B1G Top Performers From The Weekend

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

By Michael Berns Jan 1, 2018, 1:50pm CST

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

Big Ten Top Performers

Luka Garza, Iowa Hawkeyes

NCAA Basketball: Northern Illinois at Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a Big Ten gem on their hands in 6-foot-11 freshman Luka Garza. Garza scored 25 points and made all eight of his field goal attempts. He collected seven rebounds and blocked five shots en route to an easy win over Northern Illinois. Garza dominated this game start to finish.

Anthony Cowan, Maryland Terrapins

The Maryland Terrapins had a tough week. They responded and star point guard Anthony Cowan answered the bell. Maryland will be just fine — not that a win against UMBC proves much of anything at this early part of the season. Cowan had 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds on Friday in Maryland’s final non-conference game.

Leron Black, Illinois Fighting Illini

Most of us here at The Champaign room thought the Illinois Fighting Illini would struggle in the final game of 2017. Grand Canyon was a tough test, especially in the first half. For the second game in a row, Leron Black out-muscled the opposition and did much of the scoring (20 points) and dirty work (11 rebounds) to help his team escape with a win.

Dererk Pardon, Northwestern Wildcats

NCAA Basketball: Chicago State at Northwestern

The Northwestern Wildcats beat the Brown Bears of the Ivy League to improve to 10-5. Junior center Dererk Pardon was a monster against the Bears at Allstate Arena on Saturday morning. Pardon’s stat line: 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four blocks. In Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament campaign a season ago, Derek Pardon was a solid, rugged role player. This year he’s clearly improved his scoring and post moves on the low block.

Tony Carr, Penn State Nittany Lions

Tony Carr is one of the best scoring guards in the Big Ten. In Penn State’s 3-guard lineup, Carr is the team’s lights-out shooter with unlimited range. The Nittany Lions doubled up their opponent, Coppin State on Saturday by a score of 88-43. Tony Carr had 21 points, four assists, three rebounds and no turnovers in just 18 minutes of play.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Michigan Wolverines

NCAA Basketball: Jacksonville at Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines breezed past the Jacksonville Dolphins 76-51 in Ann Arbor. Guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman had his best game of the season so far, scoring 20 points on 7-7 shooting from the field. Michigan travels to play Purdue on Tuesday.

Vincent Edwards, Purdue Boilermakers

Not that Purdue was going to have any issue beating Lipscomb at home to close out the year, but senior Vincent Edwards ended 2017 with a bang. His 23 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks lifted the Boilermakers over the Bison of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Purdue has won their ninth straight game as they look ahead to Rutgers on Wednesday.