Iowa and Ohio State Split Week 16 Big Ten Honors

The Big Ten released its weekly award winners for Week 16 of the regular season and two Big Ten teams ended up splitting the awards. Iowa’s Keegan Murray was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Ohio State’s Malaki Branham was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

Murray had an incredible week for the Hawkeyes, averaging 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal per game in Iowa’s wins over Michigan State and Nebraska. He also had a particularly impressive performance against the Spartans, scoring 28 points in Iowa’s dominant win over Michigan State. This is the fourth time he’s earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors in his career.

Similarly, Branham had a great week as well. He averaged 23.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.3 steals per game in Ohio State’s three games last week, including a remarkable road win over Illinois on Thursday night. It continues what’s looking like a great run toward Big Ten Freshman of the Year. This is the third time he’s earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season.

Congratulations are in order for both players. And don’t be surprised if they earn their way back on this list as the season continues.