Inside the Hall’s 2018 All-Big Ten teams, awards

  • 02/26/2018 9:27 am in

The Big Ten will announce its All-Big Ten teams and awards later today, but here’s the Inside the Hall staff’s selections for the various honors that will be handed out:

All-Big Ten freshman team

· Jaren Jackson, Michigan State; Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State; Bruno Fernando, Maryland; Trent Frazier, Illinois; Brad Davison, Wisconsin

Comment: It wasn’t a great crop of freshmen in the Big Ten this season, but Jackson and Wesson were clear cut selections as both played significant roles on teams that contended for the Big Ten title.

All-Big Ten defensive team

· Jaren Jackson, Michigan State; Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State; Josh Reaves, Penn State; Ethan Happ, Wisconsin; Carsen Edwards, Purdue

Comment: Happ and Jackson are elite post defenders, Bates-Diop was the anchor of the Big Ten’s best defense and Edwards and Reaves are two of the league’s best on-ball defenders.

All-Big Ten teams

· Third team: Nick Ward, Michigan State; Isaac Haas, Purdue; Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Michigan; Jaren Jackson, Michigan State; Jordan Murphy, Minnesota

· Second team: James Palmer, Nebraska; Ethan Happ, Wisconsin; Juwan Morgan, Indiana; Tony Carr, Penn State; Moritz Wagner, Michigan

· First team: Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State; Carsen Edwards, Purdue; Miles Bridges, Michigan State; Vincent Edwards, Purdue; Cassius Winston, Michigan State

Comment: The first two teams were difficult to sort out, particularly when it comes to the final two spots on the first team. Edwards was an all-around force for the Boilermakers, currently the nation’s fourth best team according to the KenPom ratings. Winston, meanwhile, led the Big Ten in assist rate and 3-point shooting percentage.

Big Ten coach of the year: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State

Comment: This wasn’t even debatable. Holtmann took over in June in Columbus and took a team most projected to finish in the league’s bottom four and led them to 15 conference wins.

Big Ten freshman of the year: Jaren Jackson, Michigan State

Comment: Jackson is fifth in the country in block percentage and is a major reason the Spartans have the nation’s best 2-point field goal percentage defense.

Big Ten defensive player of the year: Jaren Jackson, Michigan State

Comment: In a season where the Big Ten’s freshman crop wasn’t great, Jackson was easily the most impactful of the group as he played a major role for the outright regular season champion.

Big Ten sixth man of the year: Matt Haarms, Purdue

Comment: The nation’s sixth best shot blocker came off the bench for the Boilermakers. While his offensive impact may have been limited, it’s hard to dispute the impact Haarms can have defensively on a game in the post.

Big Ten player of the year: Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State

Comment: Where would Ohio State be without Bates-Diop? I think the program’s performance last season provides a pretty clear answer. Bates-Diop is a true two-way player who led the Buckeyes to 15 conference wins.

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