Illinois and Purdue Earn Weekly Men’s Basketball Honors
Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu named Player of the Week;
Purdue’s Brandon Newman named Freshman of the Week
Player of the Week
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
G – Jr. – 6-5 – Chicago, Ill. – Morgan Park (Ill.) – Major: Communication
- Led all players with 25 points to help Illinois to an 80-75 win over then-ranked No. 7/No. 7 Iowa. Marked the program’s highest-ranked win since Illinois defeated No. 5/No. 7 Michigan on Dec. 11, 2019.
- Shot 11-for-18 (.611 pct.) from the field, including 3-for-3 (1.000 pct.) from three-point range. Added four assists and two rebounds.
- Scored 22-plus points for the 10th time this season, which ranks second in the NCAA behind Iowa’s Luka Garza (12 games).
- Dosunmu is the only Big Ten player in the last 11 seasons to average 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, and is just the third Big Ten player to do so since 1992-93: Ohio State’s Evan Turner (2009-10) and Indiana’s Brian Evans (1995-96). Additionally, Dosunmu is one of just two players in the country this season to average 20.0, 6.0 and 4.0 (Cameron Shelton, Northern Arizona).
- Dosunmu has now made 10-plus field goals in six games this season, giving him eight such games during his career. According to Illinois, Dosunmu’s eight career games of 10-plus field goals are the most by an Illini player in at least 25 years. His six games of 10-plus field goals this season rank second in the Big Ten behind Iowa’s Luka Garza (eight games). Dosunmu is one of just 11 players in the Big Ten to record six-plus games of 10-plus field goals in a single season dating back to 2010-11.
- Earns the fourth Player of the Week accolade of his career; was also a two-time Freshman of the Week honoree in 2018-19.
- Last Illinois Player of the Week: Ayo Dosunmu (Dec. 28, 2020)
Freshman of the Week
Brandon Newman, Purdue
G – 6-5 – Valparaiso, Ind. – Valparaiso (Ind.) – Major: Organizational Leadership
- Scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Purdue defeat then-ranked No. 21/No. 20 Minnesota. Also added two steals and a block in the win.
- His 29 points marked the fourth-most by a Boilermaker freshman in program history and the second-most in Mackey Arena. The last Purdue freshman to score 29-plus points in a game was A.J. Hammons (30 points vs. Indiana, Jan. 30, 2013).
- Shot 9-for-14 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range. His five three-pointers set a new Purdue freshman single-game record.
- Is one of four Boilermaker freshmen to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season and is the first to win the award multiple times (Feb. 1 and Jan. 18). Fellow freshmen Zach Edey (Nov. 11), Mason Gillis (Dec. 21) and Jaden Ivey (Jan. 25) have all won the award once this season.
- Earns the second Freshman of the Week accolade of his career.
- Last Purdue Freshman of the Week: Jaden Ivey (Jan. 25, 2021)
2020-21 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Players of the Week
Nov. 30
P: Luka Garza, Sr., C, IOWA
F: Adam Miller, G, ILL
F: Zach Edey, C, PUR
Dec. 7
P: Trayce Jackson-Davis, So., F, IND
F: Hunter Dickinson, C, MICH
Dec. 14
P: Ayo Dosunmu, Jr., G, ILL
P: Luka Garza, Sr., C, IOWA
F: Hunter Dickinson, C, MICH
Dec. 21
P: Boo Buie, So., G, NU
F: Mason Gillis, F, PUR
Dec. 28
P: Ayo Dosunmu, Jr., G, ILL
P: Marcus Carr, Jr., G, MINN
F: Hunter Dickinson, C, MICH
Jan. 4
P: Liam Robbins, Jr., C, MINN
F: Hunter Dickinson, C, MICH
Jan. 11
P: Trayce Jackson-Davis, So., F, IND
P: Jordan Bohannon, Sr., G. IOWA
F: Hunter Dickinson, C, MICH
Jan. 18
P: Liam Robbins, Jr., C, MINN
P: Trevion Williams, Jr., F, PUR
F: Brandon Newman, G, PUR
Jan. 25
P: Isaiah Livers, Sr., F, MICH
F: Jaden Ivey, G, PUR
Feb. 1
P: Ayo Dosunmu, Jr., G, ILL
F: Brandon Newman, G, PUR
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