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You’re Nuts: Who will win Big Ten Freshman of the Year?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
Jon Rothstein thinks Juni Mobley will be, “one of the top newcomers,” in the country, but will he win Big Ten Freshman of the Year?
The official/unofficial preseason media poll was released this week, along with first and second-team All-Big Ten teams, Freshman of the Year and Transfer of the Year predictions, and more. The Buckeyes were picked to finish eighth in the conference, although one brave media member did pick them to finish first. Bruce Thornton was the only Ohio State representative on the first or second team — he was voted first team All-Big Ten.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what Ohio State’s record will be once it completes its 11-game non conference portion of the schedule that includes four SEC teams and Pitt. Connor predicted a record of 9-2, with losses to Auburn and Texas A&M. Justin went with 8-3, and thinks the Buckeyes will lost to Auburn, Texas A&M, and Texas.
Justin won the poll by just a hair, with 29% of the vote. Right behind him was the “worse than 8-3” option, with 27% of the vote. 25% of the readers sided with Connor, and the remaining 19% believe Ohio State will end the non conference with fewer than two losses. Love the confidence there, 19%.
Connor- 81
Now that pre-season accolades are being dished out, we thought we would dish out our own. Unfortunately, neither of our basketball writers were brave enough to take Jon Rothstein’s advice and give it to Juni Mobley.
There’s a pair of five-star freshmen at Rutgers you say? Two guys who will both be drafted in the lottery and are probably going to carry Rutgers to the NCAA Tournament? That’s nice, but I’ll take the next player who will be the product of the Purdue big man factory — Daniel Jacobsen.
Jacobsen is a 7-foot-4, 235-pound center from Chicago who finished his high school career at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire — the same high school former Buckeye Alonzo Gaffney graduated from. Jacobsen was the No. 148 player in the 2024 cycle, the No. 29 center, and the No. 3 player in the state of New Hampshire.
Jacobsen is as tall as Zach Edey, but he’s 65 pounds lighter than Edey was at this time last season. While expectations for Jacobsen are high among Purdue fans, there won’t be pressure on the freshman to step right into the lineup in November and start producing. The Boilermakers also have 7-foot-2 Will Berg, 6-foot-10 Caleb Furst, and 6-foot-9 Trey Kaufman-Renn on the roster, which means Matt Painter has a few different options at center if he doesn’t want to throw Jacobsen into the fire so soon.
But in the long term, Jacobsen may be the best option for Purdue at center. Being tall isn’t everything, but there’s no denying that it’s something. Jacobsen has a huge wingspan and can block and alter shots that nobody else can. He’s also coming into college with at least a little bit of a jump shot — something Edey never developed in college, even with all of his success.
Purdue was picked to win the Big Ten for the third consecutive season this week in the pre-season media poll, and I think to do that the Boilermakers will need to get some production out of Jacobsen this season. He didn’t receive a single vote for Freshman of the Year, but there’s a real chance he’s just as productive as any other freshman in this conference, recruiting rankings be damned.
There are a lot of talented freshmen in the conference, but I am going to go with the chalk pick and the one that is the most talented and will likely have the most opportunity.
Bailey is a 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward with elite athleticism and will be playing in the NBA next season. He was a five-star in the 2025 class and the No. 2 overall recruit, only behind generational talent Cooper Flagg. Bailey has no weaknesses in his game and will be one of the top players in the conference as soon as he steps on the court.
Adam Finkelstein, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, said Bailey, “has terrific size and effortless athleticism on the wing. He covers the court fluidity, plays way above the rim, and can move laterally as well. Because his physical tools can be so glaring, it’s easy to underestimate his skill set, which includes a good-looking shooting stroke.”
He added, “On top of all that, Bailey has also shown signs of a real passing instinct. That overlap of physical tools, along with under-rated skill and feel, makes him a uniquely talented wing prospect in the national class. He’ll only continue to ascend as he develops his body, his ability to create his own shot off the dribble, and proves himself against top competition.”
No need to overthink this. His main competition for this will be his teammate Dylan Harper, but I think Bailey will average 16 and 8 per game and be a top five — or top two — NBA Draft pick.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
Jon Rothstein thinks Juni Mobley will be, “one of the top newcomers,” in the country, but will he win Big Ten Freshman of the Year?
