Derek Willis Named West MVP of Reese's College All-Star Game

Awarded one final college game after a tremendous college career, Kentucky men’s basketball senior Derek Willis made the most of the of the opportunity Friday with a solid performance in the Reese’s College All-Star Game.

Willis recorded 13 points, a team-high eight rebounds, a block and a steal for the West Team in 21 minutes at the University of Phoenix Stadium, site of this year’s Final Four. Willis made 6 of 11 shots and was named the Reese’s Perfect Player from the West.

The East defeated the West 121-90 in the annual all-star game.

The Reese's College All-Star Game, hosted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, annually features 20 of the top seniors in college basketball and is one of the featured events leading up to the games at the Final Four. 

Willis’ participation marked the first time the game has featured a UK player since its inception in 2009.

Willis finished his Kentucky career with 555 points scored, 354 rebounds and 108 3-point field goals made. His career 3-point field-goal percentage (.3985) ranks 12th among the school’s all-time leaders.

The senior from Mt. Washington, Kentucky, was a member of four NCAA Tournament teams, three Southeastern Conference regular-season championships, three SEC Tournament titles and two Final Four appearances.

Willis played an integral role in each of the last two seasons during limited minutes in his freshman and sophomore seasons. He averaged 7.7 points and led the team in 3-point field goal percentage with a .442 clip during his junior season. He led the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage a year ago during conference play.

In his senior season, Willis notched career highs in points (267), rebounds (205), blocks (39), assists (34) and steals (25). He was a central figure in UK’s late-season defensive improvement, totaling 18 blocks over the last nine games after recording 21 in the previous 29. He averaged 5.4 rebounds on the season, including 7.3 over the last 12 games.

Among Willis’ career highlights is a 25-point performance with a career-high seven 3-pointers vs. Tennessee last season. He came up big during UK’s run to the Elite Eight, averaging 7.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament. 

Malik Monk Named AP Consensus Second Team All-American

Kentucky freshman guard Malik Monk has secured NCAA consensus All-America status with his selection to the Associated Press All-America Second Team on Tuesday. Monk is the eighth player during John Calipari’s tenure to earn consensus All-America distinction in his eight seasons as head coach.

Monk was tabbed to the second team of each of the NCAA’s four recognized organizations (AP, National Association of Basketball Coaches, United States Basketball Writers Association, Sporting News) it uses to determine consensus status.

The Lepanto, Arkansas, native is joined on the AP All-America Second Team by Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga), Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Johnathan Motley (Baylor) and Luke Kennard (Duke). The same four players also joined Monk as consensus All-America Second Team selections.

Monk is the eighth player under Calipari to earn consensus All-America status. He joins John Wall (2010, first team), DeMarcus Cousins (2010, second team), Anthony Davis (2012, first team), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012, second team), Willie Cauley-Stein (2015, first team) Karl-Anthony Towns (2015, second team) and Tyler Ulis (2016, first team) as the others to achieve the feat.

A total of 38 Wildcats have achieved NCAA consensus All-America honors 49 times in school history. Monk is the 10th Wildcat under Calipari to be named to one of the AP All-America teams. 

The NCAA consensus All-America teams are compiled using a point system computed from the aforementioned four All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The point system consists of three points for first team, two points for second team and one point for third team. No honorable mention, fourth team or lower selections are used in the computation.

In men's basketball, the teams are not compiled by position so the top five players in points are named first team consensus All-American and the next five are named second team consensus All-American. If there is a tie for the final player on the first or second team in basketball, then the players who are tied shall be named to that team. Both the first and second teams shall consist of at least five players each.

Monk’s AP honor on Tuesday are just the latest in a long list of awards this postseason. Monk’s honors include:

·         NCAA Consensus All-America Second Team

·         SEC Player of the Year (AP)

·         SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP)

·         SEC Freshman of the Year (Coaches)

·         All-SEC First Team (AP/Coaches)

·         All-SEC Freshman Team (Coaches)

·         AP All-America Second Team

·         NABC All-America Second Team

·         USBWA All-America Second Team

·         Sporting News All-America Second Team

·         Sporting News Freshman All-America Team

·         USA Today All-America Second Team

·         NBC Sports All-America Second Team

·         Wooden Award All-American

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year

·         USBWA All-District IV Team

·         Jerry West Award Finalist

·         Wooden Award Finalist

·         NABC All-District 21 Team

About Monk: Monk electrified crowds with his prolific scoring outbursts and high-flying violent dunks throughout the season. He finished his freshman season averaging 19.8 points per game, second among all freshman nationally, and reached double-figure scoring in all but two games this season.  

