A day after both Bruno Fernando and Shakira Austin won awards from the Big Ten, the duo also received national recognition. Fernando was named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association, who also named Austin its National Freshman of the Week.
Both players have given Maryland a tremendous boost in the post, and had stellar performances last week. Fernando had 10 points and 11 rebounds against Minnesota and a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds against then-No. 22 Indiana, and is the first Maryland player to win the award since it was awarded on a weekly basis starting in the 2009-10 season.