As the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week, Morant 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.
The USBWA has named Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week since the 2009-10 season. Morant is the second OVC player to ever win the award, joining Morehead State's Kenneth Faried (Feb. 1, 2011).
The 6-3 sophomore from Dalzell, S.C. became the first NCAA Division I player in the past 20 years to have 40 points, 11 assists and five steals in a game when he led the Racers to an 82-72 win over SIUE. Morant hit 21-of-21 free throws in the game, establishing a new OVC record for most made free throws in a game without a miss (breaking the old mark of 17-of-17 set in 1966-67). The 21 makes without a miss was the most by a Division I player in the past 20 years and just three off the NCAA all-time record. The 21 made free throws are the most in a game by a Division I player this season.
The nation's assist leader at 10.7 per game, Morant has had seven-straight games with double-digit assists and has at least 20 points and 10 assists in four of his last five games. He is second in double-doubles nationally with 13 and seventh in scoring at 24.3 points per game. In the week's two wins, Morant averaged 33.5 points, 10.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game while hitting 57.6 percent (19-of-33) from the field, 50 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range and 95.7 percent (22-of-23) from the free throw line.
Morant's 40 points were a career high and the mark only the 10th time an MSU player has scored 40 or more points. He opened the week with another banner game in a win over Eastern Illinois, scoring 27 points off 11-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 on three-pointers, to go with 10 assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal.
Morant, a first-team All-OVC selection last year, has been named the OVC's Player of the Week six times this season.
