Malachi Moreno wins SEC Freshman of the Week, first such under Mark Pope
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Kentucky basketball used to be a magnet for the SEC Freshman of the Week award under John Calipari.
On Monday, Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno became the first Kentucky player to win the SEC Freshman of the Week award under Mark Pope, per Tristan Pharis. Moreno earned the award over Arkansas’ Darius Acuff with a pair of strong outings in wins against Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
Moreno very nearly averaged a double-double across his two games last week, totaling 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The Kentucky freshman was an efficient 66.7% from the field against the Gamecocks and Commodores, as well as 7-8 from the free throw line.
Thanks in part to Moreno playing the best basketball of his career, Kentucky is starting to trend in the right direction at the right time. The Wildcats thoroughly dominated a good Vanderbilt team on Saturday and have now rattled off 2 straight after losing 3 straight to Florida, Georgia and Auburn.
Moreno’s game against the Commodores was particularly promising. Not only did he score 11 points with 6 rebounds, Moreno also dished out 5 assists and committed just 1 foul across 27 minutes of action. It’s right there with his 17-point performance against Mississippi State as the best of his Kentucky career.
The Wildcats need to finish strong to turn this momentum into a better seed come Selection Sunday, but it’s definitely not going to be an easy final 2 games. Kentucky faces Texas A&M on Tuesday before a rematch against a Florida team that is getting better and better on Saturday.
Per Kalshi, Kentucky currently has a 43% chance to reach the Sweet Sixteen. Here’s a look at some of the top contenders:
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
