THIS IS A WEEKLY BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH, by Luke Maiers.

It is a damn shame that two of the best players in the nation are from the same conference because both Ethan Haap and Caleb Swanigan could be the National Player of the Year. This is the year of the big man in the Big Ten and the teams with the best are at the top of the standings. Here is this week’s watch list.

Watch List:

5. Miles Bridges- There is a new comer on the list this week and he is the youngest player to make an appearance so far this season. Bridges and the Spartans have stunk it up this season, but his stats are still really strong. The big man averages 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. It will be interesting to see if he will stay at MSU for another year or go pro.

4. Thomas Bryant- He has really cooled off from the beginning of the season but he hasn’t been opening any eyes lately. Like Indiana, Bryant is having an alright season, but the potential with him is so high. He is still a force to be reckoned out on the floor.

3. Melo Trimble- The only guard to make an appearance on the list and he continues to light up his stat line. Trimble struggled from the field but he made up for it with his performance from the free throw stripe. Maryland dropped a tough one to Purdue in this past week, but it was only their third loss of the season.

2. Ethan Haap- If Caleb Swanigan wasn’t in the Big Ten, Haap would be running away from everyone else on this list. Haap throws up double-doubles just about as often as Swanigan, and this kid is only a sophomore. It feels like Haap is going to be that player that sticks around the Big Ten for a while and just harasses everyone in his way.

1. Caleb Swanigan– I don’t have to tell you how many double-doubles Swanigan had this week, you should just assume. This race is Swanigan’s all the way. Barring injury, he has this locked up and his candidacy for National Player of the Year is strong. This man has been a force all season and with March right around the corner, watch out for Purdue.

Banging Team Performance of the Week:

The Iowa Hawkeyes get the nod this week for their performance against Rutgers on Tuesday. Iowa fired 50% from the field and 61% from deep, and they were led by freshman, Jordan Bohannon who lit it up going 5-7 from three. Bohannon would later on in the week to go and break the Iowa record for three pointers by a freshman in a season. And by the way, they did this without Peter Jok.