Buddy Hield Named NABC First-Team All-American

<p>Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield garnered NABC All-American First Team status on Monday.</p>

Monday, March 28th 2016, 2:25 pm

By: News 9

Buddy Hield Named NABC First-Team All-American

The list of honors for Oklahoma's Buddy Hield continues to grow. The senior guard was named to another All-America team Monday, this time garnering first-team honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Already a first-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association, Sports Illustrated and USA Today, Hield becomes OU's first NABC All-America First Team selection since Blake Griffin in 2009. Voting was conducted by member coaches of the NABC in NCAA Division I.

Joining Hield on the first team were Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon, North Carolina forward Brice Johnson, LSU forward Ben Simmons and Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine.

Hield's 2015-16 achievements are staggering. On the season, the Freeport, Bahamas, native is averaging 25.4 points (ranks second nationally), 5.7 rebounds (ranks first among Big 12 guards), 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 35.4 minutes per game. He's shooting .504 from the field, .465 (146-314) from 3-point range (ranks fourth in nation) and .880 (176-200) from the free throw line. His 4.1 treys per game pace the country.

Leading the Sooners to their first Final Four berth since 2002, Hield has scored at least 20 points in 26 of 36 games this season and at least 25 points in 19 outings. His nation-leading 12 games of at least 30 points are the same number as the rest of the Big 12 combined.

Hield has also scored at least 20 points in a half 10 times this season. Only one player in the Final Four (Syracuse's Michael Gbinije with 13) has more 20-point games this year.

The two-time Big 12 Player of the Year is OU's and the Big 12's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 2,285 career points. He needs just three points to tie former Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn for the conference's top spot, and needs just 16 points to tie Wayman Tisdale for the OU single-season scoring record (932 in 1984-85).

Hield and the Sooners will play in Saturday's first national semifinals game, tipping off at 5:09 p.m. CT against Villanova at NRG Stadium in Houston. The winner of that contest will play the winner of the North Carolina-Syracuse game Monday night for the national title.

Through four NCAA Tournament games, Hield is averaging an event-high 29.3 points per contest to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He is shooting .567 from the field, .475 from 3-point range (19 for 40) and .786 from the foul line. Hield is coming off a 37-point performance against No. 1 seed Oregon on Saturday in which he tied a career high with eight 3-pointers and matched the OU postseason single-game scoring record.

2016 NABC Coaches' Division I All-America First Team

Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia, 6-5, 215, Senior, Guard, Atlanta, Ga.

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma, 6-4, 214, Senior, Guard, Freeport, Bahamas

Brice Johnson, North Carolina, 6-9, 228, Senior, Forward, Orangeburg, S.C.

Ben Simmons, LSU, 6-10, 240, Freshman, Forward, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Denzel Valentine, Michigan State, 6-5, 220, Senior, Guard, Lansing, Mich.

2016 NABC Coaches' Division I All-America Second Team

Kris Dunn, Providence, 6-4, 220, Junior, Guard, New London, Conn.

Perry Ellis, Kansas, 6-8, 225, Senior, Forward, Wichita Heights, Kan.

Georges Niang, Iowa State, 6-8, 230, Senior, Methuen, Mass.

Jakob Poeltl, Utah, 7-0, 248, Sophomore, Forward, Vienna, Austria

Tyler Ulis, Kentucky, 5-9, 160, Sophomore, Guard, Chicago, Ill.