FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas junior Mason Jones averaged 31.5 points and broke the 1,000-point barrier for his career to earn his fourth SEC Player of the Week honor this season, sharing the award with Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley.
Jones is just the third player in SEC history to be a four-time Player of the Week selection since the award started in 1985, joining Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks (2008-09) and Vanderbilt’s Shan Foster (2007-08).
Jones led Arkansas to an 86-69 victory over Tennessee by scoring 37 points. He scored 11 of Arkansas’ first 13 points for an early 16-3 lead. In the second half after UT cut a 15-point deficit to two with 14:10 left, Jones answered with an old-fashion 3-point play to put the Razorbacks up five. Overall, Arkansas would go on an 18-8 run to put the game out of reach with Jones scoring 12 in the run.
At Georgia, Jones scored 26 points with five assists in the loss. In the second half and Arkansas down 11 with 10:52 to play, Jones accounted for 12 points (scoring eight and assisting on two baskets) to get the Razorbacks to within one (73-72).
-Jones is the SEC leader in scoring (21.3 ppg) and ranks 15th nationally. He is looking to become the first Razorback to end the season as the league’s scoring leader. Note: Arkansas had four players lead the Southwest Conference in scoring for a season, including George Kok (20.4 ppg in 1947-48); Martin Terry (28.3 ppg in 1972-73); Darrell Walker (18.2 ppg in 1982-83) and Joe Kleine (22.1 ppg in 1984-85).
-Jones is the only player in the SEC to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He is also the only player in the SEC to lead his team in rebounds and assists while being one of two players in the SEC to lead his team in scoring and rebounding.
-Jones is the only player in the SEC to rank among the league’s top 20 in scoring (1st), rebounding (19th) assists (11th) and steals (7th). Jones also ranks among the SEC top 10 in FG% (9th), FG made (6th), FT% (6th), 3-pointers made (9th) and defensive rebounds (9th).
-Jones leads the NCAA in both free throws made (207) and free throws attempted (250).
-Jones has scored at least 30 points on seven occasions this season. That is the fourth-best total in the NCAA this year and Jones is the first SEC player to have seven in one season since Jodie Meeks and LSUs Marcus Thornton accomplished the feat in 2008-09.
-Jones became just the eighth Razorback to score his 1,000th point in the first two years with the program. He was the fifth-fastest to do so and now ranks 38th on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,058).
-Jones has shattered the school record for most free throws made in SEC games, now with 130. The previous mark was 109 by Corliss Williamson.
-Jones is only five free throws made from the school record for most in a season overall. Jones has 207, and the record is 212 set by Sidney Moncrief in 1978-79.
-Jones has scored 358 points in SEC games this season, second on the school’s all-time list behind Todd Day’s 368 in 1991-92.
-Jones is the only Razorback to make at least 10 field goals and 10 free throws in an SEC game, a feat he has accomplished twice (versus Auburn and this past week versus Tennessee).
-Jones has scored at least 40 points twice this season and joins Jodie Meeks (UK – 3) and Shaquille O’Neal (LSU – 2) as only players in SEC over the last 30 years with at least two 40-point games in a season.
-Jones is the third player in Arkansas history to make 300+ free throws and 125+ three-pointers in a career (has 322 FT and 130 3PT). The others were Todd Day and Jonathon Modica. It took Day three seasons to get there and Modica four seasons.
-Jones scored 104 points over three straight games and is one of five such occurrences by SEC players over the last 20 seasons. The list includes Jodie Meeks 107 Pts (2009), Mason Jones 104 Pts (2020), Jodie Meeks 103 Pts (2009), Breein Tyree 101 Pts (2020) and Marcus Thornton 101 Pts (2008).
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