ST. LOUIS (AP) — The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has chosen Illinois guard Brandon Paul as its national player of the week after his 35-point game at Gonzaga.

The association said Tuesday that it chose Paul for the honor.

Paul and the now-No. 10 Illini upset Gonzaga on the road Saturday 85-74. Gonzaga was ranked 10th coming into the game and heavily favored.

The Illini also beat Western Carolina 72-64 last week. Between the two games the 6-4 Paul averaged 24.5 points and three rebounds.

Paul leads the Illini for the season with 19.5 points a game. He also averages 4.4 rebounds.

Paul also earned him Big Ten player of the week honors.