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B1G Hoops announces 3 Players of the Week following season’s opening action
By Paul Harvey
Published:
B1G Hoops is back with a solid week of action to start things off for the conference.
On Monday, the latest Basketball AP Poll came out with the B1G dominating the top five. The conference had three of the top five teams with Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois and added another top 10 team in No. 8 Michigan State.
The conference also unveiled the Players of the Week on Monday with Iowa’s Luka Garza earning the top honors while two players split the honor for top freshman.
B1G Player of the Week – Luka Garza, C, Iowa
Luka Garza of @IowaHoops earned #B1GMBBall Player of the Week honors after averaging 33.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game in victories over North Carolina Central and Southern. Garza currently leads the nation with 33.5 ppg.
RELEASE: https://t.co/GkcOWPFAdH pic.twitter.com/BqAESbgLi2
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 30, 2020
Garza was simply unstoppable against Southern, pouring in 41 of Iowa’s 103 total points in that game. His 36 points in the first half are believed to be the most ever in a single half by a Hawkeye. With his hot shooting, solid rebounding, and strong defense, Garza was dominant in the 2-0 start by Iowa.
B1G C0-Freshmen of the Week – Adam Miller, G, Illinois & Zach Edey, C, Purdue
Adam Miller of @IlliniMBB and Zach Edey of @BoilerBall earned #B1GMBBall Co-Freshmen of the Week honors. Miller set the Illini freshman-debut scoring record with 28 points vs. N.C. A&T, while Edey averaged 18.0 points and 6.5 rebounds during Purdue’s two contests. pic.twitter.com/3g9naEwduT
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 30, 2020
Miller averaged 18 points in a 3-0 first week for the Illini and set the scoring record for a freshman debut at Illinois with 28 points. He scored in double figures every game to start his career and flashed a brilliant shooting stroke by going 6-for-8 from three-point range in his debut.
Edey, a 7-foot-4 freshman, shined in wins over Liberty and Clemson, scoring 19 points in his Boilermaker debut. He shot 83.3% in the first two games of the season while averaging 18 points to start the season. Edey is also the first Purdue Freshman of the Week since Carsen Edwards in 2017.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.