Keita Bates-Diop Named Big Ten Player of the Week For Second Time This Season

For the second time this season, Keita Bates-Diop has been awarded the Big Ten Player of the Week. 

Bates-Diop opened the week with a double-double performance in a 92-81 win over Iowa that saw the Normal, Ill. native drop 27 points and collect 13 rebounds in an impressive road victory Thursday night. 

Keita Bates-Diop of @OhioStateHoops earned his second career #B1GMBBall Player of the Week award after averaging 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds in 34.5 minutes per game last week, including scoring a career high 32 points in an 80-64 win vs. #1 Michigan Statehttps://t.co/qRWxgeSHaP pic.twitter.com/IHLrIjCcqM

— Big Ten Men's Hoops (@B1GMBBall) January 8, 2018

The redshirt junior followed it up by scoring a career-high 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting in an 80-64 upset win over top-ranked Michigan State on Sunday. 

The honor marks the second time this season Bates-Diop has won conference player of the week, after he averaged 22.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in wins over Michigan and William & Mary the second week of December. Prior to his first time winning the award this season, a Buckeye had not been named conference player of the week since D'Angelo Russel in late January 2015. 

Bates-Diop was also named the NBCSports Player of the Week for his impressive two game stretch. 

Bates-Diop and the Buckeyes are set to return to action Thursday, when Maryland comes to Columbus. Tip is set for 7 p.m.