Tyler Ulis Consensus First Team All-American

It’s official: Kentucky men’s basketball point guard Tyler Ulis is a consensus first-team All-American.

Ulis earned the honors Tuesday after making the Associated Press All-America First Team alongside Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon, North Carolina’s Brice Johnson and Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine. Ulis is the only non-senior on the team. 

According to the AP, the 5-foot-9 Ulis is the shortest AP All-American since 5-9 Johnny O’Brien of Seattle in 1953. Ulis received 43 of a possible 65 first-place votes, third among all players. UK now has 17 AP first-team All-Americans with 19 total AP first-team honors.

The sophomore point guard was also tabbed to the CBS Sports All-America First Team earlier on Tuesday.

Freshman guard Jamal Murray was selected to both the AP All-America Third Team and the CBS Sports All-America Third Team. With Ulis and Murray, UK has now had nine AP All-Americans under head coach John Calipari.

Kentucky was the only school with two players named to the AP's three All-America teams. 

The NCAA recognizes consensus All-Americans based on four “major” NCAA-recognized All-America teams: the AP, Sporting News, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Since 1984, the NCAA has applied a standardized point system based on those four All-America teams, with three points awarded to first-team honors, two to second-teams honors and one to third-team honors. The top five totals in the country plus ties are considered consensus first-team All-Americans, and the next five plus ties make the second team.

Ulis, by virtue of the points system, earned first-team honors on Tuesday. He was named a first-team All-American by the AP and Sporting News and a second-team All-American by the USBWA and the NABC.

The Chicago native is the shortest consensus first-team All-American since Pittsburgh’s Don Hennon, at 5-9, earned the distinction in 1958.

Ulis is the 21st consensus first-team All-American in school history and the fourth under Calipari. All told, UK has had 26 consensus first-team All-America honors. Forest Sale (1932, 1933), Ralph Beard (1947-49), Alex Groza (1947, 1949) and Cliff Hagan (1952, 1954) achieved the feat in multiple seasons.

Willie Cauley-Stein (2015), Anthony Davis (2012) and John Wall (2010) previously earned the distinction under Calipari.

Kentucky’s 26 consensus first-team All-America selections is tied with North Carolina for the second most all-time. Kansas leads with 28.

Ulis posted one of the greatest all-time individual seasons for a point guard in school history while leading the Wildcats to a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, the SEC Tournament title and a 27-9 overall record in 2015-16.

En route to becoming one of the nation’s elite players, Ulis ended the season with 246 assists, setting the new single-season school record previously held by John Wall. Until the season’s final game, Ulis had a streak of 28 consecutive games with four or more assists, the longest streak in school history since at least 1972-73.

Later this week he will be in Houston as one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the nation’s most outstanding player of the year. Next week he will head to Los Angeles as one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.

Tyler Ulis Named NABC Second Team All-American

Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis has picked up three of the four NCAA-recognized All-America honors after being tabbed to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America Second Team on Monday. 

Ulis has now been named an All-American by the Sporting News (first team), the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (second team) and the NABC (second team). The Associated Press, the fourth NCAA-recognized All-America team, has not been released yet and will determine if Ulis is a consensus All-American.

The Chicago native was tabbed to the NABC All-America Second Team alongside Providence’s Kris Dunn, Kansas’ Perry Ellis, Iowa State’s Georges Niang and Utah’s Jakob Poeltl.

Ulis is the eighth Wildcat to be named an NABC All-American during the John Calipari era. Willie Cauley-Stein was a first-team selection, while Karl-Anthony Towns was named to the second team last season.

Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values (advocacy, leadership, service and education) of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. 

Ulis posted one of the greatest all-time individual seasons for a point guard in school history while leading the Wildcats to a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, the SEC Tournament title and a 27-9 overall record in 2015-16.

En route to becoming one of the nation’s elite players, Ulis ended the season with 246 assists, setting the new single-season school record previously held by John Wall. Until the season’s final game, Ulis had a streak of 28 consecutive games with four or more assists, the longest streak in school history since at least 1972-73.

Later this week he will be in Houston as one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the nation’s most outstanding player of the year.

