Freeman Earns 3rd B1G Honor; Ties Aaron White

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa forward Owen Freeman has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, it was announced Monday by the league office.

It is Freeman’s third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor this season, tying Aaron White for the most in program history. White earned the distinction three times during the 2011-12 season.

The Moline, Illinois, earned his latest accolade after scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the Hawkeyes’ home victory over North Florida on Nov. 29. Freeman also had five rebounds, five blocks – with three coming in a matter of seconds on a single possession — and three steals in the game.

His five blocks are the most for the program since Keegan Murray had five against Longwood in 2021. His effort also saw him land at No. 4 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.

For the season, Freeman is averaging 10.3 points on 62.2 percent shooting to go along with a team-high 15 blocks. He has three or more blocks in three games and five or more rebounds twice. He currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 15 blocks.

The honor is Iowa’s fourth Big Ten weekly accolade this season. Freeman earned the honor on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, while graduate Ben Krikke was the Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 20.

Iowa (5-2) opens Big Ten play at No. 4 Purdue on Monday at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Mackey Arena. The game will be televised live on BTN.