By DAVE DYE
FOX Sports Detroit
Feb. 14, 2011
For the first time this season, an Ohio State player isn't the Big Ten freshman of the week.
Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. put an end Monday to the Buckeyes' domination of the honor.
Hardaway, son of former NBA star Tim Hardaway Sr., averaged 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 63.5 percent last week in victories over Northwestern and Indiana.
"The game is slowing down for him," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "He's becoming much more at ease offensively and defensively.
"He's still very hard on himself. He really wants to get better. He's very focused on becoming a player. We love his development so far."
Ohio State's Jared Sullinger had been named the conference freshman of the week for 11 of the first 13 weeks, including sharing it with Hardaway on Dec. 27.
Two other Buckeyes -- Deshaun Thomas (Nov. 29) and Aaron Craft (Jan. 17) -- also had been honored before Hardaway finally broke the Ohio State streak.
While some freshmen hit the wall late in their first season, Hardaway Jr. appears to be only getting stronger and better. One big difference of late has been his improved shot selection.
Hardaway scored a career-high 26 points in Saturday's 73-69 victory over Indiana.
"He punked our guys," Indiana coach Tom Crean said after the game. "He's become a shot-maker. Earlier in the season, he was a shot-taker."
