IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa forwards Ben Krikke and Owen Freeman swept the Big Ten Conference weekly men’s basketball honors, the announcement was made Monday by the league office. Krikke is the Player of the Week, while Freeman is the Freshman of the Week for a second straight week.
Krikke, a graduate student from Edmonton, Alberta, averaged 24.5 points and seven rebounds, while shooting 66 percent from the field (21-of-32) in a pair of games at No. 8 Creighton and Arkansas State. Freeman averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 blocks and two rebounds, while shooting 55 percent (6-of-11) from the floor.
It is the first time since the 2019-20 season that Iowa has swept the Big Ten weekly honors (Luka Garza (Player), CJ Fredrick (Freshman). Freeman, meanwhile, is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the distinction in consecutive weeks.
Krikke opened the week by making 11-of-18 field goals en route to a game-high 24 points against the Bluejays in the Gavitt Tipoff Games in Omaha. He followed it up by scoring a season-high 25 points, making 10-of-14 field goals and grabbing a game-high nine rebounds in a home victory over Arkansas State. Krikke also had a career-high four steals and three blocks against the Red Wolves.
In four games, the Valparaiso transfer is leading the team in scoring, averaging 20 points, 6.5 rebounds and two steals per game, while shooting 61.8 percent from the field. He is second in the Big Ten in steals, third in field goal percentage and fourth in scoring.
In his first collegiate road game, Freeman had three blocked shots and scored eight points in just 14 minutes at No. 8 Creighton. He finished with seven points, three rebounds and two blocks in 10 minutes in the home win over Arkansas State.
Freeman is averaging 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in his first four collegiate games. He is shooting 60.9 percent from the floor, making 14-of-23 field goal attempts.
Krikke’s Player of the Week honor is his first Big Ten recognition and third honor of his career. He was twice named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week during the 2022-23 season.
The Hawkeyes (3-1) return to action Thursday, facing Oklahoma in the first game of the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. The game will tipoff at 2:02 p.m. (CT) and be televised on FS1.
