Wisconsin basketball: Nate Reuvers is named to Karl Malone Award watch list

The Wisconsin Badgers keep racking up preseason honors this week. Senior point guard D’Mitrik Trice was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list earlier this week and now Nate Reuvers has been honored as one of 20 players to be named to the Karl Malone Award watch list, give annually to the best power forward in the country.

Reuvers is the second Badger to be named a candidate for the Karl Malone Award, joining Nigel Hayes in 2017. A press release from the Badgers basketball team notes:

A Third-Team All-Big Ten honoree last season, Reuvers has become one of the Badgers’ most reliable producers, averaging 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 2019-20. The Lakeville, Minnesota native scored in double figures in 24 of 31 games last year, including 12 of the final 15 games.

Reuvers was a defensive presence for the Badgers with 58 blocks last season, which tied for the seventh-highest single-season total in UW history. He enters his senior campaign tied for third in UW history with 144 career blocks, needing just 11 swats to break Ethan Happ’s school record (154).

The other two Big Ten players on the list are Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana and Seth Towns, a Harvard transfer, of Ohio State. Previous winners of the award include Obi Toppin, Zion Williamson, Deandre Ayton and Montrezl Harrell.