B1G Top Performers From The Weekend

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

By Michael Berns Jan 8, 2018, 9:05am CST

NCAA Basketball: Michigan State at Ohio State

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

Big Ten Top Performers

Corey Sanders, Rutgers

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights earned their first Big Ten win of the 2017-2018 season on Friday night. Junior guard Corey Sanders had everything to do with Rutgers’ four-point home win against the Wisconsin Badgers. Sanders had 23 points, four rebounds, two assists and no turnovers. Yes, it’s early, but is Wisconsin in trouble?

Lamar Stevens, Penn State

NCAA Basketball: Northwestern at Penn State

Lamar Stevens had his big boy pants on when his Penn State Nittany Lions demolished the Northwestern Wildcats 78-63. In a game which Penn State never trailed, Lamar Stevens scored 30 points, going 14-19 from the field at Bryce Jordan Center in State College.

Isaiah Livers, Michigan

Mo Wagner was probably the better player on the day for the Michigan Wolverines, but Isaiah Livers came out of nowhere, scoring 12 points in a win against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The true freshman from Kalamazoo, Michigan had offers from Michigan State, Butler and others but opted to play for John Beilein in Ann Arbor. Right now Livers is just a role player. He’ll continue to grow in the program as he earns more minutes in big games.

Vincent Edwards, Purdue

Vincent Edwards had 17 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Boilermakers by halftime. The senior played the biggest role in what was part of a Purdue blowout win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Edwards also contributed 10 rebounds and six assists in a game Nebraska never led. Senior leadership has a lot to do with Purdue’s success.

Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State

Michigan State was the No. 1 team in the country heading into this weekend. Sparty laid an egg in Columbus as Keita Bates-Diop and the Ohio State Buckeyes picked apart Tom Izzo’s squad on Sunday evening. Bates-Diop dropped a career-high 32 points and outplayed the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., Miles Bridges and Nick Ward on the other side of the ball.

Bruno Fernando, Maryland

NCAA Basketball: Maryland at Michigan State

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery was ejected just before halftime before his team ended up falling to Maryland 91-73. Terrapins center Bruno Fernando was too much for Iowa to handle on the block. His ferocious dunks and rebounding presence were needed for a Maryland team that didn’t pull away from Iowa until around 10 minutes left to go in the second half. Kudos to Maryland’s team effort here: Six players scored in double digits. A solid all-around win for the Terps.