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Penn State Hoops’ Jalen Pickett Named ESPN National Player Of The Week

Penn State men’s basketball’s very own Jalen Pickett was named ESPN National Player of the Week following his two outstanding performances against Illinois and Minnesota. Over those two games, he averaged 36.5 points, eight assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Throughout the course of that two-game stretch, Pickett shot 65% from the field, 53% from three, and 92.3% from the stripe. According to OptaSTATS, Pickett is the only collegiate player in the last 25 years to have a two-game span with 70+ points, 15+ assists, 10+ rebounds, 65.0+ field goal percentage, and 90.0+ free throw percentage. The only players to have those same numbers in the last 25 years are Lebron James and Steph Curry in the NBA.

In the game against Illinois, Pickett scored 41 points while shooting 75% from the field. He also totaled eight assists and two rebounds. It was the first 40+ point game for a Nittany Lion since 1961, and the sixth-ever 40-point game in program history. He also scored his 2,000th point in that game.

Pickett tallied 32 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in Minnesota. He brought down his 700th career rebound as well, making him the first Division I player in at least 37 years to have accumulated 2000+ career points, 700+ career rebounds, and 700+ career assists.

Pickett continues to be the only player in the country averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game. The last time a player finished the season with that stat line was Denzel Valentine’s All-American season in 2015 to 2016. He would go on to win Big Ten Player of the Year.

The Nittany Lions will return to action on Thursday, February 23, at Ohio State, where Pickett will try to keep his historic scoring streak alive.

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About the Author

Owen Abbey

Owen Abbey is a senior from Annapolis, Maryland, majoring in secondary education and minoring in social justice in education. When he is not writing for the blog, he enjoys rooting for the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens, supporting Penn State basketball and softball, dreaming of all of the ways he would win the TV show "Survivor", and yes mom, actually doing school work. If you would like to talk about sports or "Survivor", the best way to reach out is on Twitter @theowenabbey. All other compliments may be sent to [email protected]

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