Butler Named Big Ten Player of the Week – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State sophomore Jamar Butler (Lima, Ohio/Shawnee) scored a career high 20 points at No. 22 Michigan and then set it again with 22 at home vs. No. 10 Illinois in a pair of wins vs. ranked opponents last week for Ohio State (18-3 overall, 7-3 Big Ten). His efforts were rewarded by the league office Monday with Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
Butler, a 6-foot-1-inch guard, made 71 percent of his shots (15-21) in the two games and 88 percent of his 3-point attempts (7-8) in the wins. In addition, he made all five of his foul shots, dished out nine assists and guarded two of the Big Ten’s best guards in Daniel Horton (UM) and Dee Brown (ILL). Those two committed 10 turnovers with Butler on the defense and were unable to get their teams in a flow offensively.
Butler made 8 of 11 field goals to lead the Buckeyes vs. Illinois Sunday and hit a career-high five 3-pointers in six attempts. He has scored 42 points in the last two games. Butler recorded four assists vs. Illinois for his 11th game with four or more this season. In the last two seasons, the Buckeyes are 17-3 in games in which Butler dishes out four or more assists.
Butler, who ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.552) in conference games only, earns his first player of the week accolade. It’s the third weekly award and the second in as many weeks for the Buckeyes. Senior Je’Kel Foster earned his second honor of the season last week.
Ohio State is back in action at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Wisconsin. The game will be produced by ESPN Regional Television and carried locally by WBNS 10 TV.