Among the honors Ulis has already received this postseason:

·         Sporting News All-America First Team

·         USBWA All-America Second Team

·         NABC All-America Second Team

·         SEC Player of the Year (Coaches/AP)

·         SEC Tournament MVP

·         SEC Defensive Player of the Year (Coaches) 

·         All-SEC First Team (Coaches/AP) 

·         SEC All-Defensive Team (Coaches) 

·         USA Today All-America First Team 

·         CBS Sports SEC Player of the Year 

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year 

·         USBWA All-District IV Team

·         NABC District 21 First Team

·         Naismith Trophy finalist

·         John R. Wooden Award finalist 

·         USBWA Oscar Robertson finalist

·         Bob Cousy finalist 

About Mr. Fab-ULIS: Ulis finished the season averaging 17.3 points and an SEC-best 7.0 assists. Following his final game, he ranked seventh nationally in assists and sixth in the country with a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

He was the only player in the SEC averaging at least 17.3 points and 7.0 assists or better. He was one of just four players in the nation (Kahil Felder, Oakland; Denzel Valentine, Michigan State; Juan’ya Green, Hofstra) with those numbers and the lone underclassman entering this weekend’s action.

Ulis completed the year with the single-season school record for most 20-point, five-assist games with 14, and according to the SEC Network, his three 20-point, 10-assist games this season are the most of any SEC player in the last 20 seasons.

In league play, Ulis averaged 8.4 assists with a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. He played 672 of a possible 725 minutes in SEC games, committing a turnover every 19.8 minutes per game.

Ulis’ value was probably best represented by his performances in Kentucky’s biggest games. He averaged a team-best 24.4 points and a team-high 7.6 assists in UK’s seven games vs. ranked opponents. He shot 54.2 percent with a 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio in those games. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he played 291 of the possible 295 minutes in those games, including the entire 45 minutes of all three overtime contests.

Four Future Cats Will Play In McDonald's All-American Game Wednesday Night

The future of the Kentucky men’s basketball program will be on display this week at the McDonald’s All American Game in Chicago.

UK signees Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Sacha Killeya-Jones and Malik Monk will play in Wednesday night’s premier high school all-star game. The game will be televised at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, live from the United Center in Chicago. 

Kentucky’s other 2016 signee, Wenyen Gabriel, was not eligible for the game as a fifth-year senior.

Monk is expected to compete in both the dunk contest and the 3-point contest in Monday night’s 2016 Powerade Jam Fest, which will be televised at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. All four of UK’s 2016 McDonald’s All-Americans took part in Monday’s practice.

Adebayo, Fox and Killeya-Jones will suit up for the East team in Wednesday night’s main event, while Fox will play for the West.

With the selections of Adebayo, Fox, Killeya-Jones and Monk, UK has signed 25 players during the John Calipari era who have been named to the prestigious high school event, more than any other school in the country during that time period. Four players or more from each signing class have been tabbed McDonald’s All-Americans during the Calipari era, including six in the 2013 class.

Fox, who made the Naismith All-America First Team for high school boys basketball, led Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) with a pair of back-to-back 40-point performances in the Texas high school state playoffs before falling in the regional finals. During the regular season he scored 30 or more points in 20 games, 40 or more eight times and even hit the 50-point mark in February.

Fox is rated as high as No. 2 overall in the rankings by 247Sports. Scout ranks him at No. 4, Rivals has him at No. 5 and ESPN tabs him No. 7. Scout and 247Sports both rank the five-star prospect as the No. 1 point guard in the talented 2016 group. He participated in the 2015 USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp, made the 2015-16 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team in September and will play in the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.

Adebayo will join Kentucky out of High Point Christian Academy in High Point, N.C., where he averaged 18.9 points and 13.0 rebounds his senior season. He led High Point Christian Academy to an appearance in the state title game.

Adebayo, who made the Naismith All-America Second Team, is ranked in the top 10 by ESPN (No. 4) and Rivals (No. 7). 247Sports (No. 15) and Scout (No. 15) tab him as a top-15 prospect in the 2016 class. He has prior USA Basketball experience and was named a MaxPreps All-American in 2013. He’s also slated to play in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 15.

