INDIANAPOLIS — Beginning Wednesday, the bulk of the Big Ten will congregate in Indianapolis for this year’s men’s conference tournament.
For the first time, not every team in the league reached this phase. In seeding the field, the league pared 18 teams down to 15, leaving Nebraska, Penn State and Washington at home.
That newfound breadth also made selecting for all-conference honors more difficult. The Big Ten has very simply become so big, it’s hard to separate out its best players. But, we did it anyway.
A poll of nine reporters from the USA Today network — each covering a beat somewhere in the conference — produced two All-Big Ten teams, plus a slew of individual awards. No beat had multiple voters. In total, 14 different teams within the conference were represented somewhere in the final results.
With games set to tip off Wednesday afternoon, here’s who arrives to Indy with honors in tow:
FIRST TEAM
(unanimous selections in all caps)
SECOND TEAM
(four tied for final spot)
Honorable mention: Jaden Akins, Michigan State; Oumar Ballo, Indiana; Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA; Nate Bittle, Oregon; Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois; Jase Richardson, Michigan State.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Tom Izzo, Michigan State.
Also receiving votes: Dusty May, Michigan; Greg Gard, Wisconsin.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Braden Smith, Purdue.
Also receiving votes: Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue; John Tonje, Wisconsin.
TRANSFER OF THE YEAR: John Tonje, Wisconsin.
Also receiving votes: Danny Wolf, Michigan.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Derik Queen, Maryland.
Also receiving votes: Ace Bailey, Rutgers; Dylan Harper, Rutgers.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jaden Akins, Michigan State.
Also receiving votes: Anthony Leal, Indiana; Danny Wolf, Michigan; Ace Baldwin, Penn State; Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State; Nate Bittle, Oregon.
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