UK Basketball forward Willie Cauley-Stein was named as a finalist for the 2015 Oscar Robertson Trophy by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association on Thursday.

Cauley-Stein, according to UK Athletics, is one of 15 finalists. The award will be presented at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

The 7-foot junior has averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds this season. He has also recorded 12 double-figure scoring games for UK.

Cauley-Stein is the first player in program history with 200-plus career blocks and 100 or more career steals. He’s also just the eighth UK player to record more than 500 rebounds and 100 or more blocks during their career.

The other Oscar Robertson Trophy finalists include Wichita State’s Ron Baker, Syracuse’s Rakeem Christmas, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer, who played for UK from 2011-2013.

No. 1 UK will take on No. 18 Arkansas at Rupp Arena on Saturday. The Razorbacks are the first ranked team UK has faced since No. 4 Louisville on Dec. 27.

The undefeated Cats beat Mississippi State 74-56 on Wednesday, marking the longest winning streak in program history at 28. UK is just two wins away from becoming the 23rd college basketball team to ever have a 30-game winning streak and just the 16th team to go undefeated in the regular season.

Staff Report