Killeya-Jones was a double-double machine during his final season at Virginia Episcopal in Lynchburg, Va., posting 13 games with at least 20 points and at least 10 rebounds.

A long, athletic big man considered to have a ton of upside, Killeya-Jones is a consensus top-10 forward in the class of 2016. The 6-foot-10, 207-pound forward is a highly skilled offensive post player who is a consensus top-30 player. 274Sports ranks him 14th overall, Rivals has him 26th, ESPN has him at No. 27 and Scout tabs him at No. 30.

Monk, a Naismith All-American (second team) is considered the top shooting guard in the class. At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Monk is a long and athletic guard that can both shoot it and make plays off the dribble. The consensus five-star prospect is ranked No. 5 overall in the 2016 class by 247Sports, No. 6 by Rivals and Scout, and No. 8 by ESPN.

In a season in which he averaged 28.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists at taking Bentonville High School (Lepanto, Ark.), Monk’s season highlights include a single-game school scoring record with 53 points. He, who was named to the 2015-16 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team in September, led Bentonville to the state championship game. He will also play in the Jordan Brand Classic.

Kentucky has signed 57 McDonald’s All-Americans since the team began in 1977, including current Wildcats Isaiah Briscoe (2015), Marcus Lee (2013), Alex Poythress (2012) and Tyler Ulis (2014).

Former and current Wildcats who played in the McDonald's All-America Game previously during Calipari's tenure include: Devin Booker (2014), Briscoe (2015), DeMarcus Cousins (2009), Anthony Davis(2011), Archie Goodwin (2012), Aaron Harrison (2013), Andrew Harrison (2013), Dakari Johnson(2013), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2011), Terrence Jones (2010), Brandon Knight (2010), Doron Lamb (2010), Lee (2013), Trey Lyles (2014), Poythress (2012), Julius Randle(2013), Marquis Teague (2011), Karl-Anthony Towns (2014), Ulis (2014), Kyle Wiltjer(2011) and James Young (2013).

Poythress Named Finalists for 2016 Arthur Ashe Jr. Athlete of The Year

Kentucky senior forward Alex Poythress has made the final list for the 2016 Arthur Ashe Jr. Athlete of the Year award. Poythress is one of just two basketball players and one of four total student-athletes named as male finalists.

Poythress joined Corey Brown (men’s soccer at Queens University of Charlotte), Marcus Paige (men’s basketball at North Carolina) and Paul Pitts III (football at San Diego State) on the final list. The male and female athlete of the year will be announced April 7. 

This year marks the third season Poythress has been named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar.

The finalists were chosen from 30 semifinalists and more than 1,000 outstanding minority student-athletes nominated by their respective college or university.

In 1992, “Black Issues In Higher Education” magazine, now “Diverse,” established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.

            

A scholar and athlete, Ashe sought to expand opportunities for young people. Each year Diverse invites every postsecondary institution in the country to participate in this awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism.

To be included, students need to compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2, and be active on their campuses or in their communities. The NCAA Office of Inclusion has partnered with Diverse to support this standout class of scholar-athletes.  Approximately 1,000 male and female students from across the country were nominated.

Past recipients of the award include: Baylor University’s (2011) Robert Griffin III, Heisman Trophy winner and former Washington Redskins quarterback; the University of Tennessee’s (2003) Kara Lawson, an ESPN analyst who played for the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs; San Diego State University’s (1993) Marshall Faulk, NFL Hall of Famer; and the University of Kansas’ (1996) Jacque Vaughn, former head coach of the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

Poythress concluded his UK career over the weekend with 966 career points, 597 rebounds and 77 blocks. He’s just the 12th player in Kentucky’s storied history to post 900 points, 500 rebounds and 70 blocks in a career.

In his final season at Kentucky, Poythress averaged 10.2 points and a team-high-tying 6.0 rebounds per game. He recorded four double-doubles, tied for second on the team.

Earlier this month Poythress was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Second Team, the first Wildcat to make CoSIDA’s Academic All-American teams since Mark Pope in 1995.

