CHAMPAIGN — Illinois made some Big Ten basketball history Monday afternoon after Giorgi Bezhanishvili was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Ayo Dosunmu earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. That sweep was the first by a pair of freshmen from the same team and was also the first time Illinois had ever won both honors.
Bezhanishvili averaged 25.5 points and six rebounds while shooting 69 percent in Illinois' wins against then No. 9 Michigan State and Rutgers. The 6-foot-9 forward broke a nearly 29-year-old program record with 35 points in the win against the Scarlet Knights, which was one more than Deon Thomas' 34 points on Dec.