Player of the Week:
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
The Illini had a stretch of three games this week and star center Kofi Cockburn’s performance in all of them earned himself this week’s Big Ten Player of the Week. To start the week, Illinois hosted #11 Wisconsin where Cockburn dropped a whopping 37 points and 12 rebounds in a 80-67 win over the Badgers. The next two games didn’t get much easier for the Illini where they were on the road against a very solid Indiana squad and the now #3 team in the country, Purdue. In a 74-57 win over the Hoosiers, Cockburn had himself almost another double-double dropping 18 points and tallying 8 boards. This week’s tough stretch finally got to Illinois where they suffered a 16-point loss to #3 Purdue, but Cockburn again almost found himself in the double-double category dropping another 18 points with 7 boards. The Illini have been hot as of late moving up to #13 in the AP Top 25 Poll and a lot of that has to do with the stellar play of their star big man.
Freshman Player of the Week:
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska
There wasn’t a ton of great performances coming from the freshman in the Big Ten this week, but since Bryce McGowens just helped his team end a 10-game losing streak and played well, he’ll get the accolade for this week’s Freshman Player of the Week. As mentioned previously above, the Cornhuskers were currently riding a 10-game losing streak until Wednesday where they defeated Minnesota 78-65 behind McGowens 16 points on 54.5% shooting from the field. Shocking, but this was also Nebraska’s first win in the Big Ten all season after starting conference play 0-11.
Who’s Hot:
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers currently remain one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten and in college basketball right now and this week was no different. Purdue had a stretch of three games this week (Minnesota, Michigan, and #13 Illinois) where two out of the three games they won by double-digit points. It was also revealed on Monday that Boilermakers jumped in the rankings moving up to #3 in the AP Top 25 Poll as they look to continue to make their case for a #1 seed come March Madness time.
Who’s Not:
Michigan State Spartans
Tom Izzo and the Spartans did not have themselves a good week losing back-to-back games and one of them being a 21-point loss to Rutgers. The Spartans suffered losses to Rutgers and Wisconsin this week and find themselves moving in the wrong direction in the AP Top 25 Poll as they dropped 4 spots this week to #17 in the country. We’ll see if Michigan State can turn things around, but it won’t be easy as four out of their next five games are against Indiana, #13 Illinois, Iowa, and #3 Purdue.
Top 5 Projected Big Ten March Madness Seeds as of Right Now:
#1 Purdue Boilermakers
As mentioned earlier, the Boilermakers have been one of the best teams in the Big Ten and in the country. Purdue currently ranks at #3 in the AP Top 25 Poll and sits in the driver’s seat to earn that #1 seed come March Madness time. Barring any “bad” losses between now and March Madness, the Boilermakers are looking very convincing to be the #1 seed in the tournament.
#2 Illinois Illini
I went out on a little bold prediction putting Illinois as a #2 seed for March Madness. Right now, the Illini have been very hot and if that continues for the remainder of the season and in the Big Ten tournament, I think it’s very possible we see this Illinois team jump in the top 10 in the AP Poll and earn themselves that #2 seed.
#2 or #3 Wisconsin Badgers
The reason I put the Badgers as a potential #2 or #3 seed in the tournament because the remainder of the season could go either way for them. It’s definitely possible seeing the Badgers do exactly what I think the Illini will do and jump into the top 10 and getting a #2 seed, but also could finish out decent and not really show the selection committee enough and just stay at the #3 seed and even possibly the #4 seed.
#4, #5, or #6 Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes final stretch of games will really give the selection committee where the end up come tournament time. As of right now in the AP Poll rankings the Buckeyes would be a #4 seed, but some losses could easily set them back all the way to a #6. I personally don’t believe that will happen, but only time will tell for the Buckeyes.
#4 or #5 Michigan State Spartans
Just like the Buckeyes, I believe the Spartans will find themselves in very similar waters in terms of seeding for the tournament. This week they found themselves in the “Who’s Not” list after suffering back-to-back losses and if there season finds similar trends, it’s definitely possible the Spartans end up as a #5, #6, and even #7 seed in the tournament.