Leuer named Big Ten Player of the Week

Jon Leuer picked up his second Big Ten Player of the Week award after averaging 22 points and 9.5 rebounds per game against Purdue and Michigan State. I was really impressed with Leuer in both games. In the beginning of the conference season, he looked a bit tentative at times and lacked the aggression on offense we’ve seen recently. Leuer is scoring from inside and out and he’s also been very good on the boards, an area in which the Badgers rank towards the bottom of the conference statistically. He looks determined and dynamic, so I wouldn’t expect a late-season letdown, either. Another candidate for this award could have been Jordan Taylor. He struggled a bit against the Boilermakers, but still managed 15 points on 4-13 shooting. Against the Spartans, however, Taylor was a whirling dervish, making plays on both sides of the ball and wreaking havoc on the Michigan State defense en route to a career high 30 points.