Iowa basketball sweeps Big Ten weekly awards

Make it a clean sweep for the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten weekly awards.

The Big Ten named Iowa forward Luka Garza its Player of the Week and CJ Fredrick its Freshman of the Week. Monday marks the second time Garza earned the award this season and the first time for Fredrick.

Garza scored 33 points in Iowa’s win over No. 19 Michigan on Jan. 17. In his third-highest scoring game of the season, Garza added seven rebounds, a steal, and a block. In Iowa’s win over Northwestern on Jan. 14, Garza scored 27 points and grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots.

The Michigan game stands out the most — Garza had his fingerprints all over that game once again. His 77 points combined in two games vs. the Wolverines this season is the most from one player against a conference opponent during the regular season over the last 20 years, according to a release.

Meanwhile, Fredrick earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after a 21-point outing against Michigan and 11 points vs. Northwestern. His 21 points tied his career high.

Against the Wolverines, Fredrick hit three of his four 3-point attempts, grabbed four rebounds, dished three assists, and blocked one shot. In the win over the Wildcats, Fredrick finished with 11 points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals. His assist and steal totals tied for career-high marks.

Garza and Fredrick hit the hardwood next on Wednesday when No. 19 Iowa hosts No. 24 Rutgers at 8 p.m.