FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas freshman Isaiah Joe was named the Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced today.
Joe scored 34 points — 17 in each half — and made 10-of-13 shots from 3-point range to lead the Razorbacks to a 121-89 victory over FIU this past Saturday. Joe joins Courtney Fortson (Dec. 15, 2009) as the only Razorback freshman to be named SEC Player of the Week.
Highlights from Joe’s award-winning performance include:
• His previous best was scoring 17 points versus Texas in the season opener. Joe scored 17 points in each half versus FIU.
• The 34 points are most by a player in the SEC this season. The total is additionally second (tied) on the Arkansas all-time list for most points by a freshman in a game.
Bobby Portis scored 35 as a freshman versus Alabama in 2014. Scotty Thurman scored 34 twice as a freshman. This was just the seventh time a Razorback freshman has ever scored at least 30 points in a game.
• His 10, 3-pointers are the most by a player in the SEC this season. He is just the fourth Razorback (fifth time in school history) to make at least 10 3-pointers in a game and just the 10th player in SEC history (11th time in league history) to make at least 10 in a game. Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke had at least 10, 3’s twice in his career.
• Joe was 10-for-13 from 3-point range and that .764 percentage ties for the best percentage in SEC history for those that made at least 10 in a game. (Alabama’s John Petty was also 10-of-13 for a .764 percentage last season.)
• After FIU trimmed its deficit to four (24-20) at 8:29 in the first half, Joe drained a 3-pointer and scored 14 points over the next 4:37 to put Arkansas up 20.
• Joe started the game going 1-for-3 from 3-point range. He then made six straight attempts and finished the game making 9-of-his-last-10 from long distance.
• Joe and Daniel Gafford, who has also been named SEC Player of the Week this season, are the only Razorbacks to score in double digits in all six games this season.
• Joe ranks ninth in the NCAA in 3-point field goals made per game (4.0).
• In the SEC, Joe ranks first in 3-pointers made (4.0/gm), second in 3FG% (.462), fourth in steals (2.0), sixth in scoring (16.3) and 10th in FG% (.485). He is the only player to rank among the SEC top 10 in both overall FG% and 3PT FG%.
Arkansas will return to action this Wednesday (Dec. 5) for their first true road game of the season, facing Colorado State.
Tip-off in Fort Collins, Colo., is set for 9 p.m. and the game will be telecast on CBS Sports Network.
