LOS ANGELES — University of Iowa sophomore forward Keegan Murray has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 25. The announcement was made Wednesday evening by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the first half of the 2021-22 season, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for one of the sport’s most prestigious honor.
The Hawkeyes have had a student-athlete named to the Mid-Season Top 25 List three straight years and four of the last seven seasons. Former Hawkeye Luka Garza was the recipient of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award and was a finalist in 2020 award, while Jarrod Uthoff was a semifinalist in 2016.
Murray (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) is averaging a team-best 18 points per game this season, has made all eight free throw attempts, and ranks second on the squad in rebounds per outing (7.5).
Murray was Iowa’s leading scorer (9.7) and rebounder (4.3) off the bench last season. He improved his scoring average by 9.1 points and rebounding average by 3.7 per outing. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was second on the team in 3-point percentage (.397), blocks per game (0.9) and field goals made (124), third in offensive (1.6) and defensive (2.7) rebounds per contest, and fourth in steals (0.8) per game. Murray made at least one 3-pointer in a team-best 17 consecutive games (Jan. 22-March 13). His 31 blocks and 43 triples rank seventh and eighth, respectively, by a Hawkeye sophomore.
Murray is one of seven players from the Big Ten Conference on the preseason list.
Iowa (2-0) returns to action on Wednesday at Seton Hall (2-0) in the Gavitt Games. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. at the Prudential Center in South Orange, New Jersey.