Vicky Graff Photo
The better Malachi Moreno plays, the better Kentucky plays.
The 7-foot center earned his first Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honor after helping Kentucky beat South Carolin and No. 25 Vanderbilt last week. It was his first SEC honor.
He averaged 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last week and shot 66 percent from the field and 87 percent at the foul line.
Kentucky is now 10-1 this season when Moreno scores double figures going into tonight’s game at Texas A&M. He had 11 points and a team-high six rebounds against Vanderbilt along with a team-high five assists. It was the seventh time this season he’s led the team in assists.
Against South Carolina, Moreno had eight points and a game-high and career-high-tying 11 rebounds.
Moreno has had some special moments this season.
— He has joined Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the reigning NBA MVP — as the only UK freshmen to have at least 11 points, six boards and five assists in multiple SEC games in their careers. The 14-point win over 25th-ranked Vanderbilt marked the largest margin of victory against a top-25 team in the Mark Pope era.
— Against South Carolina, he became the first UK freshman to have at least eight points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a true SEC road game since Karl-Anthony Towns at LSU on Feb. 10, 2015.
— Moreno became the first UK freshman to have a double-double in a true road game against an AP Top 15 opponent since Julius Randle had one vs. No. 1 Florida on March 8, 2014. He also became the first UK player to have a double-double in a true road game while playing 21 or fewer minutes since DeMarcus Cousins on Feb. 6, 2010.
Moreno is the team’s leading rebounder (6.6 per game) and has led UK in rebounding 16 times this season. He leads UK with 73 offensive rebounds — 2.52 per game — and also leads the team in blocked shots with 1.62 per game, the eighth-best mark for any freshman in the country. In SEC play, he is averaging 1.88 blocks per game, the second-best total in the SEC.
One Response
I say this and I've said it 100 times but I want everyone to remember that this will be Popes worst year at Kentucky. Next year we will be much better and a little better every year after that. If you could get a core of players who want to win a championship I think you have the right players on the team to make it happen. We already have a starting 5 for next year minus a point guard. With Chandler at the 2 Williams at the 3 Jelly at the 4 and Moreno at the 5. Or you could big and play Johnson at the point.
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