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Tyler Ulis named Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Week

Tyler Ulis has been named theUSBWA Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Week following his breakout performance at No. 4 Louisville on Saturday.

Tyler Ulis - photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

– photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

Freshman Tyler Ulis has been named the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Week following his breakout performance at No. 4 on Saturday.

Ulis was selected by 's Matt Norlander, in partnership with the USBWA.

Ulis, a 5-foot-9 guard from Lima, Ohio, came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points in 26 minutes in top-ranked 's 58-50 win over rival and 4th-ranked Louisville on Saturday. On the season, Ulis is averaging 5.8 points, 3.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

Norlander's popular weekly freshman watch column will continue to feature nation's the top freshmen each week in addition to the national player of the week. Later in the season, the USBWA will release a midseason watch list before naming finalists for the award. This season marks the first time a weekly national freshman of the week will be selected and, each Tuesday through Feb. 24, a standout first-year player will be chosen for the honor.

In addition to the USBWA honor, Ulis was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week and the Bluegrass Sports Commission Most Valuable Player for his efforts against Louisville.

Ulis is the first Wildcat to earn a weekly award from the USBWA this season, and the first since James Young claimed the Freshman of the Week honor on Dec. 31, 2013 following a double-double in last season's regular season win over Louisville.

Kentucky will return to the floor on Jan. 6, 2015 to begin SEC play. hosts Ole Miss at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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