Tyler Ulis Named 2016 SEC Player of the Year: Latest Comments, Reaction

Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis was named the 2016 SEC Player of the Year on Monday by the Associated Press.   

The Wildcats' official Twitter feed announced the news of the sophomore floor general's prestigious accolade. Ulis averaged 17.2 points and 7.2 assists to only 1.9 turnovers per contest this season.

In addition to being a remarkably proficient distributor and a scorer capable of taking over games when necessary, Ulis is a terrific on-ball defender who averaged 1.5 steals per contest as well.

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Wildcats head coach John Calipari raved about Ulis' all-around game Sunday, per the Courier-Journal's Kyle Tucker:

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The biggest thing people sometimes miss is, when I watched the tape of this game, his energy level and his disruptiveness on defense probably sets him apart. So now, instead of you just looking (for) Player of the Year nationally at his numbers offensively, which are like eye-popping – like, eye-popping – you then shift and say, 'But he also does it on defense.' Now you have a player that truly had Player of the Year numbers and efforts and all those things.

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Listed at only 5'9" and 160 pounds, the 20-year-old has plenty of heart and—make no mistake—an elite skill set to make up for his diminutive frame. He has formed one of the nation's best backcourts alongside dynamic freshman 2-guard Jamal Murray this season.

Bobby Marks of The Vertical believes Ulis and Murray have the goods to help Kentucky on a deep March Madness run:

After Ulis led the Wildcats with 30 points in an 82-77 overtime victory over Texas A&M to win the SEC tournament, Kentucky garnered a No. 4 March Madness seed on Selection Sunday.

Ulis and Co. will square off against Stony Brook in the NCAA tournament's round of 64 on Thursday. As long as he plays to his standard, Ulis has the makings of being one of the Big Dance's biggest stars and gives Kentucky a chance of making the Final Four.