The AP All-America team was announced Monday, and to nobody's surprise, Jahlil Okafor made the cut.
The ACC Player of the Year added to his growing list of awards, becoming the second straight Duke freshman to be included on the first team after Jabari Parker earned one of the five spots last season.
Okafor was joined on the team by Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky, Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein, Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant and Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell. Russell and Okafor are the first pair of freshmen to make the All-America first team since the 2009-10 season, when Kentucky's John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins captured the honors.
Okafor has averaged 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Blue Devils this season, helping the Blue Devils advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2010. In addition to Monday's honor, the Chicago native has been named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, recipient of the Wayman Tisdale Award and a first-team selection on the USBWA All-America first team.
Kaminsky was the only unanimous selection to the AP All-America team—Okafor was left off one ballot.
Known for his flurry of post moves, three-point shooting ability and easy-going personality, the Badger senior has put together a similar stat line to Okafor with 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest and carried the Badgers back to their second straight Final Four. Kaminsky will square off in the post against Cauley-Stein and Kentucky's loaded roster of 7-footers, who dispatched Grant and the Fighting Irish in the Elite Eight Saturday.
Should Okafor and the Blue Devils defeat East Region champion Michigan State Saturday in Indianapolis, they would be guaranteed to go up against another AP All-American in the national title game.
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