Player of the Week
Trevion Williams, Purdue
It was an absolute dominate week for the Boilermakers and senior forward Trevion Williams. Coming off the bench, Williams averaged 16.3 PPG, 7.0 RBG on 66.7% shooting from the field in just 17.7 minutes per game. In Purdue’s first biggest game of the season against #18 North Carolina, Williams dropped 20 points and four rebounds in just 13 minutes against the Tar Heels. The Boilermakers have been the hottest team in the Big Ten to start the season, and Williams productivity off the bench secures himself a spot as the Big Ten player of the week. Purdue’s offense was already noticeable as one of the best in the conference before the season, look for Williams offensive˘/ role to increase off the bench with more playing time and points down low as the season continues. Williams is starting to gain some traction as a potential NBA guy. He may not be a draft pick but could catch on with a team after developing his game at the G league and/or European levels.
Who’s Hot
Wisconsin
With the third lowest odds to win the Maui Invitational tournament, the Badgers have had themselves a week with winning one of the most well-known tournaments in college basketball to start the season. In the opening rounds, Wisconsin handed Texas A&M their first loss of the season in a 69-58 victory behind sophomore guard Johnny Davis’ 21 points and veteran Brad Davison’s 19 points. To follow up their first-round victory, the Badgers were 7.5 underdogs against Houston, pulling off one of the biggest upset wins so far in the Big Ten conference beating the #12 Cougars 65-63. Defense became a factor in the championship game for the Badgers as they outlasted Saint Mary’s 61-55 and got to finally hoist the trophy in Las Vegas and earning themselves the top spot in this week’s “Who’s hot” list.
Who’s Not
Rutgers (3-2)
After starting the season 3-0, Rutgers find themselves at not only the bottom of the Big Ten, but also in this week’s “Who’s not” list after two back-to-back losses against DePaul and Lafayette. One of the Scarlet Knights go to scorers, Geo Baker, missed clutch free throws in crunch time resulting in a 73-70 loss against DePaul. A tough loss to the Blue Demons in the Gavitt Tipoff games didn’t raise much questions to people on where they stand in the Big Ten. Coming off the close loss, Rutgers headed into their game against 0-4 Lafayette as -19.5 favorites and with just 2.1 seconds left, Leopard’s sophomore guard Kyle Jenkins hit a three which resulted in a shocking 53-51 win over the Scarlet Knights. Not an ideal start for this Rutgers team who has their eyes set on making it back to March Madness.
Illinois (3-2)
Illini fans shouldn’t be as worried seeing themselves on this list but after losing by 20 points in the Hall of Fame Classic to Cincinnati, it’s definitely a concern. In his first game back from suspension, Cockburn dropped 18 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for Illinois as they were upset again for the second straight week losing 71-51 to the Bearcats on November 22. Nothing should be too concerning for this Illinois team, but an embarrassing loss like this deserves them a spot on this week’s “Who’s not” list.
Top 5 Games of the Week:
5. #6 Purdue defeats #18 North Carolina
The Boilermakers high level offensive production continued against their first ranked matchup of the season against #18 North Carolina. Draft prospect Jaden Ivey, veteran guard Sasha Stefanovic, and Big Ten player of the week Trevion Williams all dropped 20+ points against the Tar Heels in a 93-84 victory. Head coach Matt Painter and Purdue fans are definitely happy seeing their offense continuing to shine early on in the season.
4. For the second week in a row, Michigan falls to an unranked team
Last week the Wolverines were upset by Seton Hall, this week, they fell to Arizona 80-62. The Wildcats offense was too much for Michigan having four out of their five starters dropping double digit points in an 18-point victory on November 21. Projected lottery pick, Caleb Houstan, went 0-5 from three and finishing with just six points in 33 minutes played for the Wolverines. Michigan will look to move past their early season woes starting off December with games against North Carolina and San Diego State and look to climb back up in the rankings.
3. Meechie Johnson Jr. seals the deal with game winning three over #21 Seton Hall
This game was arguably one of the best games played and to watch in the Big Ten this week. The Fort Myers Tip-Off games was nothing but enjoyable to watch as with just 2.3 seconds left, freshman guard off the bench, Meechie Johnson Jr., hit a game-winning three sealing a 79-76 win over the 21st ranked Pirates. Star junior E.J. Liddell contributed big offensively for the Buckeyes dropping 28 points and six rebounds in one of the most entertaining games so far this season for the Big Ten.
2. Purdue defeats #5 Villanova
The Boilermakers continue to stay hot to start the season after beating #5 Villanova 80-74 on November 21. Again, Purdue’s offense continued to shine as all five of their starters finished the game with double digit points headlined by star sophomore Zach Edey’s 21 points on 75% shooting. We got to see how the Boilermakers fare against arguably one of the best teams in the country, and they did not disappoint.
1. Wisconsin wins the Maui Invitational
Winning their first Maui Invitational championship, Badgers fans are definitely happy this week with their team’s performance in the tournament. Johnny Davis (20 points) and Tyler Wahl (18 points) led Wisconsin to a 61-55 win over Saint Mary’s. A 5-1 start and their first Maui Invitational championship, Wisconsin is red hot to start the season earning themselves in not only the “Who’s hot” list, but also earning a spot at #1 in this week’s best game in the Big Ten.