B1G Top Performers From The Weekend

A look at the Big Ten players with the best performances from the weekend.

By Michael Berns Dec 18, 2017, 9:05am CST

Here are the Big Ten Top Performers from the weekend that was.

Big Ten Top Performers

Vincent Edwards and Carsen Edwards, Purdue

I’m clearly cheating a bit here because the two unrelated guys share a last name. Both Edwards’ had strong games in the Purdue Boilermakers’ route over the Butler Bulldogs. Butler is a model of consistency in Division I basketball, and Purdue made a big statement for the Big Ten Conference in this in-state rivalry game at the Crossroads Classic.

Jon Teske, Michigan

This game was interesting for a variety of reasons, one of which was the Michigan Wolverines going up against a former player of there’s now on Detroit; Kameron Chatman. Chatman was a former high four-star recruit from the Pacific Northwest but never really fit in Ann Arbor. With Michigan big man Moe Wagner taking a precautionary game off, his backup 7-foot-1 center Joe Teske finished with a solid 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Corey Sanders, Rutgers

New Jersey is red thanks to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ triumph over the Seton Hall Pirates. This game was a big, big deal for the perception of Rutgers’ program, and guard Corey Sanders came alive late in the game when it mattered most. Rutgers knocks off one of the top teams in the land in their own backyard thanks to Sanders’ 22 points.

Scottie Lindsey, Northwestern

The DePaul Blue Demons versus Northwestern Wildcats game at the new Wintrust Arena in downtown Chicago was a close one throughout. Senior guard Scottie Lindsey had his best game of the season so far, exploding for 25 points and eight rebounds. Northwestern had a tough time keeping DePaul junior Max Strus (33 points on 19 field goal attempts) from getting to his spots. This is a significant, local win for coach Chris Collins and his Wildcats.

Nick Ward, Michigan State

NCAA Basketball: Michigan State at Oakland

The Michigan State Spartans were in a Detroit dogfight against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Former Illini guard Kendrick Nunn (32 points, seven assists) had a monster game against Sparty. Michigan State forward/center Nick Ward was tremendous for Tom Izzo’s side in a win. Ward dominated paint, doing the dirty work with 15 points and 15 rebounds in the Hitachi Basketball Showcase.

Juwan Morgan, Indiana

NCAA Basketball: Crossroads Classic-Indiana at Notre Dame

No Big Ten player had a better game on Saturday than Indiana Hoosiers forward Juwan Morgan. Morgan was un-guardable in a game Indiana was losing for pretty much the entire 40 minutes plus overtime. Juwan Morgan had 34 points and 11 rebounds in Indianapolis against the No. 18 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Indiana goes as far as Juwan Morgan takes them — without question the Hoosiers’ best win of the year. The game was oh-so-close to going to a second overtime, too.

Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State

NCAA Basketball: Appalachian State at Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes win over Appalachian State was far from normal. The game was delayed about 20 minutes because of a fire alarm that went off at Value City Arena in Columbus. After that accidental mishap, Buckeyes forward Keita Bates-Diop was able to solidify himself as one of the better low-post presences in the Big Ten. His stat-line was impressive: 18 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. This is a player who gets the job done on both sides of the ball.