SMU junior Nic Moore was named the American Athletic Conference men’s basketball Player of the Year. (File photo by Nick Goralczyk)

HARTFORD, Conn. – Unanimous first-team all-league selection Nic Moore was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, league officials announced at the conference awards banquet on Thursday. Moore helped lead Southern Methodist University to The American regular season championship, the Mustangs’ first conference title since 1992-93.

Moore becomes the eighth Mustang to earn the honor and the first since Quinton Ross, who was named the Western Athletic Conference player of the year for the 2002-03 season. This is the 10th honor, overall, with Gene Phillips picking up the accolade three times (1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71) during his career.

The junior, a Warsaw Community High School graduate, has started all 30 games for the Mustangs (25-6, 15-3 AAC), and leads the team in scoring (14.4), assists (5.3), free-throw percentage (.875) and minutes (34.0). Both his free-throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage top The American, while he is second in assists and fourth in scoring.

This season, Moore tied his career-high in points with 28 against Houston (Jan. 24), including eight three pointers, which ties both the SMU and American record. At Michigan on Dec. 20, he reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career with 17 points in the road win.

Moore helped SMU beat East Carolina, 74-68, Friday to advance to the conference semi-finals. The Mustangs will meet Tulsa Saturday.