Iowa’s 2021-22 basketball season came to a close in its first round NCAA Tournament loss to 12th-seeded Richmond, 67-63. Sophomore standout forward Keegan Murray isn’t done collecting hardware, though.
USA TODAY Sports released its 2021-22 All-America teams and Murray earned second team recognition. Murray joined Duke freshman forward Paolo Banchero, Auburn freshman forward Jabari Smith, Arizona sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin and Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey on the second team.
Murray had a remarkable second season in Iowa City. The 6-foot-8, 225 pound forward ranked fourth nationally, averaging 23.5 points per game. That mark was tops in the country among power-five players. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native also ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounds per game with 8.7 per contest. That figure trailed only Illinois center Kofi Cockburn’s 10.6 rebounds per game.
Murray shot 55.4 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from 3-point range this season. He also blocked 1.9 shots and collected 1.3 steals per game. Now, he has a decision to make on his future. A pair of writers recently forecasted Murray as a 2022 NBA Draft lottery pick. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell had Murray landing with the San Antonio Spurs as the No. 7 overall pick, while CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone projected Murray to be drafted No. 11 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Following the Hawkeyes’ upset loss to Richmond, Murray didn’t sound like a player that had completely closed the door on returning to Iowa.
“I think for us it’s really just on to next year. Go through the offseason again, get better. We put our stamp on this program I feel like positively, so just go into the offseason and work,” Murray said.
Iowa finished its season 26-10 overall and won the program’s third Big Ten Tournament championship and first since the 2006 season. If it was his final game with Iowa, Murray was proud of what he and his teammates accomplished with the Hawkeyes.
“I think these two, especially our team last year kind of laid the framework just for what the expectations are now at Iowa and just what you’ve got to do to win here, and these last two seasons, I feel like kind of put the stamp on our program from what it was. These two were part of it, them two, and I feel like they’re a really big part of our program and will forever be a big part of our program,” Murray said of teammates Jordan Bohannon and Connor McCaffery.
The USA TODAY Sports selection for national player of the year went to Kentucky junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe. The rest of USA TODAY Sports’ first team All-Americans included Gonzaga junior forward Drew Timme, Illinois junior center Kofi Cockburn, Wisconsin sophomore guard Johnny Davis and Kansas senior guard Ochai Agbaji.
USA TODAY Sports’ third team All-Americans were comprised of Gonzaga freshman center Chet Holmgren, North Carolina junior forward Armando Bacot, Baylor senior guard James Akinjo, UCLA junior guard Johnny Juzang and Villanova senior guard Collin Gillespie. The national coach of the year was Duke’s Mike Krzyewski.
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