After a sensational week powering No. 25 Iowa basketball (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) to its first six-game winning streak in conference play since the 2015-16 season, Hawkeyes senior guard Bennett Stirtz has captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, per the league’s announcement on Feb. 9.
While he is officially recognized by the Big Ten Conference as “Co-Player of the Week” for the second straight week, sharing the title this time with Indiana redshirt senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, the 6-foot-4 native of Liberty, Mo., still has accomplished feats that are worthy of the award.
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In Iowa’s wins over Washington and Northwestern, Stirtz averaged 29 points, 3.5 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on 60.6% shooting from the floor (20-of-33), 57.1% from 3-point range (8-of-14) and 83.3% from the free-throw line (10-of-12).
Against the Wildcats on Feb. 8, Stirtz tallied a new career-high 36-points, which is the most by a Hawkeye since Luka Garza in 2021 and are tied for the fourth-most in a game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In addition, Stirtz’s six straight games with 20 or more points is the longest such streak by an Iowa player since Keegan Murray in 2021-22 and the most by a Hawkeye guard since “Downtown” Freddy Brown’s 16-straight contests in 1970-71.
Stirtz is also the first Hawkeye to win back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week honors since Murray in 2022.
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Stirtz and Co. will look to remain hot as they travel to the XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., for a matchup against Maryland (9-14, 2-10 Big Ten) on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT, with the game airing on FS1.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball’s Bennett Stirtz repeats as Big Ten Player of the Week
