Mark Sears, Ohio, Guard
Sophomore, Muscle Shoals, Ala. / Hargrave Military Academy
Sophomore guard Mark Sears was once again sensational last week, helping Ohio go 2-0 on the week to improve to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play - the Bobcats' best start since 2011-12. Overall, Sears averaged 26.0 points, going 17-of-29 (.586) from the field, 3-of-7 (.429) from three and was 15-of-16 (.938) from the line. He averaged 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
On Jan. 4 at Akron, Sears scored 24 points, going 8-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists in 38 minutes. Sears was pivotal in helping the Bobcats hold off a Zips' comeback late in the second half. With Ohio only leading by two with 24 seconds left, Sears sank a jumper, putting Ohio up 67-63 and sealing the game, which the Bobcats would go on to win, 69-63.
Then on Jan. 7, Sears against was masterful. Going head-to-head with Kent State guard Sincere Carry, Sears scored 28 points, going 9-of-15 from the field, 1-of-3 from three and was 9-of-10 from the line. He also grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists and had one steal in the 80-72 victory inside the Convo. The win extended Ohio's win streak to seven games.
Other Nominees
Tyler Cochran, Ball State, Guard
Sophomore, Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook)
Tyler Cochran led the Cardinals with 19.0 points per game over the week and was second on the team during the week with 5.5 rebounds per game. Cochran recorded a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds against Kent State. He added an assist and a steal. In the game at Eastern Michigan, he finished with 15 points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist. He recorded a field-goal percentage of .600, shot .333 percent from 3-point range, and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Daeqwon Plowden, Bowling Green, Forward
Senior, Philadelphia, Pa. (Mastery Charter North)
Bowling Green senior forward Daeqwon Plowden began the week against Buffalo, narrowly missing a double-double. Plowden posted 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds against the Bulls. Plowden continued that success against Miami, leading the Falcons to an overtime victory. Plowden tallied a career-high 27 points against the RedHawks in addition to 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Of the 27 points, Plowden scored 21 after halftime. Plowden also logged a pair of steals and a block in each contest as well.
David Skogman, Buffalo, Forward
Sophomore, Waukesha, WI (Waukesha West)
Sophomore David Skogman had career highs of 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Bulls defeated Bowling Green on Wednesday. More impressive is that Skogman did not miss a shot as he was perfect from the floor (6-6), the three-point line (2-2) and the free throw line (6-6). Skogman is only the second player in the nation this year to score at least 20 points without missing a shot from the floor. Since 2010, Skogman is the only player in the NCAA has been perfect from the field, the three point line, and the free throw line, while recording 20 points and at least 15 boards
Noah Farrakhan, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Freshman, Newark, N.J.-The Patrick School
Freshman transfer guard Noah Farrakhan (Newark, N.J.-The Patrick School (East Carolina)) was outstanding for Eastern Michigan in a pair of games against Western Michigan and Ball State. Farrakhan was the catalyst to Eastern Michigan’s impressive offensive display in its MAC-opening road win over in-state rival Western Michigan. The first-year Eagle dropped 25 points, his second most of the season, including 20 in the first half, to lead the team in their 85-point display over the Broncos. Farrakhan's 20 first-half points were a career-best and the most for any Eastern player since Yeikson Montero did it Dec. 27, 2020 against Olivet. Additionally, EMU’s 85 total points, which it used to best Western by six, are the most for Eastern Michigan in any road game this season. Farrakhan followed his Western Michigan performance with another impressive outing against Ball State, Jan. 8. He put up 13 points and notched a season-best four steals against the Cardinals to record 10th double-digit outing of the season.
Sincere Carry, Kent State, Guard
Redshirt Junior, Solon, Ohio
Carry recorded his fourth and fifth 20+ point games of the season last week, first in a thrilling victory over Ball State. Against the Cardinals, Carry scored a season-high 26 points while adding seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He also held Ball State's Luke Bumbalough, one of the MAC's leading scorers, to just three points on 1-for-9 shooting. Carry followed that up with another 26-point performance on Friday night against Ohio. He nearly led the Flashes to a wild come-from-behind victory over the Bobcats but ultimately came up just short. Carry led the team with eight rebounds and recorded all six of his assists during the second half comeback attempt. The Solon, Ohio native played all 40 minutes in both contests and shot nearly 50 percent from the field.
Dae Dae Grant, Miami, Guard
Junior, Lorain, Ohio (Lorain)
Dae Dae Grant amassed a season-high and team-leading 26 points at Bowling Green in the RedHawks’ lone game of the week. Grant hit a career-high-tying 10 field goals, including six three-pointers. His six treys helped Miami to a 15-triple effort on the day, tying for fifth-most in a single game in program history. Grant hit 45.5 percent of his field goals and 46.1 percent of his long-range shots. He added five rebounds, five assists and a steal to his line in a career-high 41:55 minutes of action in the overtime game. It was Grant’s third-straight game with five or more assists and the sixth-straight of four or more assists.
RayJ Dennis, Toledo, Guard
Junior, Plainfield, Ill. (Oswego)
Junior RayJ Dennis averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and shot an impressive 68.8 percent from the field (11-of-16) and 75.0 percent (3-of-4) from three-point range. Dennis tallied 10 points, six rebounds and two assists in an 82-54 win at Central Michigan on Tuesday before tying for the team scoring lead with 16 points and grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists vs. Northern Illinois on Saturday.
Lamar Norman Jr., Western Michigan, Guard
Junior, Grand Rapids, Mich. (Godwin Heights)
Norman scored a career-high 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting (all career highs) against Eastern Michigan in WMU's lone game of the week ... Of his 34 points, 20 came in the first half, making him the first Bronco to score 20 in a half since Michael Flowers in the first round of the 2020 MAC Tournament at Toledo. The junior guard also equaled his career-best with four assists and had three steals for the Broncos.