Pac-12 basketball player of the week: Lauri Markkanen, Arizona Wildcats forward

The 7-0 forward from Jyväskylä, Finland led Arizona in managing 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in sweeping the Los Angeles programs. Markkanen shot 14-of-22 (0.636) from the field and 8-of-10 (.800) behind the arc for the week.

Lauri Markkanen had a game-high 23 points (8-12 FG, 5-6 3FG) at USC. It’s the 11th game this season he has led the Wildcats in scoring. He followed up with 18 points (6-10 FG, 3-4 3FG) to help Arizona win at No. 3 UCLA for its best true road win over a ranked opponent since downing No. 1 Stanford in March 2001.

Markkanen's performance was key to the Wildcats extending their winning streak to 12 consecutive games and remaining unbeaten in Pac-12 play (7-0). With last week's victories, Arizona has road sweeps of both the LA and Bay Area schools in the same season for the first time since 2002-03.

This is the fifth weekly award for a Pac-12 freshman so far in 2016-17, the second-most in a season since the award was created. It trails only the seven rookie selections in 2007-08.