Feb. 6, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were both among 20 players named to the 2012 Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year midseason watch list as announced by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

Davis, a 6-foot-10, 222-pound freshman forward from Chicago, Ill., leads the country in blocks (116 and 4.8 per game) and ranks third in field goal percentage (.663). He leads the Wildcats in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounding (10.1 rpg) and steals (36).

This past week, Davis posted 15 blocks on the week, including eight blocks against South Carolina. He pushed his season total to 116, breaking Shaquille O’Neal’s SEC freshman record for blocks in a season. He now ranks ninth on the league’s single-season blocks list.

Kidd-Gilchrist, a 6-foot-7, 232-pound freshman forward from Somerdale, N.J., ranks second on the team in rebounding (7.5) and steals (29) while ranking third in scoring (12.5) and blocks (27).

While the 20 players named to the watch list are the leading contenders to be named to the USBWA’s All-America Team and as finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, all Division I players remain eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. The association will announce its 2012 All-America Team in mid-March. At that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player of the year and voted on by the USBWA.

Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Florida at Rupp Arena. Scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. ET tip, the game can be seen live on ESPN.