"I saw a stat the other day that the last player in the Big Ten to average 17-plus points and 7-plus assists was Magic Johnson," Groce told reporters Friday in Champaign, Ill. "And he was pretty good.

"So if people are talking about him being a national player of the year candidate, then deservedly so."

Through 19 games, Burke's leading the Big Ten in assists at 7.2 per game. He's also third in the league in scoring at 17.8 points per game. His assist-turnover ratio is +3.9, which is fifth nationally.

mlive.com