Graham named The Sporting News All-America First Team
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Sporting News (TSN) is one of the first All-America teams released annually and Kansas senior Devonte’ Graham is a first-team selection by the publication, TSN announced Monday.
The Sporting News is among the outlets used for the official NCAA consensus All-America team. Joining Graham on TSN All-America First Team is Jalen Brunson (Villanova), Deandre Ayton (Arizona), Marvin Bagley (Duke) and Trae Young (Oklahoma). There were three teams selected by TSN.
This is the second-straight year a Kansas player has earned The Sporting News All-America First Team honors. Jayhawk Frank Mason III earned the distinction last year and was later the national player of the year by TSN.
In the past two days, Graham has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team, one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and All-America First Team by The Sporting News.
On every national player of year watch list, Graham is the only player in NCAA Division I this season averaging 17.0-plus pts, 7.0-plus assists, 1.6-plus steals and fewer than 3.0 turnovers per game. Graham is sixth nationally, second in the Big 12, in assists per game at 7.2. The Raleigh, North Carolina, guard is scoring 17.6 points per game, which is second in the conference. Graham is third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7), sixth in free throw percentage (82.6), fourth in 3-point field goals made (3.0), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (42.3) and fifth in steals (1.6).
On Feb. 26, Graham was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season after guiding No. 6 Kansas (24-7, 13-5) to two victories that propelled the Jayhawks to their NCAA-record 14th consecutive, 18th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 61st regular-season conference title.
This season, Graham is logging 37.4 minutes per game this year, which ranks as the fifth highest average in a single season at KU. His 93 3-pointers made are sixth on the KU season list and his 224 assists are eighth.
Graham was the main cog in Kansas (24-7, 13-5) winning its NCAA-record 14th straight, 18th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 61st overall conference regular-season championship. Ranked Nol. 9 in both national polls, the Jayhawks enter the 2018 Big 12 Championship as the No. 1 seed and will play its opening round game on Thursday, March 8, at 1:30 p.m. (Central) against the winner of the No. 8 Oklahoma State-No. 9 Oklahoma game, which will be played March 7.
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