The Clarksville, Tenn., native graduated in just three years with a degree in business marketing. He earned a 3.517 undergraduate grade-point average and is now pursuing a master’s of science in kinesiology and health promotion with an emphasis on sport leadership. He finished his first semester of grad school with a 4.0 GPA.

Poythress has appeared on the SEC Academic Honor Roll during every year of college. He has been named to the Athletic Director’s honor roll three times, which honors the student-athlete with the highest GPA of his team. 

Since his arrival on campus, Poythress has been a steady presence within the community. He’s contributed to various activities such as the God’s Pantry Food Drive and Samaritan’s Feet. He is often a volunteer for stops at local children’s hospitals, as well as appearances at local elementary schools. Poythress has played kickball with elementary students, read to them a various times and has even made guest appearances at camps in his hometown.

Along with his teammates, he was involved in a Hurricane Sandy telethon, a clothing drive for the needy, and various meet-and-greets during the holidays. Furthermore, Poythress is a mainstay at UK basketball camps throughout the summer, serving as a camp counselor for kids of all ages.

Tyler Ulis Named One of Four Finalists For Naismith Trophy

 Kentucky sophomore guard Tyler Ulis is one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the nation’s most outstanding player of the year.

Ulis is a finalist along with Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine. Ulis is the only non-senior of the four.

Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, founder of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the women's and men's college basketball players of the year. This year’s trophy will be presented at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 3 in Houston, site of the Final Four. 

First awarded in 1969 to UCLA's Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Naismith Trophy was sculpted by Marty C. Dawe of Atlanta and has become one of the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to the top women's and men's college basketball players in the nation. Each year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's board of selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, vote on player performance to ultimately select the winners.

Ulis’ 2015-16 season ended on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Chicago native posted one of the greatest all-time individual seasons for a point guard in school history while leading the Wildcats to a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, the SEC Tournament title and a 27-9 overall record.

En route to becoming one of the nation’s elite players, Ulis ended the season with 246 assists, setting the new single-season school record previously held by John Wall. Until the season’s final game, Ulis had a streak of 28 consecutive games with four or more assists, the longest streak in school history since at least 1972-73.

Ulis has already been named to the Sporting News All-America First Team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America Second Team, and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press.

Among the honors Ulis has already received this postseason:

·         Naismith Trophy finalist

·         Sporting News All-America First Team

·         USBWA All-America Second Team

·         SEC Player of the Year (Coaches/AP)

·         SEC Tournament MVP

·         SEC Defensive Player of the Year (Coaches) 

·         All-SEC First Team (Coaches/AP) 

·         SEC All-Defensive Team (Coaches) 

·         USA Today All-America First Team 

·         CBS Sports SEC Player of the Year 

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year 

·         USBWA All-District IV Team

·         Bob Cousy finalist 

·         John R. Wooden Award finalist 

·         USBWA Oscar Robertson finalist

About Mr. Fab-ULIS: Ulis finished the season averaging 17.3 points and an SEC-best 7.0 assists. Through games on Saturday, he ranks seventh nationally in assists and sixth in the country with a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

Entering Sunday’s games, the Chicago native was the only player in the SEC averaging at least 17.3 points and 7.0 assists or better. He was one of just four players in the nation (Kahil Felder, Oakland; Denzel Valentine, Michigan State; Juan’ya Green, Hofstra) with those numbers and the lone underclassman.

Ulis completed the year with the single-season school record for most 20-point, five-assist games with 14, and according to the SEC Network, his three 20-point, 10-assist games this season are the most of any SEC player in the last 20 seasons.

In league play, Ulis averaged 8.4 assists with a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. He played 672 of a possible 725 minutes in SEC games, committing a turnover every 19.8 minutes per game.

Ulis’ value was probably best represented by his performances in Kentucky’s biggest games. He averaged a team-best 24.4 points and a team-high 7.6 assists in UK’s seven games vs. ranked opponents. He shot 54.2 percent with a 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio in those games. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he played 291 of the possible 295 minutes in those games, including the entire 45 minutes of all three overtime contests.