With 14 points in the second-round game vs. Wichita State, he became UK’s all-time leading freshman scorer with 721 points, passing Jamal Murray’s output of 720 from a season ago. His record-breaking season ends with 754 points scored. That’s fourth all-time in UK’s history books regardless of class, trailing only Dan Issel (948; 1970), Jodie Meeks (854; 2009) and Jamal Mashburn (767; 1992).

He produced 18 games of 20 points or more, including a Kentucky freshman record 47 points vs. North Carolina in December. Monk is the only freshman in program history with four 30-point games, and six times this season he scored at least 20 points in a half.

Malik Monk Named Wooden Award All-American

Kentucky men’s basketball freshman guard Malik Monk was named a Wooden All-American on Monday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club after leading the Wildcats to Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament championships as well as a memorable run to the Elite Eight.

Monk, who was one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, was one of 10 players on the Wooden All-American Team. He joined Lonzo Ball (UCLA), Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Josh Hart (Villanova), Josh Jackson (Kansas), Justin Jackson (North Carolina), Luke Kennard (Duke), Frank Mason III (Kansas), Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) and Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga) on the team. Ball, Hart, Mason III, Swanigan and Williams-Goss are the five finalists for the Wooden Award.

Monk is the sixth Wildcat named a Wooden Award All-American in the John Calipari era. He joins Tyler Ulis (2016), Willie Cauley-Stein (2015), Anthony Davis (2012), DeMarcus Cousins (2010) and John Wall (2010) as other UK players to earn the distinction.

Candidates for the Wooden All-American Team have proven to their universities that they are making progress towards graduation.

Nearly 1,000 members of the national college basketball media make up the majority of the voting body for the Wooden All-American Team and Wooden Award. They took into consideration a player’s entire season of play, as well as opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Monk’s Wooden All-American honors joins a long list of awards this postseason for Monk. They include:

·       SEC Player of the Year (AP)

·       SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP)

·       SEC Freshman of the Year (Coaches)

·       All-SEC First Team (AP/Coaches)

·       All-SEC Freshman Team (Coaches)

·       NABC All-America Second Team

·       USBWA All-America Second Team

·       Sporting News All-America Second Team

·       Sporting News Freshman All-America Team

·       USA Today All-America Second Team

·       NBC Sports All-America Second Team

·       USBWA District IV Player of the Year

·       USBWA All-District IV Team

·       Jerry West Award Finalist

·       Wooden Award Finalist

·       NABC All-District 21 Team

About Monk: Monk electrified crowds with his prolific scoring outbursts and high-flying violent dunks throughout the season. He finished his freshman season averaging 19.8 points per game, second among all freshmen nationally, and reached double-figure scoring in all but two games this season.  

With 14 points in the second-round game vs. Wichita State, he became UK’s all-time leading freshman scorer with 721 points, passing Jamal Murray’s output of 720 from a season ago. His record-breaking season ends with 754 points scored. That’s fourth all-time in UK’s history books regardless of class, trailing only Dan Issel (948; 1970), Jodie Meeks (854; 2009) and Jamal Mashburn (767; 1992).

He produced 18 games of 20 points or more, including a Kentucky freshman record 47 points vs. North Carolina in December. Monk is the only freshman in program history with four 30-point games, and six times this season he scored at least 20 points in a half.

Monk made 104 3-pointers on the season, not far behind Jodie Meeks’ school record of 117.

Overall Season Team Stats

Notes From Kentucky's Heartbreaking 75-73 Loss To UNC

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky vs. North Carolina – NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

March 26, 2017, FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn.Attendance: 16,412

Final Score: No. 1-seed North Carolina 75, No. 2-seed Kentucky 73

                                                             

Team Records and Series Notes:

·        Kentucky finished the season 32-6 overall.

o   UNC snapped UK’s 14-game winning streak, which was the longest streak in the country entering Sunday.

o   UK won 32 games for the fourth time in the John Calipari era.

·        North Carolina advances to the Final Four with a 31-7 record.

·        UNC leads the all-time series 24-15.

o   Kentucky came in on a two-game winning streak in the series.

o   The teams met in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time. Every meeting has been in the Elite Eight.

·         UNC improved to 3-1 against the Wildcats in NCAA Tournament play. UK had won the most recent NCAA Tournament meeting in the 2011 Elite Eight.

·        Kentucky is now 19-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament games vs. opponents it faced during the regular season and 6-2 under John Calipari.

NCAA Tournament Notes:

·        Kentucky made its national-record 56th NCAA Tournament appearance.

