Greatness is ingrained in us. The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 81-65 behind the play of Kris Murray, the twin brother of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray. Murray put out an astonishingly tireless effort, scoring 31 points (including four 3-pointers),
grabbing 20 rebounds, and dishing out four assists in just 39 (!) minutes. Along the way, he joined Kevin Durant as the first player in 15 years to accomplish an amazing feat. Murray “is the 1st major conference player with 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 3-pointers in a game since Kevin Durant in 2007,” according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Junior Kris Murray only became a starter for the Hawkeyes this year after his brother left for the NBA. The 22-year-old forward has generally performed well. Through seven games, Murray is averaging 21 points and 10.6 rebounds on a strong 40.4 percent from beyond the arc and 54.3 percent from the field, stats that are almost eerily similar to those of his brother Keegan’s final season in Iowa.
Keegan put up 3.2 stocks (steals plus blocks) in his sophomore year, making him a more intriguing prospect than his brother Kris while having less defensive potential. The Hawkeyes haven’t faced the most challenging schedule to start the year, either, as they now sit close to the bottom in Sports Reference’s strength of schedule rankings.
However, Kris Murray is a strong draught prospect in his own right, and the caliber of play he has displayed for the Hawkeyes thus far makes him unquestionably deserving of a first-round pick. On Tuesday, December 6, when the Hawkeyes play the 17th-ranked Duke Blue Devils, Murray will try to maintain it.
