Hartford's Win at B1G Foe Northwestern Highlights Post-Christmas Action
BOSTON – Five teams were in action post-Christmas last weekend, including Hartford, which went on the road and knocked off Northwestern on Sunday. The win is the league’s fourth over a Big Ten teams in as many seasons and the 10th over a Power 5 conference or Big East team since the start of the 2015-16 campaign.
Conference play begins this weekend with eight teams kicking off their league slates. The top eight teams in the standings will earn #AEPlayoffs berths with the top four teams garnering home quarterfinal games. Getting off to a strong start is crucial as only four times in the league’s 40-year history has a team finished outside the top two in the final regular-season standings and gone on to win the conference championship.
Check out the full #AEHoops men’s update for league standings, scores, notes and more: #AEHoops Men's Basketball Update
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Here are the week #8 men’s basketball awards:
Player of the Week
Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook – Jr., Guard, Newark, N.J.
- Scored a game-high 20 points in Stony Brook’s win over Norfolk State on Sunday.
- Added seven rebounds and seven assists.
- This is Olaniyi’s second #AEHoops Player of the Week honor of his season (12/9) and of his career.
Rookie of the Week
Miroslav Stafl, Hartford – Fr., Forward, Liberec, Czech Republic
- Scored 15 points and added nine rebounds and three assists to help Hartford knock off Big Ten foe Northwestern on the road on Sunday.
- Shot 83 percent (5-of-6) from the field.
- This is Stafl’s second-straight #AEHoops Rookie of the Week honor.
Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 11 – Player of the Week: Christian Lutete, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: P.J. Hunter, Hartford
Nov. 18 – Player of the Week: Anthony Lamb, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: George Tinsley, Binghamton
Nov. 25 – Player of the Week: Sam Sessoms, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Brenton Mills, Binghamton
Dec. 2 – Player of the Week: Obadiah Noel, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: George Tinsley, Binghamton
Dec. 9 – Player of the Week: Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: Moses Flowers, Hartford
Dec. 16 – Player of the Week: Ahmad Clark, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Trey Hutcheson, UAlbany
Dec. 23 – Player of the Week: Nick Guadarrama, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Miroslav Stafl, Hartford
Dec. 23 – Player of the Week: Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: Miroslav Stafl, Hartford
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