Travis Ford And Oklahoma State Call It Quits

The relationship between Ford and Oklahoma State went Pffft after going 12-20 this season and 3-15 in the Big 12. Over his career at Oak State, Ford compiled a record of 155-111 and claims one NCAA Tournament victory so to say you didn't kind of see this coming would be foolish.

Remember the days when people wanted Travis to take over after the whole Billy G. fiasco? Man, I'm glad some didn't get their wish on that one.

Jamal Murray Named To USBWA Freshman All-America Team

Clearly one of the best freshman and one of the most prolific scorers in the country, freshman guard Jamal Murray was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Freshman All-America Team on Wednesday. 

Murray joined California’s Jaylen Brown, Marquette’s Henry Ellenson, Duke’s Brandon Ingram and LSU’s Ben Simmons on the team.

Last week, Murray was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-America Team.

The USBWA Freshman All-America Team was voted on by members of the USBWA, which is comprised of more than 900 sportswriters and sports journalists who cover college basketball for newspapers, magazines and websites.

Murray’s postseason honors list continues to lengthen by the day. Among the honors he’s been recognized for already:

·         All-SEC First Team (Coaches/AP) 

·         SEC All-Freshman Team (Coaches)

·         USA Today All-America Second Team

·         Scout.com All-America Second Team 

·         USBWA Freshman All-America Team

·         Sporting News Freshman All-America Team

·         USBWA All-District IV Team

·         Wayman Tisdale finalist

ABOUT MURRAY: Murray has been one of the nation’s best scorers all season long and led the league with five SEC Weekly honors. He currently leads the Wildcats in scoring at 20.1 points per game, which, if the season ended today, would be the highest individual scoring average at Kentucky in the John Calipari era.

With 685 points this season, he already owns the school’s freshman single-season scoring record surpassing Brandon Knight (657 points in 2010-11). He’s posted three 30-point games this season, two of which came against league competition. The three 30-point games are the most by a freshman in school history, and his 35 points vs. Florida tied Terrence Jones (Jan. 11, 2011 vs. Auburn) for the school record single-game scoring mark by a freshman. It also tied Jones for the most points in a single game in the Calipari era.

Murray is the first Wildcat to reach double figures in 32 straight games since Jodie Meeks did it 32 times in 2008-09. He racked up a 12-game streak of scoring 20 points or more matching the longest such streak for any UK player since Kevin Grevey topped 20 or more points in 12 straight games in 1974-75.

Having hit a 3-pointer in every game this season, Murray owns the UK freshman record for most 3-point field goals in a single season with 110, surpassing Knight’s previous record of 87. His 110 made 3-pointers are already second on the UK single-season 3-point field goal list and the most of any freshman in the history of the SEC. Entering the NCAA Tournament, he has a shot at breaking Stephen Curry’s NCAA freshman record for 3-point field goals in a season (122). 

Tyler Ulis Named USBWA Second Team All-American

With one dazzling performance after another – the latest of which was an all-time unforgettable afternoon in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game – the postseason honors continue to follow for Kentucky sophomore Tyler Ulis.

The latest came Monday in the form of All-America honors from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The 5-foot-9 Ulis was named the USBWA All-America Second Team. He was joined by Providence’s Kris Dunn, Iowa State’s Georges Niang, Utah’s Jakob Poeltl and Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff.

Ulis has already been named to the Sporting News All-America First Team. The NCAA recognizes four All-America teams in order to be a consensus All-American, with Sporting News and the USBWA being two of them. The National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Associated Press make up the other votes.

The USBWA will announce its Oscar Robertson Trophy winner as the national player of the year at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston.

Ulis is the sixth Kentucky player in the John Calipari era to make one of the USBWA All-America teams and the third one to make the second team. He’s the 54th Wildcat in school history to pick up at least one NCAA-recognized All-America honor. 

The list of postseason honors, which was already a long one heading into this past week, continues to grow. In addition to Monday’s All-America honors, Ulis was named the Southeastern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading UK to back-to-back SEC Tournament crowns.