The official/unofficial preseason media poll was released this week, along with first and second-team All-Big Ten teams, Freshman of the Year and Transfer of the Year predictions, and more. The Buckeyes were picked to finish eighth in the conference, although one brave media member did pick them to finish first. Bruce Thornton was the only Ohio State representative on the first or second team — he was voted first team All-Big Ten.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what Ohio State’s record will be once it completes its 11-game non conference portion of the schedule that includes four SEC teams and Pitt. Connor predicted a record of 9-2, with losses to Auburn and Texas A&M. Justin went with 8-3, and thinks the Buckeyes will lost to Auburn, Texas A&M, and Texas.
Justin won the poll by just a hair, with 29% of the vote. Right behind him was the “worse than 8-3” option, with 27% of the vote. 25% of the readers sided with Connor, and the remaining 19% believe Ohio State will end the non conference with fewer than two losses. Love the confidence there, 19%.
After 172 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 70
Other- 17
(There have been four ties)
Now that pre-season accolades are being dished out, we thought we would dish out our own. Unfortunately, neither of our basketball writers were brave enough to take Jon Rothstein’s advice and give it to Juni Mobley.
This week’s question: Who will win Big Ten Freshman of the Year?
Connor: Daniel Jacobsen
There’s a pair of five-star freshmen at Rutgers you say? Two guys who will both be drafted in the lottery and are probably going to carry Rutgers to the NCAA Tournament? That’s nice, but I’ll take the next player who will be the product of the Purdue big man factory — Daniel Jacobsen.
Jacobsen is a 7-foot-4, 235-pound center from Chicago who finished his high school career at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire — the same high school former Buckeye Alonzo Gaffney graduated from. Jacobsen was the No. 148 player in the 2024 cycle, the No. 29 center, and the No. 3 player in the state of New Hampshire.
Jacobsen is as tall as Zach Edey, but he’s 65 pounds lighter than Edey was at this time last season. While expectations for Jacobsen are high among Purdue fans, there won’t be pressure on the freshman to step right into the lineup in November and start producing. The Boilermakers also have 7-foot-2 Will Berg, 6-foot-10 Caleb Furst, and 6-foot-9 Trey Kaufman-Renn on the roster, which means Matt Painter has a few different options at center if he doesn’t want to throw Jacobsen into the fire so soon.
But in the long term, Jacobsen may be the best option for Purdue at center. Being tall isn’t everything, but there’s no denying that it’s something. Jacobsen has a huge wingspan and can block and alter shots that nobody else can. He’s also coming into college with at least a little bit of a jump shot — something Edey never developed in college, even with all of his success.
Purdue was picked to win the Big Ten for the third consecutive season this week in the pre-season media poll, and I think to do that the Boilermakers will need to get some production out of Jacobsen this season. He didn’t receive a single vote for Freshman of the Year, but there’s a real chance he’s just as productive as any other freshman in this conference, recruiting rankings be damned.
Justin: Ace Bailey
There are a lot of talented freshmen in the conference, but I am going to go with the chalk pick and the one that is the most talented and will likely have the most opportunity.
Bailey is a 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward with elite athleticism and will be playing in the NBA next season. He was a five-star in the 2025 class and the No. 2 overall recruit, only behind generational talent Cooper Flagg. Bailey has no weaknesses in his game and will be one of the top players in the conference as soon as he steps on the court.
Adam Finkelstein, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, said Bailey, “has terrific size and effortless athleticism on the wing. He covers the court fluidity, plays way above the rim, and can move laterally as well. Because his physical tools can be so glaring, it’s easy to underestimate his skill set, which includes a good-looking shooting stroke.”
He added, “On top of all that, Bailey has also shown signs of a real passing instinct. That overlap of physical tools, along with under-rated skill and feel, makes him a uniquely talented wing prospect in the national class. He’ll only continue to ascend as he develops his body, his ability to create his own shot off the dribble, and proves himself against top competition.”
No need to overthink this. His main competition for this will be his teammate Dylan Harper, but I think Bailey will average 16 and 8 per game and be a top five — or top two — NBA Draft pick.
Continue reading...