Feb. 22, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Mitch
314-444-4300
Senior guard leads upset of top-ranked Kansas
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KANSAS STATE'S PULLEN IS OSCAR
ROBERTSON NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 20. The USBWA's weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and has been handed out each Tuesday this season.

Pullen

As the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, Pullen was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week.

Pullen, a 6-0 senior from Maywood, Ill., averaged 32.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds in 37 minutes in wins over top-ranked Kansas and Oklahoma last week.

Pullen began the week with a career-best 38 points in an 84-68 win over Kansas. He was 9-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, to go with a career-high 15-for-19 effort from the free-throw line. The 38 points were the most by a winning player vs. a top-ranked team since Houston's Elvin Hayes scored 39 against UCLA in 1968.

In the 77-62 win over Oklahoma, Pullen posted a game-high 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting with a season-best five steals, three assists and two rebounds in 37 minutes. He was also 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. It marked the 37th 20-point game of his career, including his 12th this season.

This is the second season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week has been added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list. Finalists for the 2011 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced on Mon., Feb. 28.

Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation's oldest award and the only one named after a former player.

Oscar Robertson TrophyAt the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA. The winner of the 2011 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast on Fri., April 1 in Houston, site of the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-444-4300.

Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the most comprehensive college basketball publication in the world, returns for its 30th season, bigger and better in 2010-11. Blue Ribbon – long-known as "The Bible of College Basketball" – gives its readers the most thorough, up-to-date and timely evaluations of every Division I team in the country. For more information about Blue Ribbon Yearbooks, visit blueribbonyearbookonline.com.

2010-11 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
Week of Dec. 5: Mike Glover, Iona
Week of Dec. 12: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Week of Dec. 19: Khris Middleton, Texas A&M
Week of Dec. 26: Doron Lamb, Kentucky
Week of Jan. 2: Demetri McCamey, Illinois
Week of Jan. 9: Vlad Moldoveanu, American
Week of Jan. 16: Mike Muscala, Bucknell
Week of Jan. 23: Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Week of Jan. 30: Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
Week of Feb. 6: Chandler Parsons, Florida
Week of Feb. 13: Nolan Smith, Duke
Week of Feb. 20: Jacob Pullen, Kansas State