For details on these and other nominated players, click Read More . . . )
Demajeo Wiggins, Bowling Green
Forward, Senior, Toledo, Ohio (Springfield)
Demajeo Wiggins, a senior forward from Toledo, led Bowling Green to a MAC-opening victory at Kent State on Saturday (Jan. 5) evening. Wiggins posted his nation-leading 11th double-double, as he went 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) from the field to finish with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Wiggins, who was a game-high +26 when on the floor, bumped his rebounding average up to 12.4. The senior ranks third in the country in rebounding, and is averaging a career-high 15.3 points per game.
MAC West Division Co-Player of The Week
Tahjai Teague, Ball State
Forward, Junior, Indianapolis, Ind. (Pike)
Tahjai Teague led Ball State to a 79-64 MAC-opening road win over Toledo with 20 points and 12 rebounds, helping to snap the Rockets’ 10-game winning streak. The junior forward went 8-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, matching his career-high for 3’s made, as the Cardinals handed the Rockets just their second loss of the season. Teague also turned in an impressive defensive performance, guarding multiple positions, logging three steals and helping BSU hold Toledo nearly 20 points below its scoring average on just 36 percent shooting. Teague scored double figures for the 10th straight game. The Cardinals are 9-1 during that stretch.
Lacey James, Northern Illinois
Forward, Senior, Grand Rapids, Mich. (Rider)
NIU senior Lacey James posted his fourth career double-double, with a career-high 20 points and a career-best 14 rebounds as the Huskies rallied from down 14 points in the second half to earn a 72-66 road win at Ohio (Jan. 5) in its conference opener. James was 7-of-14 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line as the Huskies handed the Bobcats their first home loss of the season. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native scored 10 points in the second half and added six more in overtime to help propel the Huskies to their eighth victory of the season, and their first win in Athens since 2015.
Other Nominees
Jimond Ivey, Akron
Guard, Senior, Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)
Senior Jimond Ivey led the Akron Zips to a 56-48 win over Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference opener on Saturday. Ivey scored a team-high 18 points while shooting 56-percent (5-of-9) from the field which included a 40-percent (2-of-5) effort from deep. He buried 6-of-8 (.750) free throws and grabbed a second-best eight rebounds for the Zips. Ivey added three steals, two assists and a block to the winning effort.
Montell McRae, Buffalo
Forward, Senior, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Central Catholic)
Senior Montell McRae led the Bulls offensively on Friday night in the MAC opening win at Eastern Michigan as he scored a career high 18 points against the Eagles. In the first half of the game, McRae scored 12 straight points for the Bulls over a five-minute period. He hit back-to-back three pointers during the run, giving the Bulls the lead and they never trailed again. McRae was a perfect 6-of-6 from inside the arc, including a number of putback dunks off three offensive rebounds. McRae is the sixth different UB player with at least 18 points in a game this season.
Rob Montgomery, Central Michigan
Forward, Junior, Montgomery Village, Md. (Indian Hills CC)
Junior forward Rob Montgomery had the best game of his young Central Michigan career in his first-ever Mid-American Conference contest, leading the Chippewas to a big 84-77 road win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. Montgomery posted career highs in points (18) and rebounds (9), helping CMU claim just its third win in Oxford since the 1991 season. Montgomery shot 50% both overall (7-of-14) and from 3-point range (1-of-2) and 75% from the free throw line (3-of-4). In his first season in the maroon and gold, Montgomery has started all 14 games, leading CMU in blocked shots with 18 and ranking third in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan
Forward / Center, Senior, Baton Rouge, La.
Eastern Michigan senior forward James Thompson IV earned his fifth double-double of the season in EMU’s MAC opener against No. 20 Buffalo, Friday, Jan. 4. His 12 rebounds led all Eagles while he was one of just three members of the Green and White to score double-digits points, finishing with 11. The Baton Rouge, La. native has now garnered double-doubles in three straight games and his season total of 139 rebounds is the third-most in the Mid-American Conference. The senior needs 184 rebounds to become EMU’s all-time leader.
Philip Whittington, Kent State
Forward, Junior, Columbus, Ga
Against Oberlin, Whittington recorded his second career double-double with a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. Whittington's 18 points were a team-high in the 71-48 win over the Yeomen. Against Bowling Green, Whittington scored his second-straight game in double-figures with 10 points and team-high nine rebounds. Whittington led the Flashes in the opening half efforts with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five rebounds. He ended the game shooting 5-of-6 from the field (83.3 percent). The forward also had a game-high 3 blocks against Bowling Green
Dalonte Brown, Miami
Forward, Sophomore, Toledo, Ohio/Bowsher
Brown was Miami's leading scorer against Central Michigan on Saturday. He finished with 22 points, his third 20-point effort of the season. He drained four triples against the Chippewas and also finished with five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 34 minutes of action.
Teyvion Kirk, Ohio
Guard, Sophomore, Joliet, Ill. (Joliet West)
Sophomore guard Teyvion Kirk led Ohio offensively on Saturday (Jan. 5) against Northern Illinois in the Bobcats' MAC opener, scoring 22 points, going 10-of-16 from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point range. He also grabbed nine rebounds and had one steal in the 72-66 overtime effort.
Josh Davis, Western Michigan
Guard, Senior, Detroit, Mich. (Henry J. Ford)
Senior Josh Davis played 26 minutes at Akron on Saturday, registering a team-high 14 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Davis was 6-of-14 from the field, with his 14 field goal attempts marking a new career-high. Davis ranks third on the team at 12.9 points per game and has scored in double figures in three straight contests. In the past three games, Davis is averaging 13.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.