Among the honors Ulis has already received this postseason:

·         Sporting News All-America First Team

·         USBWA All-America Second Team

·         SEC Player of the Year (Coaches)

·         SEC Tournament MVP

·         SEC Defensive Player of the Year (Coaches) 

·         All-SEC First Team (Coaches) 

·         SEC All-Defensive Team (Coaches) 

·         USA Today All-America First Team 

·         CBS Sports SEC Player of the Year 

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year 

·         USBWA All-District IV Team

·         Bob Cousy finalist 

·         John R. Wooden Award finalist 

·         USBWA Oscar Robertson finalist

About Mr. Fab-ULIS: Heading into the postseason, Ulis is averaging 17.2 points and an SEC-best 7.2 assists. He entered the NCAA Tournament ranking sixth nationally in assists and fifth nationally with a 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s dished out 10 or more assists in six of his last 12 games and scored 20 or more points in 13 of his last 23 games.

Entering the NCAA Tournament, the Chicago native was the only player in the SEC averaging at least 17.2 points and 7.2 assists or better. He was one of just three players nationally to achieve that feat (Kahil Felder, Oakland; Denzel Valentine, Michigan State) and the lone underclassman.

Ulis has the single-season school record for most 20-point, five-assist games with 14, and according to the SEC Network, his three 20-point, 10-assist games this season are the most of any SEC player in the last 20 seasons.

In league play, Ulis averaged 8.4 assists with a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. He played 672 of a possible 725 minutes in SEC games, committing a turnover every 19.8 minutes per game.

Ulis’ value is probably best represented by his performances in Kentucky’s biggest games. He’s averaging a team-best 24.0 points and a team-high 8.3 assists in UK’s six games vs. ranked opponents in either the Associated Press Top 25 or the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. He shot 55.2 percent with a 5.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in those games. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he played 252 of the possible 255 minutes of those games including the entire 45 minutes of all three overtime contests.

Already second on the school’s single-season assists list with 236 dimes, he’s on pace to break John Wall’s single-season record of 241 assists set in 2009-10. He is the only player with 27 consecutive games with four or more assists since at least 1972-73. 

Ulis and the Wildcats will play Stony Brook on Thursday at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET in the NCAA Tournament first round in Des Moines, Iowa. That game will be televised on CBS.

Tyler Ulis Don't Seem Too Worried About Kentucky's Draw In The Tournament

Tyler Ulis sure doesn't seem worried about Kentucky's draw in the tournament. So, if Tyler isn't worried, I'm not either. Bring on Stony Brook, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina and whoever else the committee wants to throw at us.

Kentucky vs. Texas A&M Final Box-Score

Kentucky vs. Texas A&M Post Game Notes

Kentucky Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Texas A&M vs. Kentucky, Southeastern Conference Tournament championship 

Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.

March 13, 2016
Attendance: 19,613  

Final Score: Kentucky 82, Texas A&M 77 (overtime)

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 26-8 and has won five in a row. Texas A&M is 26-8, ending an eight-game winning streak.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 5-3. 
• Both games this season went into overtime, with Texas A&M winning in College Station.
• This is the first time the teams have played in the SEC Tournament.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started with the lineup of Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, Alex Poythress and Skal Labissiere for the eighth time this year and fifth game in a row. UK is 7-1 with this lineup.
• With 16:09 remaining, Poythress extended UK’s streak of 973 games with a 3-pointer. 
• Tied at 28, Texas A&M went ahead with a 3-pointer with 4:48 remaining and held the lead the remainder of the half. The Aggies went to intermission ahead 38-34.

In the Second Half

• Trailing 45-44, UK got a 6-0 run to go ahead for the first time in the second half, 50-45.
• Texas A&M replied with an 8-0 spurt to take the lead 53-50.
• From there, the teams traded leads until Derek Willis hit a 3-pointer from the deep left corner with 7:34 left to put the Wildcats ahead 60-58.
• Willis’ 3-pointer began a 10-2 UK run that put the Cats ahead 67-60.
• The determined Aggies rallied and tied it at 71 on a Danuel House drive and basket with 18.7 seconds left. 
• Ulis missed a fallaway jumper inside the foul line to send it to overtime.

