Player of the Week:
Keegan Murray, Iowa
This week was definitely a tight race between Iowa’s star Keegan Murray and Rutgers star Geo Baker, but putting up back-to-back 30-point games solidified the Player of the Week award for Murray. In the Hawkeyes first game this week, Murray dropped 30 points on 85.7% shooting from the field and 66.7% shooting from three in a 23-point victory over the Terrapins. Following their blowout win, the Hawkeyes caught another 23-point victory at home versus Nebraska behind Murray’s whopping 37 points and six rebounds on 71.4% shooting from the field and 75% shooting from beyond the arch. With just seven games remaining in their season, it’ll be intriguing to see where the Hawkeyes finish amongst the Big Ten come conference tournament time.
Freshman Player of the Week:
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska
For the second week in a row, Nebraska’s guard Bryce McGowens is Big Ten’s Freshman Player of the Week. In their first conference win of the season over Minnesota, McGowens dropped 16 points and four rebounds while shooting 54.5% from the field. The following game wasn’t as solid for McGowens as he only had 11 points on a tough shooting night in a 98-75 loss to Iowa. With just six games left to go for Nebraska, from the looks of it, we’ll likely see their young star freshman win this year’s Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year.
Who’s Hot:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Three straight victories over three ranked teams in the Big Ten definitely earns you a spot in this week’s “Who’s Hot” list. Star guard Geo Baker carried the way for Rutgers in their first game this week dropping 25 points and six assists in a 66-64 win over #16 Ohio State. Following their 2-game ranked win streak, the Scarlet Knights starting five was cooking having four out of their five starters dropped double-digit points in a 73-65 win over #14 Wisconsin. Rutgers offense played no different against #12 Illinois, again having four out of their five starters dropping double-digit points in a 70-59 win over the Illini. This Rutgers team is getting really hot at the right time and showing the selection committee why they deserve a spot in this year’s March Madness. Can the Scarlet Knights extend their win streak against Big Ten teams to five on Sunday when they travel to play #5 Purdue?
Who’s Not:
Maryland Terrapins
February has not been good to the Maryland Terrapins as they’ve lost four straight (two losses coming from this week). As mentioned previously, they suffered a 23-point blowout loss earlier in the week to Iowa at home. Following their brutal loss, Jaden Ivey got the best of the Terrapins in the end hitting what would eventually be a game-winning “and-1” layup in the final seconds securing a 62-61 victory over Maryland. The Terrapins direction in the Big Ten is looking straight downhill with a 3-11 record in the conference (2nd to last in the Big Ten) with just six games to go.
Top Performances of the Week (no order):
5. Jordan Bohannon’s record-breaking night
In the same game where Keegan Murray dropped 30 points, Jordan Bohannon also had himself a 30 piece and an all-time Iowa record. Bohannon hit 10 threes against the Terrapins breaking the all-time record for threes made in a game for Iowa basketball. It was a huge night offensively for not only Murray and Bohannon, but the Hawkeyes in general.
4. Keegan Murray has himself a career night
As it’s already been mentioned previously above, Keegan Murray dropped a career high 37 points while shooting 75% from three in Iowa’s second game in a row blowout victory. Murray also tallied himself six boards and shot a whopping 71.4% from the field in what definitely seemed like a Keegan Murray show Sunday night.
3. Michigan’s Offense as a whole versus #3 Purdue
Now usually “Performances of the Week” usually means just one player, but the Wolverines starting five dominated against arguably the best team in the Big Ten. All five starters had double-digit points, three of those starters had 15+ points, in a convincing dominating 82-58 victory over the #3 Boilermakers.
2. E.J Liddell’s Big Night on the Road
The first game on the road this week for Ohio State wasn’t too pleasant as they suffered a 66-64 upset to Rutgers. A bounce back night was installed for the #16 Buckeyes as they defeated conference rival Michigan 68-57 behind E.J. Liddell’s 28 points and five rebounds while shooting a solid 47.1% from the field. This is definitely the type of offensive production the Buckeyes would like to see from Liddell come March Madness.
1. Johnny Davis just being Johnny Davis
Just like Ohio State, the Badgers also found themselves being upset by Rutgers losing 73-65 on Saturday. Following that loss, Wisconsin star Johnny Davis took over against Indiana on the road dropping 30 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 66.7% from the field in a 74-69 win over the Hoosiers. Could this be the game that solidifies the Player of the Year award for the Wisconsin’s star sophomore?