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Illini’s Keaton Wagler chosen AP men’s college basketball player of the week after win over Purdue

The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 12 of the season:

Keaton Wagler, No. 9 Illinois

The freshman guard from Shawnee, Kansas, set an Illini record with nine 3-pointers while scoring 46 points in an 88-82 win at then-No. 4 Purdue last week. Wagler finished 13 of 17 from the floor, hit several big buckets in the closing seconds, and wound up with the most points ever scored in a road win over a top-10 opponent in the AP poll era.

Wagler has hit double-figures in 12 consecutive games, including a 13-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound performance in an 89-70 blowout of Maryland earlier in the week. The two victories helped the Illini to push their winning streak to nine games and climb two spots to No. 9 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

Runner-up

Joshua Jefferson, No. 8 Iowa State. The All-Big 12 forward had his second triple-double of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists — and four steals — in an 87-57 win over UCF. He also had 20 points and four boards in an 84-71 win over Oklahoma State.

Honorable mention

Kingston Flemings, No. 10 Houston; A.J. Dybantsa, No. 13 BYU; Jeremy Fears Jr., No. 7 Michigan State.

Keep an eye on

Kamrin Oriol, G, North Florida. The senior had back-to-back 30-plus scoring games last week, pouring in 32 in an 87-85 victory over Eastern Kentucky, then scoring 33 with 15 assists in a 117-114 overtime win over Bellarmine. Making the performances even more eye-popping: North Florida (5-16) had won only 3 of its first 19 games before the back-to-back victories.

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Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
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