Connor Lemons
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You’re Nuts: Who will win Big Ten men’s basketball player 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
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Who do you think will be honored as the best player in the new 18-team Big Ten at season’s end?
Big Ten media day has come and gone, as well as Ohio State’s own media day. The Buckeyes will play real, live basketball in one week against Cincinnati in an exhibition game, and the season opener will come 17 days later in Sin City against the Texas Longhorns. For all intents and purposes, we are back.
With college basketball returning in a matter of weeks, we’ve shifted into season preview season. Last week, we debated who would win Big Ten Freshman of the Year. This week, we’re picking conference player of the year in the new-look, 18-team Big Ten.
Justin picked electric Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey to win Big Ten freshman of the week, while Connor went with Purdue’s next behemoth center, Daniel Jacobsen. The readers agreed with... neither of us? The most popular choice was “someone else” at 57%, followed by Justin/Ace Bailey at 39% and Jacobsen at 4%.
Connor- 81
We’ll give our picks for B1G POY shortly, but as a refresher, here are the players who were picked in the pre-season to be all-conference honorees. Purdue guard Braden Smith was selected as pre-season Big Ten POY.
2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Oumar Ballo, R-Sr.+, C, Indiana
Payton Sandfort, Sr., F, Iowa
Dawson Garcia, Sr., F, Minnesota
Brooks Barnhizer, Sr., G, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Jr., G, Ohio State
Jackson Shelstad, So., G, Oregon
Ace Baldwin Jr., Sr+, G, Penn State
BRADEN SMITH, Jr., G, Purdue
Dylan Harper, Fr., G, Rutgers
Great Osobor, Sr., F, Washington
I think the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to surprise some people this season, and a big reason will be Sandfort picking up Zach Edey’s crown as the best player in the conference.
He’s gotten better each season, going from five points per game as a freshman to 10.3 as a sophomore, and then 16.4 last year, when he led Iowa in scoring and was named third-team All-Big Ten. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and also led the Big Ten with 2.8 three-pointers made per game.
Another reason Sandfort is going to be set up for success? He plays for a team and a coach that’s going to get him plenty of good shots. Fran McCaffery is the best offensive coach in the Big Ten, and when he finds himself a star player (think Luka Garza, both Murray brothers, etc.), he makes sure to put that guy front and center and find ways to get them plenty of shots.
As a team, Iowa led the Big Ten in points per game each year from 2018-2023. This past season, they finished second behind Illinois. So, while their brutal defensive has held the program back for a long time (Iowa has not made it to a single Sweet Sixteen since McCaffery took the job in 2010), the Hawkeyes have been elite offensively for the better part of a decade.
Because of the situation he’s in — and because he’s an all-around great player — I think Sandfort will win Big Ten Player of the Year. He’s increased his scoring every year, and if he keeps on that same pace, we could see him push it to 21 or 22 points per game this year. Not to mention, he’s 6-foot-8 and pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game last season, which was top-15 in the Big Ten.
Sandfort put his name into the NBA Draft in the spring, but withdrew to play his senior season at Iowa with his younger brother, Pryce. I think Sandfort will have a huge year and get Iowa back into the NCAA Tournament.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25641002/usa_today_23710272.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
I am picking Bruce Thornton to win the Big Ten Player of the Year for three reasons.
The first one is I think the Buckeyes are going to make a huge jump as a team, and Thornton will get a majority of that credit as the best player on the team and the only returner from the past couple of years. The Buckeyes have missed the tournament for the last two years, and if they make it back this year, which I think they will do fairly easily, whoever leads the team will get a ton of credit. I think that will be Thornton.
The second reason is production. Thornton has always been able to produce for the Buckeyes, and with Meechie Johnson now being his running mate, teams can’t lock in on Thornton and take him out of the offense. I think Thornton will score at his highest and most efficient level and average 16-19 points a game and 5-6 assists per game. He is also a good rebounder and solid shooter, so his stat line should be good enough.
The third reason is Zach Edey is gone, and the award is ready to be taken by someone new. It might as well be Thornton.
