University of Iowa junior forward Kris Murray has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of student-athletes who are the early front-runners for one of the sport’s most prestigious honor.

This marks the fourth straight season and five of the last eight years that the Hawkeyes have had a student-athlete on a Wooden Award Watch List. Kris’ brother, Keegan Murray, was a Wooden Award All-American and finalist last season. Luka Garza was the recipient of the 2021 Wooden Award and was a finalist in 2020 award, while Jarrod Uthoff was a semifinalist in 2016.

Murray (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) is averaging a team-best 18 points per game this season, has made all eight free throw attempts, and ranks second on the squad in rebounds per outing (7.5).

Murray was Iowa’s leading scorer (9.7) and rebounder (4.3) off the bench last season. He improved his scoring average by 9.1 points and rebounding average by 3.7 per outing. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was second on the team in 3-point percentage (.397), blocks per game (0.9) and field goals made (124), third in offensive (1.6) and defensive (2.7) rebounds per contest, and fourth in steals (0.8) per game. Murray made at least one 3-pointer in a team-best 17 consecutive games (Jan. 22-March 13). His 31 blocks and 43 triples rank seventh and eighth, respectively, by a Hawkeye sophomore.

Murray is one of seven players from the Big Ten Conference on the preseason list.