Player of the Week:
Payton Willis, Minnesota
Playing only one game in a week generally doesn’t qualify a team or player to be on the “Who’s Hot” list and most certainly doesn’t qualify for a Player of the Week award, but Payton Willis’ game against Rutgers was different. The Gophers had three starters out for this game and Willis dropped a whopping career high 32 points on 64.7% shooting from the field with a total of 8 threes and seven assists as well in a 68-65 win over the Scarlet Knights. Given the circumstances in this game for the Gophers, three starters out, and at the time on a four-game losing streak, it seems like a no brainer for this week that Willis receives the award outright over Big Ten Network’s Co-Player of the Week, Hunter Dickinson.
Freshman Player of the Week:
Caleb Houstan, Michigan
For what seemed like an underperforming season so far for the five-star freshman, we finally got to see two solid performances this week from Michigan’s Caleb Houstan. In a tough road matchup against the Hoosiers on Sunday, the Wolverines came out with an 18-point victory behind Houstan’s 19 points on 58.3% shooting from the field and making five out of his seven threes taken. Traveling back home Michigan sealed an escaping victory over Northwestern behind Houstan’s 18 points while just making five shots, three of them being from beyond the arch. The Wolverines are currently riding a three-game winning streak and looking to make it four to end the month of January with Michigan State on Saturday.
Who’s Hot:
Indiana Hoosiers
Aside from the 18-point loss versus Michigan, the Hoosiers had very impressive wins over #4 Purdue and Penn State. On Thursday, the Hoosiers might’ve gotten their biggest win of the season beating #4 Purdue 68-65 behind a career night from Rob Phinisee who posted 20 points with four threes coming off the bench. The Hoosiers also had no problem against Penn State having three out of their five starters drop 15+ points in a 74-57 victory over the Nittany Lions.
Who’s Not:
Northwestern Wildcats
It’s been a tough month of January for the Wildcats and losing two games this week definitely earns a spot on this week’s “Who’s Not” list. Before entering this week, the Wildcats lost four out of their past five games and going on the road to play the #4 team in the country, doesn’t help that slump. The Wildcats lost by 20 points against Purdue and only had themselves one player who scored double digits in points. Wednesday was definitely a better outing for Northwestern as they came up a missed three pointer at the buzzer in a 72-70 loss versus the Wolverines. Sitting at 9-9 and second to last in the Big Ten, the Wildcats need to figure out something and soon if they want any sort of chance come conference tournament time.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Another team struggling to find its way is the Penn State Nittany Lions. With two games being played this week the Nittany Lions lost both games by 17 points to Iowa and Indiana. Also in both games, both Iowa and Indiana had at least four players who had double digit numbers in points. Like Northwestern, Penn State find themselves in the bottom four of the Big Ten in standings and with a record of 8-9, the Nittany Lions have to get something going or can expect an early round exit come conference tournament time.
Top 5 Guards in the Big Ten
1. Jaden Ivey, Purdue
The breakout sophomore star has been a pleasant surprise for Purdue all season. Ivey is currently averaging 16.7 PPG while shooting 48.5% from the field on arguably one of the best teams in the nation right now. In 18 games played, Ivey has been a spectacular finisher and learning to play hard throughout games. He’s had only 1 game where he scored under 10 points and five games with 20 or more points. Ivey is a well deserving and easy choice to put on this list.
2. Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
Is the sophomore from Wisconsin a Player of the Year candidate? Yes. Does he have a real shot at winning the award? Absolutely. Johnny Davis has been one of the best players in the country and has had a huge impact on Wisconsin’s season. Davis is currently averaging 22.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG on 43.8% shooting from the field. Out of 16 games played, Davis has had 11 games with 20 or more points. It’ll be very intriguing to watch the Badgers come tournament time with this superstar in the making on the roster.
3. Bryce McGowens, Nebraska
This might be a bold pick to some but if it wasn’t for Bryce McGowens, Nebraska’s 6-13 record might be even more dismal. The four-star recruit is currently averaging 15.7 PPG on 39.9% shooting from the field and has shown some promise throughout his freshman campaign. McGowens has had five games of scoring 20+ points and right now is sitting on top of the throne of Nebraska basketball. The biggest question is whether or not he will be back for a sophomore season.
4. Payton Willis, Minnesota
As mentioned previously, Payton Willis recently just had a career night dropping 32 points on Rutgers, but Willis has been balling all season for the Gophers. Willis is averaging 16.5 PPG on 48.5% shooting from the field leading the Gophers to a shocking 10-1 start. Recently the Gophers have struggled some, and they need Willis to keep balling to make a potential push to get back into the tourney field.
5. Alfonso Plummer, Illinois
This was a very tough decision that came down to Illinois’ Alfonso Plummer and Maryland’s Eric Ayala, but the Illini guard came out on top. Plummer is currently averaging 16.2 PPG on 45% shooting while helping Illinois be at the top of the Big Ten in standings as of right now. Due to the production that Illinois has received from Plummer, guiding them back to the top of the Big Ten, he earns himself the last spot on this list.