Noel named SEC Freshman of Week

All four Kentucky freshmen have now earned the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week honor this season after center Nerlens Noel was selected for his play in the Wildcats' wins over Tennessee and Auburn.

Last year's top-ranked recruiting class has now produced the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week honor among four different Kentucky players.

Nerlens Noel became the latest to join the list on Monday after the league honored him for his performance in the Wildcats' wins over Tennessee and Auburn. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 11 points, nine rebounds, 6.5 blocked shots and two steals against the Volunteers and Tigers.

Noel has blocked 20 shots over the last three games, matching a career high of seven in Saturday's 75-53 win at Auburn. He now has 69 rejections through 17 games, pushing his average to 4.06 per game.

The Massachusetts native needs only one more blocked shot to join UK's single-season top 10 list. He is the only player in the country to rank among the top 30 in rebounds, blocks and steals.

Noel joins teammates Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress as other Freshman of the Week honorees. Sophomore Kyle Wiltjer has also earned SEC Player of the Week accolades this season.

Kentucky (12-5, 3-1 SEC) returns to action Tuesday at Alabama. Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.