·        Kentucky reached the Elite Eight for the 33rd time since 1951 the most of any school in the country. (Elite 8 Records begin in 1951, the first year that all teams in the tournament would be required to win at least one game to advance to the Elite 8)

·        UK owns a 124-40 record all-time in NCAA action.

·        Kentucky is 26-6 (.813) in NCAA Tournament games under Calipari.

·        In Calipari’s seven NCAA Tournament appearances with Kentucky, the Wildcats have reached the Elite Eight six times.

o   UK fell to 4-2 in Elite Eight games under Calipari.

·        Kentucky was a No. 2 seed for the seventh time in program history.

o   UK is 22-7 as the No. 2 seed.

o   Kentucky dropped to 1-2 as a No. 2-seed against a No. 1 seed.

·        Isaac Humphries and De’Aaron Fox were named to the All-South-Region Team.

In the First Half:

·        Kentucky’s starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe and Derek Willis for the eighth game in a row.

o   Kentucky ended the year 11-1 with that lineup.

o   Adebayo was the only Wildcat to have started all 38 games on the season.

·        De’Aaron Fox nailed a 3-pointer with 17:57 on the clock, continuing UK’s streak of 1,013 games with at least one triple. That’s the longest streak in the country.

·        Fox scored UK’s first five points.

·        Dominique Hawkins scored 10 first-half points.

·        North Carolina led for the entire first half. The Tar Heels’ largest lead was nine.

In the Second Half:

·        Kentucky scored the first six points of the second half to take its first lead, 39-38, with 17:35 on the clock.

o   Kentucky scored the last three points of the first half so stretched to include those points it was a 9-0 run over 4:43 of game time.

·        North Carolina quickly regained the advantage and things went back and forth from there with the second stanza featuring five lead changes.

·        UK used a 10-2 run from the 7:55 mark to the 5:10 mark to take a 64-59 lead with 5:10 to play. Humphries scored eight of the 10 points on that run.

·        North Carolina answered with a 12-0 run of its own over the ensuing 3:45 to take a seven-point lead, 71-64, with 54 seconds to play.

·        Fox and Monk then hit back-to-back 3s in a 10-second span to close within a point 71-70 with 39 seconds to go.

·        Justin Jackson got a breakaway layup to answer though, and UNC had a 73-70 lead with 34 seconds remaining.

·        Monk tied it up with a tough 3 with nine seconds to go, but on the ensuing UNC possession Luke Maye hit the game winner with 0:03 on the clock.

Team Notes:

·        North Carolina’s nine blocks were the most by a UK opponent this season.
North Carolina’s made three 3-pointers, tying four other teams as the fewest by a UK opponent this year.

·        Kentucky shot 42 percent from the field. 

o   Kentucky dropped to 29-2 this season when shooting at least the 42-percent threshold.

·        Calipari has a 694-193 (.782) on-court record, including a 249-52 (.827) mark at UK.

Player Notes:  

·        Freshman De’Aaron Fox tied Adebayo for the team high with 13 points.

·        Fox led Kentucky in scoring for the sixth straight game – dating to the first game of the SEC Tournament.

·        Freshman Bam Adebayo tied Fox for the team high with 13 points.

·        He scored 12 of them in the second half.

·        After going 0 for 5 from the field in the first half he went 4 of 5 in the second half.

·        He finished with seven rebounds, and grabbed five of them in the second half.

·        He eclipsed 100 dunks for the season, and finished the season with a Calipari-era record 101 dunks.

·        Freshman Malik Monk scored 12 points hitting two 3s in the final minute.

·        He reached double-figures for the sixth game in a row, and scored in double digits in 36 of 38 games this year.

·        He finished his freshman season with 104 made 3s.

·        Senior Derek Willis scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in his final game as a Wildcat.

·        He finished his career with 103 appearances and 26 starts – all the starts came in the last two years.

·        Senior Dominique Hawkins scored 10 points, all in the first half.

·        He made 121 career appearances.

·        Hawkins and Willis finished their careers with four NCAA Tournament appearances, two Final Fours and an Elite Eight. Teams featuring those two went 13-4 in the Big Dance.

·        Sophomore Isaac Humphries scored a career-high 12 points.

·        He had eight total points over his last 12 games coming into this one.

·        For the first time this season, UK lost a game that Humphries scored in. UK went 24-1 in games Humphries played in.

Notes From Kentucky's Sweet Sixteen 86-75 Win Over UCLA

Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes

Kentucky vs. UCLA – NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

March 24, 2017, FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn.Attendance: 17,532

Final Score: No. 2-seed Kentucky 86, No. 3-seed UCLA 75

                                                             

Team Records and Series Notes

·        Kentucky has won 14 in a row – its longest winning streak of the season -- and improved to 32-5 overall.

o   UK’s winning streak is the longest active streak in the country.

o   Kentucky reached 32 wins for the fourth time in the John Calipari era.

