Palmer Named to Lute Olson Award Mid-Season List

Lincoln – Nebraska’s James Palmer Jr. was named one of 30 players named to the Lute Olson Award Watch List on Wednesday.

Palmer, a 6-foot-6 senior from Upper Marlboro, Md., has been instrumental in the Huskers posting an 11-4 record entering Thursday’s game against Penn State. On the season, Palmer is averaging 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is second in the Big Ten in scoring and among the conference leaders in steals (fourth), free throw percentage (.810, 10th) and 3-pointers per game (2.1, 11th).  

He has eight 20-point efforts, including a season-high 30 in a win over Creighton on Dec. 9, and has three other games of at least 25 points, including 29 points and six rebounds against Seton Hall and 25 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five steals against Maryland.

Palmer is one of five Big Ten Players on the Olson Award watch list, joining Carsen Edwards (Purdue), Ethan Happ (Wisconsin), Charles Matthews (Michigan) and Cassius Winston (Michigan State)

The Lute Olson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player in College Basketball. It will be presented at the men’s division I national championship in Minneapolis in April. The award is named in honor of former college basketball coach Lute Olson, who won 780 games in 34 seasons.