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
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Who do you think will be honored as the best player in the new 18-team Big Ten at season’s end?
Big Ten media day has come and gone, as well as Ohio State’s own media day. The Buckeyes will play real, live basketball in one week against Cincinnati in an exhibition game, and the season opener will come 17 days later in Sin City against the Texas Longhorns. For all intents and purposes, we are back.
With college basketball returning in a matter of weeks, we’ve shifted into season preview season. Last week, we debated who would win Big Ten Freshman of the Year. This week, we’re picking conference player of the year in the new-look, 18-team Big Ten.
Justin picked electric Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey to win Big Ten freshman of the week, while Connor went with Purdue’s next behemoth center, Daniel Jacobsen. The readers agreed with... neither of us? The most popular choice was “someone else” at 57%, followed by Justin/Ace Bailey at 39% and Jacobsen at 4%.
After 173 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 70
Other- 18
(There have been four ties)
We’ll give our picks for B1G POY shortly, but as a refresher, here are the players who were picked in the pre-season to be all-conference honorees. Purdue guard Braden Smith was selected as pre-season Big Ten POY.
2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Oumar Ballo, R-Sr.+, C, Indiana
Payton Sandfort, Sr., F, Iowa
Dawson Garcia, Sr., F, Minnesota
Brooks Barnhizer, Sr., G, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Jr., G, Ohio State
Jackson Shelstad, So., G, Oregon
Ace Baldwin Jr., Sr+, G, Penn State
BRADEN SMITH, Jr., G, Purdue
Dylan Harper, Fr., G, Rutgers
Great Osobor, Sr., F, Washington
This week’s question: Who will win Big Ten Player of the Year?
Connor: Payton Sandfort (Iowa)
I think the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to surprise some people this season, and a big reason will be Sandfort picking up Zach Edey’s crown as the best player in the conference.
He’s gotten better each season, going from five points per game as a freshman to 10.3 as a sophomore, and then 16.4 last year, when he led Iowa in scoring and was named third-team All-Big Ten. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and also led the Big Ten with 2.8 three-pointers made per game.
Another reason Sandfort is going to be set up for success? He plays for a team and a coach that’s going to get him plenty of good shots. Fran McCaffery is the best offensive coach in the Big Ten, and when he finds himself a star player (think Luka Garza, both Murray brothers, etc.), he makes sure to put that guy front and center and find ways to get them plenty of shots.
As a team, Iowa led the Big Ten in points per game each year from 2018-2023. This past season, they finished second behind Illinois. So, while their brutal defensive has held the program back for a long time (Iowa has not made it to a single Sweet Sixteen since McCaffery took the job in 2010), the Hawkeyes have been elite offensively for the better part of a decade.
Because of the situation he’s in — and because he’s an all-around great player — I think Sandfort will win Big Ten Player of the Year. He’s increased his scoring every year, and if he keeps on that same pace, we could see him push it to 21 or 22 points per game this year. Not to mention, he’s 6-foot-8 and pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game last season, which was top-15 in the Big Ten.
Sandfort put his name into the NBA Draft in the spring, but withdrew to play his senior season at Iowa with his younger brother, Pryce. I think Sandfort will have a huge year and get Iowa back into the NCAA Tournament.
Justin: Bruce Thornton
I am picking Bruce Thornton to win the Big Ten Player of the Year for three reasons.
The first one is I think the Buckeyes are going to make a huge jump as a team, and Thornton will get a majority of that credit as the best player on the team and the only returner from the past couple of years. The Buckeyes have missed the tournament for the last two years, and if they make it back this year, which I think they will do fairly easily, whoever leads the team will get a ton of credit. I think that will be Thornton.
The second reason is production. Thornton has always been able to produce for the Buckeyes, and with Meechie Johnson now being his running mate, teams can’t lock in on Thornton and take him out of the offense. I think Thornton will score at his highest and most efficient level and average 16-19 points a game and 5-6 assists per game. He is also a good rebounder and solid shooter, so his stat line should be good enough.
The third reason is Zach Edey is gone, and the award is ready to be taken by someone new. It might as well be Thornton.
Continue reading...