ThomasCostello
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Rankings and snubs; Big Ten releases preseason All-B1G Teams, rankings and more
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes are coming off an outstanding season, and the expectations carry into the 23/24 season
All of the major outlets released their preseason rankings, bracketology and predictions for the 23/24 season. On Wednesday, the Big Ten conference released their own prognostications with its annual preseason All-B1G Team, preseason rankings and the coveted Player of the Year honor. Here’s where Ohio State women’s basketball landed throughout, with a couple arguments for snubs.
Ohio State is again predicted near the top of the conference. Coaches have the Buckeyes second behind the Iowa Hawkeyes, with the media putting the scarlet and gray third behind Iowa and the Indiana Hoosiers.
Last season, the top four mirrored this season’s selections for both voting camps, with the Maryland Terrapins coming in at No. 4. What’s changed are the No. 5 picks. Last season, coaches had Michigan rounding out top teams but this year the Illinois Fighting Illini jumped the Wolverines. Before the 22/23 season, the media selected the Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 5 but instead have Michigan occupying the final slot.
The individual benefactors from the Buckeyes is guard Jacy Sheldon and forward Cotie McMahon. Each of the stars earned a spot on both the coaches and media All-B1G Teams. Of the two, McMahon was unanimous for the coaches, joining a group of other unanimous selections in Indiana center Mackenzie Holmes, Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers, Michigan guard Laila Phelia and Iowa Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark, who was the only player unanimous in both teams.
Clark was also selected as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for both coaches and media, which is no surprise. What is surprising is that players like graduate senior Holmes, who’s arguably the Big Ten Player of the Year if Clark didn’t exist, wasn’t a unanimous media selection. Reminder that Land-Grant Holy Land is not included in the media vote.
McMahon and Sheldon are obvious choices. Last year, McMahon earned the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and a secure spot on the All-Freshman Team (although the media didn’t include McMahon unanimously there either). McMahon ended the season as the Buckeyes’ most dangerous weapon on offense. After starting her freshman season with up and down performances in the first month, McMahon came on strong when it counted.
At season’s end, McMahon averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Most of those points came from blistering attacks to the basket that teams couldn’t seem to stop. McMahon spun and Euro-stepped her way into the national conversation as a future star in the NCAA.
For Sheldon, the Dublin, Ohio native is on the other side of that conversation. As a graduate senior, the guard has one more season to make even more of an indelible impact on her already impressive Ohio State legacy.
Sheldon began last season up there with Clark as the only unanimous preseason selections for both coaches and media. At the start of the season, Sheldon was more than living up to the hype. The guard averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 steals per game in the first five games of the season, including a program-tying 11 steals against the Boston College Eagles. Then Sheldon vanished, due to a foot injury that followed the guard through the rest of the season.
The guard returned for the Big Ten conference tournament, but in limited minutes. It was the NCAA Tournament where the Sheldon of November returned. The menacing senior averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals in four games, including hitting the game-winning shot in the second round against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
While McMahon and Sheldon are warranted on the preseason lists, two names missing are transfer guard Celeste Taylor and forward/guard Taylor Thierry.
Taylor is new to the Big Ten, by way of Texas and Duke, but a National Defensive Player of the Year finalist and ACC Defensive Player of the Year award winner going ignored by the conference is a shock.
In Thierry’s case, the Buckeye made a leap from her freshman to sophomore season, leading to a All-B1G Second Team and All-B1G Defensive Team selection for the 22-23 season. Head coach Kevin McGuff often calls Thierry the most athletic person on the court in every game she plays, but what he applauds the most is the work Thierry puts into her craft. If that work continues, the awards that matter should come Thierry’s way at the end of the season.
Here’s the full list of selections, with unanimous selections in italics:
2023-24 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings
2023-24 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
* Coaches team has an extra player due to a tie in voting
2023-24 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes are coming off an outstanding season, and the expectations carry into the 23/24 season
All of the major outlets released their preseason rankings, bracketology and predictions for the 23/24 season. On Wednesday, the Big Ten conference released their own prognostications with its annual preseason All-B1G Team, preseason rankings and the coveted Player of the Year honor. Here’s where Ohio State women’s basketball landed throughout, with a couple arguments for snubs.
