The Big Ten is nearly halfway through its season, and it’s time to highlight some of the league’s best players so far. The league is as strong as ever, with five teams currently in the top 12 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue have all emerged as legitimate Final Four contenders and could bring the conference its first national championship since 2000. The battle for the regular season title and the top four seeds in the Big Ten Tournament should be intense down the stretch.
advertise
There are several teams in the league whose players deserve recognition for their high-level performance. If the season ended today, here are my projected First-Team, Second-Team and Third-Team selections in the Big Ten.
first team
-
Brayden Smith, Purdue University — 15.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds
-
Michigan G Jeremy’s Concerns — 13.4 points, 8.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds
-
Illinois G Keaton Wagler (Freshman of the Year) — 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists
-
Nebraska F Price Sanford — 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists
-
Michigan State F Axel Lundborg — 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists
second team
-
Bennett Stietz, Iowa — 18.3 points, 5.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds
-
Wisconsin G John Blackwell — 18.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists
-
Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton — 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists
-
Northwestern F Nick Martinelli — 23.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists
-
Washington F. Hannes Steinbach — 17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Team 3
-
Minnesota G Cade Tyson — 20.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists
-
Wisconsin G Nick Boyd – 19.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists
-
Michigan State F – Jaxon Kohler – 13.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists
-
Nebraska F Rienke Mast – 14.6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
-
UCLA F Tyler Bilodeau — 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
The talent level in the Big Ten is as strong as ever, making these selections anything but easy. Historically, players on winning teams tend to be rewarded over those who perform well on struggling teams, and this is reflected in my first-team selections, which come primarily from the league’s top contenders.
Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler and Washington’s Hannes Steinbach are currently vying for the league’s Rookie of the Year title, but Wagler is leading the race for Rookie of the Year at this point in the season.
advertise
If the year ended today, Wagler should be a lock for first-team All-Big Ten honors and firmly in his pursuit of becoming the first freshman ever to win Big Ten Player of the Year.