IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa men’s basketball sophomore Keegan Murray has been named both the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week Big Ten and Co-Player of the Week on Monday. Murray shares the Big Ten honor with Geo Baker of Rutgers.
The last Iowa men’s basketball player to earn a Naismith Trophy Player of the Week honor was Luka Garza a year ago on Feb. 22, 2021.
Murray has earned the Big Ten weekly honor a program-best four times this season (Nov. 22; Dec. 20; Jan. 3; Feb. 14). Luka Garza previously held the school record for most Big Ten weekly accolades since the inception of the award during the 1981-82 season (three times in 2020-21).
Murray (6-foot-8, 225 pounds) helped propel the Hawkeyes to a pair of comfortable victories last week at Maryland (110-87) on Thursday and at home against Nebraska (98-75) on Sunday. Murray averaged 33.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, two blocks, and 1.5 steals in the two contests.
Against the Terrapins, Murray tallied 30 points, seven rebounds, and a game-best two blocked shots. He shot a blistering 12-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Murray and the Hawkeyes’ 110 points are a season high, most by either team in the 14-game series history, and most by the Hawkeyes in a conference game since scoring 116 against Northwestern on Feb. 9, 1995.
Murray poured in a game and career-best 37 points, six rebounds, and a game bests in steals (3) and blocks (2) against the Huskers. The 37 points are believed to be the third most by any men’s basketball player in Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s 39-year history (45 by Brian Quinnett of Washington State in 1986; 41 by Iowa’s Luka Garza in 2020). Iowa’s 98 points are the second most by either team in the 36-game series history (102 by Iowa in 2021). The 37 points tie the highest point total by a Big Ten player in a game this season (Kofi Cockburn and Johnny Davis).
Murray is the first Hawkeye to score 30+ points in back-to-back Big Ten games since Matt Gatens 10 years ago in 2012 (30 vs. Indiana and 33 vs. Wisconsin).
Murray, who is the only NCAA Division I player this season averaging 23+ points, 8+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks, has netted 25+ points an NCAA-best 11 times this season. He has tallied 30+ points four times, the most by any underclassman in a single season in program history.
Murray ranks third in the nation in points per game and his 23.3 scoring average is most of any player from a major conference. Murray has increased his scoring average by 16.1 points from last year, which is the highest increase from one season to the next since Illinois’ Rick Schmidt boasted his scoring average by 17.6 points from 1973-74.
Iowa (17-7, 7-6) faces Michigan (13-10, 7-6) on Thursday at 6:01 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
2022 KEEGAN MURRAY HONORS
• John R. Wooden Award Late-Season Top 20 List
• Naismith Player of the Year Trophy Midseason Team
• Lute Olson National Player of the Year Midseason List
• Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Semifinalist
• Sporting News Midseason Second Team All-American
• The Athletic Midseason Second Team All-American
• Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week (Feb. 14)
• Big Ten Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 14)
• Big Ten Player of the Week (Jan. 3)
• Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 20)
• Big Ten Co-Player of the Week (Nov. 22)