Player of the Week
Luka Garza (Sr., Iowa)
Coming off of a breakout 2019-2020 season in which the 6’11 big man from Washington, D.C. took home Big Ten Player of the Year honors, Garza has picked up right where he left off, as he currently leads the B1G in scoring at 33 points per game, while also averaging 11 rebounds and three blocks. While we are only a week into the season, he may have already given the best performance of the season against Southern University on 11/27, going for 41 points on 14-15 shooting from the field, 9 rebounds and three blocks. The most amazing stat of the night was that Garza single handedly out-scored the entire Southern University team in the first half, 36-35. Garza has shown early on that he is a force to be reckoned with, and it will be interesting to see if there is anyone in the Big Ten, or in the country for that matter, who can stop him this season.
Who’s Hot
Illinois Fighting Illini
In 2015, Illinois needed a buzzer beater to take down in-state opponent Chicago State, a team that would go on to finish dead last in the Western Athletic Conference with a record of 8-24. Fast forward five years later, and these same two teams faced off once again, but this time, the Fighting Illini came away with a 61-point victory. Illinois completely bullied the Cougars, outrebounding them 55-10. While the competition has been a bit lackluster so far, the star players for Illinois, Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn, & Adam Miller have looked absolutely dominant in their three games played so far. Cockburn has shown that he should be feared in the paint on both sides of the ball, while Miller and Dosunmu may just be the best backcourt in the country. The Illini have the star power and the depth to compete with any team, and should have their sights set on a deep tournament run.
Ron Harper Jr. (Jr., Rutgers)
Son of former NBA player Ron Harper Sr., the junior has helped bring some juice to a once-dormant Scarlet Knights program and has become the go-to guy for coach Steve Pikiell on the offensive end. Harper has been very efficient scoring the ball so far, averaging 24 points per game, (fourth in the B1G) on nearly 60% shooting through two games. Harper is a three-level scorer who has shown he can rebound and play in the post if need be, take his man off the dribble for a bucket, but also needs to be respected behind the arc as well. He is definitely one of the toughest players to guard in the conference and should lead a young and exciting Rutgers squad into postseason play.
Who”s Not
Nebraska Corn Huskers
The Corn Huskers began year two of the Fred Hoiberg era with an easy 102-55 win over McNeese State, but suffered a bad loss in their first real test of the season against a decent Nevada team led by former UCLA coach Steve Alford. While this year’s Nebraska team is rebuilt and relatively young, this was a game they definitely should have won. The Huskers found themselves up 55-45 with a little less than 10 minutes left following a 14-2 run, but went completely ice cold from there on out, shooting 2-14 for the rest of the game and allowing a 17-3 Nevada run that included a Grant Sherfield three with 7.1 seconds left to break the tie in Nevada’s favor. The season is still in its infancy, but Nebraska is going to need to hit shots if they are going to be competitive in the Big 10 and beyond. Shooting 18-62 from the field (29%), and 9-41 from behind the arc (22%) is just simply not going to cut it.
Purdue Boilermakers
While the Boilermakers were without a couple of very important pieces, Eric Hunter, and promising freshman guard [Jaden Ivey], Matt Painter’s team looked like they have a lot of work to do before they are ready for conference play this season in their 81-70 loss to Clemson in the championship of the Space Coast Challenge. While Clemson isn’t an opponent to be taken lightly, they are a very young team featuring three impact freshmen with no experience. They are a team that has little expectations for this season, and one that Purdue should have put away. With that being said, Purdue made them look like an all-NBA defensive team in their matchup. The Boilermakers turned the ball over 22 times, and every single player who got into the game accounted for a turnover. This comes after turning the ball over 16 times in their first game, giving them 38 turnovers on the season already. While Purdue was able to catch fire from behind the arc in the second half to get back into the game vs Clemson and tie it up with 12:40 left, they could not stop turning the ball over, which ultimately sealed their fate. While it was not the start Boilermaker faithful are looking for in West Lafayette, there is a lot of room for growth for this team, and we should expect them to cut down on their mistakes as the season progresses.
• TOP 5 BEST PERFORMANCES OF WEEK 1:
5. Foster Loyer (Jr., Michigan State)
20 points (6-10 from three),2 assists, 2 rebounds in win vs. Eastern Michigan
4. Trayce Jackson-Davis (Soph., Indiana)
26 points (10-16 from the field), 11 rebounds, 1 block vs. Tennessee Tech
3. Adam Miller (Fr., Illinois)
28 points (10-12 from the field, 6-8 from three), 3 assists vs. N.C. A&T
2. Ayo Dosunmu (Jr., Illinois)
28 pointts (11-18 from the field, 5-8 from three), 10 rebounds, 5 assists vs. N.C. A&T
1. Luka Garza (Sr., Iowa)
41 points (14-15 from the field, 3-3 from three, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks vs. Southern University