·        UCLA finished the season 31-5.

·        Kentucky leads the all-time series 8-6.

o   UCLA had won the last two meetings.

o   The teams met in the NCAA Tournament for the third time. UK leads 2-1.

o    UK has won two in a row against the Bruins in the Tournament, dating to the 1998 Sweet 16. UCLA’s lone NCAA Tournament win against UK was the 1975 National Title Game.

·        Next for the Wildcats: UK will play North Carolina in the South Regional Final on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

NCAA Tournament Notes

·        Kentucky made its national-record 56th NCAA Tournament appearance.

·        Kentucky reached the Elite Eight for the 33rd time since 1951 the most of any school in the country. (Elite 8 Records begin in 1951, the first year that all teams in the tournament would be required to win at least one game to advance to the Elite 8)

·        UK owns a 124-49 record all-time in NCAA action. 

·        Kentucky is 26-5 (.839) in NCAA Tournament games under Calipari.

·        In Calipari’s seven NCAA Tournament appearances with Kentucky, the Wildcats have reached the Elite Eight six times.

o   UK is 6-0 in the Sweet 16 under Calipari. 

·        Kentucky is a No. 2 seed for the seventh time in program history.

o   UK is 22-6 as the No. 2 seed.

o   Kentucky improved to 4-0 in No. 2-seed vs. No. 3-seed games.

In the First Half

·        Kentucky’s starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe and Derek Willis for the seventh game in a row.

o   Kentucky improved to 10-0 with that lineup.

o   Adebayo is the only Wildcat to have started all 37 games on the season.

·        Dominique Hawkins swished a 3-pointer with 15:26 on the clock, continuing UK’s streak of 1,012 games with at least one triple. That’s the longest streak in the country.

·        Fox started 4 of 4 from the field to start, scoring UK’s first eight points.

o   His 15 first-half points were the most he’s scored in the opening 20 minutes all season.

In the Second Half

·        Fox scored Kentucky’s first four points of the second half.

o   He finished with a season-high 24 points in the second half.

·        Monk scored Kentucky’s next 10 as the Wildcats had a 50-46 lead at the under-16 media timeout.

·        Kentucky opened up its biggest lead: 11 points, 69-57 with 5:58 to play. UK used a 9-2 run to open up its first double-digit margin starting at the 8:29 mark.

Team Notes

·        Kentucky tied its season-low with just six turnovers. UK is 3-0 in the games it’s only coughed it up six times.

o   It tied for the fewest turnovers in an NCAA Tournament game under Calipari, equaling the six turnovers UK committed against Wisconsin in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

·        Kentucky made 10 3-pointers. UK hit 10 3s for the sixth time this season.

o   UK hadn’t made double-digits 3s since the Feb. 14 win against Tennessee.

·        Fox and Monk combined for 60 of Kentucky’s 86 points.

·        Five Wildcats scored.

·        Kentucky’s 17 free-throw attempts were the second fewest of the season (12 vs. Tennessee on Feb. 14).

·        Kentucky shot 49.2 percent from the field. 

o   Kentucky improved to 29-1 this season when shooting at least the 42-percent threshold.

·        Calipari has a 694-192 (.783) on-court record, including a 249-52 (.827) mark at UK.

Player Notes  

·        Freshman De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 39 points.

·        Per ESPN Stats and Info that was the record for any freshman in the NCAA Tournament.

·        It was the fourth most by a Wildcat regardless of class in the NCAA Tournament and the most ever by a freshman.

·        It was the second most by a UK player in any game under Calipari. Only Malik Monk has scored more in a game.

·        Fox led Kentucky in scoring for the fifth straight game.

·        He was 13 of 15 from the free-throw line, both figures were career highs.

·        The 13 free throws is tied for the third most in an NCAA Tournament game for an individual player in program history.

·        Freshman Malik Monk scored 21 points.

·        He reached 20 points for the 19th time this season.

·        He reached double-figures for the fifth game in a row, and has scored in double digits in 35 of 37 games this year.

·        He became just the third player in school history to hit 100 or more 3-pointers with four in tonight’s game.

·        Freshman Bam Adebayo had a career-high five assists.

·        Senior Derek Willis was solid all around once again.

·        He dished out a career-high tying four assists.

·        He scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds.

·        He has 18 blocks over the last eight games.

·        Senior Dominique Hawkins scored 11 points.

·        He had a season-high and tied his career-high with three made 3-pointers.