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Beasley earns 4th consecutive rookie honor

IRVING, Texas – Freshman forward Michael Beasley became the first player in Big 12 history to win any weekly award in four straight weeks on Monday, as he was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week after averaging 31.0 points and 16.0 rebounds in two games last week.
Beasley's six rookie honors this season is tied for the most in Big 12 history with Texas' Kevin Durant (2006-07). The player of the week award is also Beasley's eighth overall this season after he earned Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 19, 2007, Dec. 26, 2007, Jan. 28, 2008 and Feb. 4, 2008, Feb. 11, 2008 and Player of the Week accolades on Nov. 12, 2007 and Jan. 14, 2008.
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Beasley averaged 31.0 points on 42.9 percent shooting (18-of-42), including 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from 3-point line, for the week with 16.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 0.5 assists and 0.5 blocks in 32 minutes per game. He connected on 82.8 percent (24-of-29) from the free throw line. He began the week with 22 points and 15 rebounds in an 84-75 loss at Texas Tech on Feb. 13. He went 6-of-20 from the field to go with one block and one steal in 37 minutes of action. He played perhaps his best game as a Wildcat in the 100-63 victory over Missouri on Feb. 16, as he tied his season-high with 40 points on 12-of-22 shooting with 17 rebounds and two steals in just 27 minutes of action. His 40-point effort tied Mike Evans (40, vs. Colorado, 1/15/77) for the fifth-highest scoring mark in a conference game in school history and was just three points shy of the Big 12 single-game scoring mark. He also became the first player in school history to collected two 40-point, 10-rebound games in the same season.
In tallying his second 40-point effort in the country, Beasley shattered the Kansas State single-season mark for points (617) by a freshman, eclipsing the 609 points scored by Norris Coleman during the 1985-86 season. He also became just the seventh player in school history to top the 600-point mark in a single-season and the first since Askia Jones in 1993-94. He also pushed his school-record and nation-leading double-double total to 21 with two last week and is now just one shy of the all-time Division I record for most by a freshman set by Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony (22) in 2002-03.
The former No. 1 high school recruit continues to make his case for National Player of the Year honors, as he is averaging 25.7 points on 54.8 percent shooting (223-of-407), including 41.9 percent from 3-point range, with 12.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists in 30.6 minutes per game this season. As of today, he ranks among the top-5 in the nation in both scoring (fourth) and rebounding (first). He has recorded a double-double in 21 of 24 games and has totaled 19 games of 20 or more points. He leads the nation in double-doubles (21), 40-point games (two), 30-point games (nine), 20-point, 10-rebound games (17) and 30-point, 10-rebound games (nine).
Kansas State (18-6, 8-2 Big 12) will travel to Lincoln, Neb., on Wednesday to face Nebraska (14-9, 3-7 Big 12) at Devaney Sports Center at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
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