Around The Big Ten – January 8
Purdue, Illinois, Rutgers score men’s basketball weekly accolades
Braden Smith of Purdue (Photo: Purdue/Big Ten)
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Purdue, Illinois, Rutgers Score Men’s Basketball Weekly Accolades
Boilermakers’ Smith, Illini’s Jakucionic, and Scarlet Knights’ Bailey earn Big Ten weekly honors
Player of the Week
Braden Smith, Purdue
G – Jr. – 6-0 – Westfield, Ind. – Westfield
- Averaged 25.3 points, 9.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 27-of-55 from the field and 14-of-32 from three-point range with a 4.14 assist-turnover ratio as No. 20 Purdue went 3-0
- Recorded a pair of points-assists double-doubles (34-12 vs. Toledo; 20-10 vs. Minnesota) and narrowly missed a third with 22 points, seven assists against Northwestern.
- Claims first Player of the Week honor
- Last Purdue Player of the Week: Zach Edey (March 11, 2024)
Co-Freshman of the Week
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
G – 6-6 – Vilnius, Lithuania – Barcelona FC
- Averaged a team-best 16.0 points and 5.3 assists and along with 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals across three wins for No. 13 Illinois
- Recorded 16 second-half points with game-high six assists along with six rebounds in a 109-77 victory at then-No. 9 Oregon, as the Illini recorded the largest road win over a top-10 team in college basketball history.
- Earns his second Freshman of the Week award
- Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Kasparas Jakucionis (Dec. 16, 2024)
Ace Bailey, Rutgers
G – 6-10 – Chattanooga, Tenn. – McEachern
- Averaged 31.5 points on 57.4 percent shooting from the field, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocked shots, as Rutgers split a pair of games
- Tied the program freshman scoring record with 39 points with eight rebounds, four blocks and one steal on 16-of-29 shooting in an 84-74 loss to Indiana
- Collects his first Freshman of the Week award
- Last Rutgers Freshman of the Week: Dylan Harper (Dec. 16, 2024)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Co-Player of the Week
Kaylene Smikle, Maryland
Junior – Guard – Bay Shore, N.Y. – Westtown
• Led Maryland to three conference wins, including a pair against ranked opponents
• Put together averages of 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 steals while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc
• Tallied 19 points, 11 of which she scored in the second half, against No. 21 Michigan State
• Chipped in 13 points and five steals versus Rutgers
• Record a season-high 26 points and career-best six steals at No. 23 Iowa
• Went 15-for-17 from the free throw line during the stretch
• Earns the first Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career
• Last Maryland Player of the Week: Diamond Miller (Feb. 13, 2023)
Co-Player of the Week
JuJu Watkins, USC
Sophomore – Guard – Los Angeles, Calif. – Sierra Canyon
• Averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.7 blocks during three USC wins
• Connected on a season-best 13 free throws versus No. 23 Michigan on her way to 31 points
• Scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-12 free throw shooting against Nebraska
• Record her second double-double of the season behind 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds at Rutgers
• Over the three-game span, she went 28-of-31 from the charity stripe for a 90.3 percent clip
• Earns the third Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career
• Last USC Player of the Week: JuJu Watkins (Dec. 23, 2024)
Big Ten Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll
Lauren Betts, UCLA: Averaged a double-double (19.7 points, 10.0 rebounds) in three victories for the Bruins
Elle Ladine, WASH: Dropped a career-high 40 points in Washington’s win over Northwestern
Freshman of the Week
Tori McKinney, Minnesota
Guard – Minnetonka, Minn. – Minnetonka H.S.
• Helped Minnesota to a trio of victories over that last two weeks
• Posted a team-high 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block to lead the Gophers past Penn State
• Also went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe against the Lady Lions
• Added seven points, six assists, four boards and two steals versus Wisconsin
• Had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists against Illinois
• Collects her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel
• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Grace Grocholski (Feb. 19, 2024)
HOCKEY
First Star
Arsenii Sergeev, Penn State
Jr. – G – Yaroslavl, Russia — Connecticut (NCAA)
- Turned away 77-of-80 shots in posting a .963 save percentage, a 1.44 goals-against average and two assists as Penn State went 1-0-1 against Notre Dame
- Matched his career-high with 43 saves in a 3-3 overtime tie with Notre Dame Friday at the Frozen Confines held in Wrigley Field
- Made 34 saves for his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win at Notre Dame on Sunday
- The Calgary Flames draft pick earns his first Big Ten weekly honor
- Last Penn State First Star: John Seifarth (Dec. 3, 2024)
Second Star
Daniel Russell, Michigan State
Jr. – F – Traverse City, Mich. – Sioux Falls (USHL)
- Scored with 1.4 seconds left in overtime to lift No. 1/1 Michigan State to a 4-3 win over Wisconsin, recording his NCAA-leading sixth game-winning goal of the season
- Turned in a three-point night (two goals, assist) against Wisconsin under the lights Saturday at Wrigley Field
- Finished with four points, 10 shots on goal and plus-five rating as the Spartans completed a weekend sweep of the Badgers
- The Academic All-Big Ten honoree takes home his second Big Ten weekly award of the season and his career
- Last Michigan State Star honoree: Luca Di Pasquo (First Star, Dec. 31, 2024)
Third Star
Isaac Howard, Michigan State
Jr. – F – Hudson, Wis. — Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
- Assisted on both game-winning goals in Michigan State’s weekend sweep of Wisconsin
- Finished the series with two goals and three assists, scoring both nights, to extend MSU’s unbeaten streak to seven games
- Among NCAA leaders, stands tied for second in goals (13) and fourth in points (27)
- The 2022 Tampa Bay Lighting first round selection earns his third weekly honor of the season and of his career (2-Firsts, 1-Third)
- Last Michigan State Star honoree: Luca Di Pasquo (First Star, Dec. 31, 2024)
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
Gymnast of the Week
Nikki Smith, Michigan State
Jr. – West Bloomfield, Mich. – North Farmington
• Paced Michigan State to its highest season-opening team score in program history (196.850)
• Opened the 2025 campaign with three event titles
• Won the all-around competition with a score of 39.475
• Recorded a 9.950 to claim the vault title, receiving a 10 from one judge and tying the best vault score in the NCAA so far
• Placed first on uneven bars with a 9.875
• Tied for second on balance beam (9.850) and had a 9.800 on floor exercise
• Garners her third career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week recognition
• Last Michigan State Gymnast of the Week: Skyla Shulte (March 12, 2024)
Event Specialist of the Week
Sage Kellerman, Michigan State
Jr. – Croswell, Mich. – St. Stephens Secondary School
• Competed on vault and uneven bars in Michigan State’s 196.850-194.675 victory over Western Michigan
• Scored a 9.925 on vault to finish in second
• Earned runner-up laurels with a 9.850 on uneven bars
• Collects the fourth Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week honor of her career
• Last Michigan State Event Specialist of the Week: Olivia Zsarmani (March 19, 2024)
Freshman of the Week
Ava Stewart, Minnesota
Bowmanville, Ontario – Madeira School
• Made her collegiate debut in Minnesota’s 194.450-193.400 win over Central Michigan
• Took home the title on balance beam with a score of 9.875
• Earns her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel
• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Jordan Lyden (March 19, 2024)
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