Ohio State is again predicted near the top of the conference. Coaches have the Buckeyes second behind the Iowa Hawkeyes, with the media putting the scarlet and gray third behind Iowa and the Indiana Hoosiers.
Last season, the top four mirrored this season’s selections for both voting camps, with the Maryland Terrapins coming in at No. 4. What’s changed are the No. 5 picks. Last season, coaches had Michigan rounding out top teams but this year the Illinois Fighting Illini jumped the Wolverines. Before the 22/23 season, the media selected the Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 5 but instead have Michigan occupying the final slot.
The individual benefactors from the Buckeyes is guard Jacy Sheldon and forward Cotie McMahon. Each of the stars earned a spot on both the coaches and media All-B1G Teams. Of the two, McMahon was unanimous for the coaches, joining a group of other unanimous selections in Indiana center Mackenzie Holmes, Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers, Michigan guard Laila Phelia and Iowa Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark, who was the only player unanimous in both teams.
Clark was also selected as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for both coaches and media, which is no surprise. What is surprising is that players like graduate senior Holmes, who’s arguably the Big Ten Player of the Year if Clark didn’t exist, wasn’t a unanimous media selection. Reminder that Land-Grant Holy Land is not included in the media vote.
McMahon and Sheldon are obvious choices. Last year, McMahon earned the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and a secure spot on the All-Freshman Team (although the media didn’t include McMahon unanimously there either). McMahon ended the season as the Buckeyes’ most dangerous weapon on offense. After starting her freshman season with up and down performances in the first month, McMahon came on strong when it counted.
At season’s end, McMahon averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Most of those points came from blistering attacks to the basket that teams couldn’t seem to stop. McMahon spun and Euro-stepped her way into the national conversation as a future star in the NCAA.
For Sheldon, the Dublin, Ohio native is on the other side of that conversation. As a graduate senior, the guard has one more season to make even more of an indelible impact on her already impressive Ohio State legacy.
Sheldon began last season up there with Clark as the only unanimous preseason selections for both coaches and media. At the start of the season, Sheldon was more than living up to the hype. The guard averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 steals per game in the first five games of the season, including a program-tying 11 steals against the Boston College Eagles. Then Sheldon vanished, due to a foot injury that followed the guard through the rest of the season.
The guard returned for the Big Ten conference tournament, but in limited minutes. It was the NCAA Tournament where the Sheldon of November returned. The menacing senior averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals in four games, including hitting the game-winning shot in the second round against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
While McMahon and Sheldon are warranted on the preseason lists, two names missing are transfer guard Celeste Taylor and forward/guard Taylor Thierry.
Taylor is new to the Big Ten, by way of Texas and Duke, but a National Defensive Player of the Year finalist and ACC Defensive Player of the Year award winner going ignored by the conference is a shock.
In Thierry’s case, the Buckeye made a leap from her freshman to sophomore season, leading to a All-B1G Second Team and All-B1G Defensive Team selection for the 22-23 season. Head coach Kevin McGuff often calls Thierry the most athletic person on the court in every game she plays, but what he applauds the most is the work Thierry puts into her craft. If that work continues, the awards that matter should come Thierry’s way at the end of the season.
Here’s the full list of selections, with unanimous selections in italics:
2023-24 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings
- Iowa
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Illinois
2023-24 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
- Makira Cook, Illinois
- Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa
- Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
- Laila Phelia, Michigan
- Mara Braun, Minnesota
- Alexis Markowski, Nebraska
- Jaz Shelley, Nebraska
- Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
- Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
- Makenna Marisa, Penn State
* Coaches team has an extra player due to a tie in voting
2023-24 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Ohio State
- Maryland
- Michigan
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team
- Makira Cook, Illinois
- Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa
- Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
- Laila Phelia, Michigan
- Alexis Markowski, Nebraska
- Jaz Shelley, Nebraska
- Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
- Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
- Makenna Marisa, Penn State
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Continue reading...