In Overtime

• Ulis opened the scoring with a 3-pointer but A&M’s House tied it at 75 with a 3-pointer with 1:55 on the clock.
• Willis broke the tie with 1:02 remaining when Ulis fed him for a 3-pointer on the right wing, giving the Wildcats the lead for good.
• After a Texas A&M miss, Murray sealed it with a 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds remaining. The Wildcats held on for an 82-77 win.

Team Notes

• Kentucky is 1-2 in overtime this year after losing earlier this season at Kansas and Texas A&M.
• Kentucky had 13 assists and 13 turnovers. Today ended a streak of 16 consecutive games against SEC opponents that UK had more assists than turnovers.
• This is the 24th-straight game that a Wildcat has scored at least 20 points, the longest such streak since a Cat scored 20 or more in all 28 games of the 1969-70 season.
• Coach John Calipari has a 661-186 (.780) all-time record, including a 216-46 (.824) mark at Kentucky.

The Southeastern Conference Tournament

• Kentucky is 127-25 (.836) all-time in the SEC Tournament and won its 29th tourney title today. 
• UK has won four SEC Tournaments in seven years under Coach Calipari – 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016.
• UK is 20-2 (.909) in SEC Tournament games played in Nashville, including 17-2 (.895) in Bridgestone Arena.
• Tyler Ulis was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. 
• Ulis averaged 24 points and five assists per game in the tournament.  He totaled 72 points, 15 assists, five rebounds and seven steals.
• UK has had 17 tournament MVPs since the renewal in 1979. No MVPs were selected from 1933-52.
• Jamal Murray was named to the All-Tournament Team. Murray averaged 22 points per game in the tournament. He totaled 66 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Player Notes  

• Sophomore Tyler Ulis totaled a career-high 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.
• He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, see tourney stats above.
• Extended his UK single-season record of 14 games with at least 20 points and five assists.
• He extended his school-record streak of 27 consecutive games with at least four assists.
• Ulis leads the SEC and is sixth nationally in assists, 7.2 per game. He’s on pace to break the school record of 6.5 assists per game by John Wall in 2009-10.
• Freshman Jamal Murray had 17 points, including 3 of 10 on 3-pointers, adding five rebounds and two steals.
• He was named to the All-Tournament Team, see tourney stats above.
• He added to his UK freshman scoring record, now standing at 685 points.
• He ended his streak of 12 consecutive 20-point games. It was tied with Kevin Grevey for the second-longest streak in school history. Dan Issel has the UK record with 18 straight 20-point games.
• It is his 32nd consecutive double-figure scoring game, the most since Jodie Meeks had a 32-game double-figure stretch in 2008-09.
• He has scored at least eight points in all 34 games this season, extending his school-record for most consecutive games with 8 or more points at the start of a career.
• He has made at least one 3-point shot in every game this season, the first player in Kentucky history to make a triple in each of his first 34 collegiate games. 
• It’s also a school record for most consecutive games with a 3 to begin a season, regardless of year in school.
• He has 110 3-pointers this season, most ever by a Southeastern Conference freshman.
• His 110 3-pointers are tied for second-most by a freshman in NCAA history, matching Tajuan Porter of Oregon in 2006-07. The national freshman record is 122 by Stephen Curry of Davidson in 2006-07.
• He has 20 games with at least three 3-pointers, most by any player in the Calipari era. 
• He has made two or more 3-pointers in 16 straight games.
• Overshadowed by his prolific scoring, the 6-4 Murray has become an aggressive rebounder. He had five rebounds today and 38 rebounds over the last six games, averaging 6.3 boards per game during that span.
• Freshman Isaiah Briscoe totaled 10 points, a team-high six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
• Has scored double figures in 18 games this season.
• Junior Derek Willis totaled 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots and one steal.
• He has 11 double-figure scoring games this season.
• He hit two huge 3-pointers during the game.
• Trailing 58-57, his triple from the deep left corner started a 10-2 UK run. 
• Tied at 75, he hit a long one from the right wing with 1:02 to play that put the Wildcats in the lead for good.
• Senior Alex Poythress had 10 points and six rebounds.
• He has scored double figures in six of seven games since returning from injury, averaging 11.1 points during that span.
• Has made 31 of 48 shots (.646) since returning from injury.