Men’s Basketball
Game of the Week: Washington beats No. 24 USC, 84-76
This game looked like a “Welcome to the Big Ten” moment for USC if I’ve ever seen one. After pulling out a gritty win over Oregon earlier in the week, the Trojans got far too complacent after building a sizable first-half lead in their second former Pac-12 matchup of the week. Chipping and chipping away, the Huskies eventually cut away from what had once been an 18-point lead, even taking the lead at the four-minute mark. After undergoing a complete meltdown, head coach Eric Musselman’s squad never really punched back, eventually losing by eight. It’s hard to say whether this says more about UW’s resilience or USC’s lack thereof; either way, the Big Ten is never a conference to sleepwalk through.
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Player of the Week: John Blackwell (Wisconsin)
Close your eyes, ‘Cats fans. Blackwell absolutely torched Northwestern in his first game of the week, putting up 23 points in the opening half (before finishing with 26) and scoring his 1,000th career point as Wisconsin got out to a huge lead in what ended up being a lopsided game in both teams’ conference openers. He followed up the outburst against NU with another against in-state foe Marquette, tallying a team-high 30 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three. Now with the reigns to head coach Greg Gard’s offense, Blackwell has been nothing short of sensational.
Team of the Week: No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini
While Michigan’s reign of terror has continued, no one had a better win this week than Illinois, who beat then-No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville to snatch its ranking away from it. The Fighting Illini looked much more prepared in that ranked matchup after getting some time to rest and think following a 13-point defeat to No. 5 Uconn eight days earlier. With an all-around cast of budding stars, this team looks primed to take the next step into national contention.
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Freshman of the Week: Hannes Steinbach (Washington)
Heading into this season, the German sensation got tons of buzz not just from the college basketball world, but the NBA one, too. After a somewhat slow start, this past week could be considered Steinbach’s coming out party: in his two best performances of the young season, he averaged 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and three assists against UCLA and USC. While the Huskies have had to smooth out some early bumps on the road, Steinbach appears to be a legitimate all-conference candidate who could lead UW to a tournament berth.
Clutch Performance of the Week: Brandon Noel (Ohio State) vs. Northwestern
More so out of pure surprise and clutch factor than anything else, Noel earns this week’s award due to his efforts in the Buckeyes’ come-from-behind win on the road against Northwestern (once again, look away ‘Cats fans). Despite averaging under 10 points per game on the season on a team filled with scorers, the Wright State transfer stepped up big-time at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The senior poured in 29 points and seven rebounds, looking strong in the post as he drew and-ones and eating up rebounds on the glass. If head coach Jake Diebler can get a little more consistency out of Noel, he could be a real issue for Big Ten opponents.
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Women’s Basketball
Game of the Week: No. 7 Maryland beats Minnesota in 2OT, 100-99
Just a couple weeks after I called the ending of a men’s basketball game between USC and Troy one of the wildest finishes ever, I stand corrected. In a double-overtime thriller that saw Minnesota hold a lead as large as 14, we saw a tremendous amount of fight from the seventh-ranked Terrapins, who came back against all odds. But that doesn’t even come close to telling the whole story. After going into overtime tied at 70, it appeared that the Golden Gophers were just about to put things away with a five-point lead with 19 seconds remaining. But a quick three-pointer, forced turnover and subsequent layup — all from Terps star Yarden Garzon — shocked the home crowd and forced a second OT. That’s where things get even more absurd.
Minnesota got out to another seemingly comfortable lead down the stretch in the ensuing five minutes, up nine with just over 45 seconds to go. But back-to-back steals and and-one finishes from Maryland completely turned the tides in a matter of seconds, and it was suddenly 99-98 with 35 seconds to go. Another costly turnover from the Gophers gave Maryland the chance to take the lead, and it did just that, as Saylor Poffenbarger would sneak in a layup to secure the unlikely victory as part of her 30-point day. Just ridiculous stuff.
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Player of the Week: Olivia Olson (Michigan)
Michigan is a basketball school again, it appears. On the women’s side, that charge has been led by Olson, who is averaging over 18 points and six rebounds per game this year to help lead her Wolverines to a No. 6 ranking. In two blowout victories for U of M this past week, Olson was surgical, averaging 23.5 points, nine rebounds and three assists, including a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe. This Michigan team is talented all around, but there’s no doubt that Olson plays a central role in just how far it can go.
Team of the Week: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Flying under just about everybody’s radars has been Nebraska, who has earned its first AP Poll ranking of the season, slotting in at No. 24 after a 10-0 start. Although they have yet to be truly battle-tested with top-end competition, the Huskers have now beaten three high-major opponents in convincing fashion, adding a 101-83 win over Penn State to the resume in their Big Ten opener. Britt Prince has been putting up some serious numbers, too — and has somehow just missed out on my individual awards each week — averaging 21.2 points per game on an absurd 64% from the field. Tests against No. 16 USC and No. 11 Iowa will be important benchmarks to see how good Nebraska truly is.
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First-Year of the Week: Jazzy Davidson (USC)
Back like she never left. Davidson earns yet another first-year of the week from this column after another great pair of games that make her look like a veteran already. Amidst the absence of star guard JuJu Watkins, who is out for the year with injury, Davidson has stepped up in a big way. After a respectable 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in a runaway victory over St. Mary’s, she went ballistic in a former Pac-12 matchup against No. 21 Washington. Her 22 points led all scorers, while a team-high 12 rebounds also helped the Trojans overcome an early deficit to pull out a 59-50 win.
Clutch Performance of the Week: Grace Sullivan (Northwestern) vs. No. 23 Ohio State
Although the Wildcats have cooled down a little, losing three straight, Sullivan continues to be on fire. The senior, who is already averaging a conference-leading 24.3 points per game this season, had arguably the best game of her career, with 37 total points (including 14 in just the first quarter) along with eight rebounds and three steals. Despite the loss, the ‘Cats found offensive rhythm, relying on Sullivan to pace the team. She took 28 shots — more than every other starter combined — and still remained efficient, knocking down 17 of them. As NU searches to get back in the win column, the former Bucknell transfer will be the key.
