The Big Ten released its weekly award list for the second week of the regular season and Illinois and Purdue split the weekly honors. Purdue’s Braden Smith was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Illinois’
David Mirkovic was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Both turned heads with their performances.
Smith showed out for the Boilermakers last week, averaging 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, as Purdue scored wins over Alabama and Akron. The most notable performance was against the Crimson Tide, where the guard finished with 29 points in the win. This is the second time Smith has earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He’s the first Boilermaker to win the award since Trey Kaufman-Renn in February of this year.
Mirkovic also had a great week, averaging 19 points and 12.5 rebounds per week in the team’s two wins over Texas Tech and Colgate. He was particularly good in the win over Colgate, finishing with an absurd 27 points and 21 rebounds in the victory. It was his second consecutive Big Ten Freshman of the Week award.
Congratulations are in order for both players. Don’t be surprised if they show back up on this list given how they have played to date either.
