previously won SEC Player of the Week honors twice while freshman forward Skal Labissiere and freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe have both picked up SEC Freshman of the Week this season.
Kentucky returns home Wednesday in a 9 p.m. tilt with Missouri. The game will air live on the SEC Network.
Ulis, Murray on basketball writers midseason watch lists
Kentucky guards Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray are on the midseason watch lists for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s national player of the year award and freshman of the year award, respectively.
Ulis is one of 20 midseason players on the watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given annually to the men’s national player of the year. He’s one of only two players from the Southeastern Conference to make the cut.
Meanwhile Murray is one of 10 on the midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award, which goes to the top freshman in the game.
Both awards will be presented at the College Basketball Awards gala in Oklahoma City on April 11 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Access Sports, a non-profit organization committed to supporting various charitable causes, will serve as host for the gala. Funds from the gala are used to support youth basketball programs in Oklahoma that allow disadvantaged youth the opportunity to participate in leagues and training.
The USBWA, comprised of nearly 1,000 sports journalists covering college basketball for newspapers, magazines and websites, will select the recipients of the awards. This will be the first time the women’s college player of the year will be featured at the gala.
Ulis is enjoy a sensational season as one of the nation’s top point guards. The sophomore from Chicago is averaging 15.3 points while dishing out 6.0 assists per game, ranked second in the Southeastern Conference. He just recently surpassed 100 assists through 17 games played, becoming the sixth-fastest player in program history to reach the season mark.
With yet another 20-point performance, Ulis has scored 20 or more points in six out of his last eight games. Overall, he has seven games with 20 or more points and five or more assists in the same game, tied for the most in school history since 1972-73.
Only LSU’s Ben Simmons is averaging more points per game among the players on the midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award. At 17.8 points per game, Murary is on pace to finish as the most prolific scorer in the John Calipari era. Brandon Knight, in 2010-11, finished at 17.3 points per game.
Murray has scored in double figures in all but one game and in 17 straight contests. Only Knight (28 straight games) has posted a better consecutive double-digit scoring streak during the Calipari era.
From UK Athletics