In a season filled with firsts for the UNI men's basketball team, Seth Tuttle secured another standard on Monday (March 30, 2015).

The Panthers' senior forward officially cemented his status as one the nation's best players when he received second-team All-America recognition from the Associated Press, the highest honor ever bestowed on a UNI player.

The only other time a UNI player received any all-America recognition was 31 years ago, when Randy Kraayenbrink was named to the honorable mention team by the Associated Press in 1984.

Monday's recognition is the latest in a string of accolades for Tuttle (Sheffield, Iowa). This season, he was also named second-team All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and The Sporting News.

This season, Tuttle helped guide the Panthers to a school-record 31 wins and a top-10 national ranking for the first time in school history. UNI won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and beat Wyoming in the first-round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Tuttle led the Panthers in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg), assists (3.3 apg) and blocks (0.6 bpg). He finished his collegiate career as UNI's fourth-best all-time scorer with 1,747 points. Tuttle also had 917 rebounds and 282 assists.

Iowa State Basketball - Georges Niang
Georges Niang (#31) / Courtesy: David Purdy - Getty Images Sports
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Iowa State forward Georges Niang also earned all-America honors on Monday when he was picked for the third team by the the Associated Press. The Methuen, Massachusetts, native is the fourth Cyclone to earn All-America honors in five years under Coach Fred Hoiberg.

The NABC also recognized Niang as a third-team All-America pick.

One of the best all-around players in the nation, Niang averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in his junior campaign. He earned All-Big 12 First-Team honors and was the league’s most outstanding player at the Big 12 Championship.

Niang scored in double-figures 28 times this season, including eight games with 20 or more points. He has 1,510 points in his career, which ranks 15th all-time at Iowa State.

Niang is planning to return for his final year of eligibility at the Iowa State. On Monday, he told ESPN's Jeff Goodman he'll remain in Ames for his senior season.

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