Malachi Moreno Wins SEC Freshman of the Week Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Kentucky freshman center Malachi Moreno hauled in his first Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honor after helping the Cats to a 2-0 week with wins over South Carolina and No. 25 Vanderbilt.

Moreno averaged 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 66.7% from the field and 87.5% from the free-throw line.

The Wildcats improved to 10-1 this season when Moreno reaches double-figure scoring with his 11 points in the win over the Commodores. He also contributed team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (5) in the fifth win over an Associated Press Top 25 squad this season. He joined Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 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 the 25th-ranked Commodores marked the largest margin of victory against a top-25 team in the Mark Pope era.

Against South Carolina, Moreno had eight points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds. He became the first UK freshman to have at least eight points, 11 boards, two blocks and a steal in a true SEC road game since Karl-Anthony Towns at LSU on Feb. 10, 2015. Moreno’s presence on the boards helped the Cats to a rebounding advantage of plus-20, the highest in the Pope era.

This is the third weekly honor of the season for the Cats. Otega Oweh has hauled in multiple SEC Player of the Week nods.

The Cats return to action on Tuesday at Texas A&M. The game is set for a 7 p.m. ET tip and will air on ESPN2.

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.