Jordan Murphy named Big Ten Player of the Week

Jordan Murphy Gophers basketball

Jordan Murphy is playing himself into the history books at the University of Minnesota.

The Gophers are hoping his career ends, at the very least, with a trip to the NCAA Tournament this season. They took a step in the right direction Saturday, demolishing Indiana 84-63 at Williams Arena. But there’s still work to do with five games to play before the Big Ten Tournament.

Murphy is playing at a First Team All-Big Ten level, and was named the conference’s Player of the Week on Monday for the second time in a month. Murphy was unstoppable Saturday with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Indiana. He scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half.

Last Wednesday at Nebraska, Murphy had 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 62-61 loss at Nebraska.

Murphy is second in the nation with 18 double-doubles in 26 games. He leads the Big Ten and is fourth in the country with 11.9 rebounds per game. He’s one of just nine players in Big Ten history with at least 1,650 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

The Gophers (17-9, 7-8) host Michigan Thursday night.