Tonight, the All-Big Ten teams and other postseason honors will be announced and it should be a different sort of evening for Purdue than in years past, because the Boilermakers actually accomplished things this season.
We do have an All-Big Ten vote, something we take probably more seriously than we ought to. Took me an hour-and-a-half to figure out on Sunday, which seems excessive.
Anyway, in advance of the announcements tonight, I thought people might be interested in what at least one ballot - ours - looked like.
First-team All-Big Ten
1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin: Obviously.
2. D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State: Obviously:
3. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana: You can probably make a case against him because of how IU finished out. I can't, though.
4. Travis Trice, Michigan State: Tough call here, and I'm probably in the minority here because I haven't seen much first-team buzz for him, but he led a Michigan State team that's not as talented as usual to a big season and took over later in the year when the Spartans should have been on the bubble. His performances against Purdue and Indiana were big-time, as well as in Michigan State's dominant showing at Iowa, which was a huge win. Trice led Michigan State in scoring in Big Ten play and led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
5. A.J. Hammons, Purdue: Maybe a bit of a hometown vote here because I saw what Hammons' improvement meant to his team. Hammons influenced for the better almost every game he played in this Big Ten, was efficient and often physically dominant on offense and the foundation of Purdue's profound defensive improvement. He turned this season from a great shot-blocker into a great shot-blocker and a good all-around defensive player. You could not say that about him his first two-and-a-half seasons at Purdue.
Second-team All-Big Ten
1. DJ Newbill, Penn State: Unbelievable scorer whose numbers wouldn't be what they are if his team had anyone else who could do literally anything.
2. Aaron White, Iowa: A first-team-worthy guy who I put on the second team simply because there were guys I felt more strongly about for the first team.
3. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin: The forward's versatility and athleticism were a huge piece of one of the country's best teams.
4. Dez Wells, Maryland: I could have made a first-team case for two Maryland players. Instead, I put them both, maybe unfairly, on the second team. Might have blown this one.
5. Melo Trimble, Maryland: I could have made a first-team case for two Maryland players. Instead, I put them both, maybe unfairly, on the second team. Might have blown this one.
Third-team All-Big Ten
1. Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin: Wisconsin's next really, really, really good player and a guy who completes an awesome frontcourt.
2. Terran Petteway, Nebraska: One of the league's top offensive talents but Nebraska was the conference's biggest disappointment and that doesn't reflect well on him.
3. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State: Could have put him on the second team.
4. Branden Dawson, Michigan State: The Big Ten's best rebounder and one of its most impactful defensive presences, Dawson was a first-teamer until the final few weeks of the season.
5. Rapheal Davis, Purdue: Maybe another hometown vote here, but both ends of the floor matter and Davis was Purdue's tone-setter there and made more impactful offensive plays than the causal observer may recognize. Purdue went from atrocious defensively to very good and that's why it was one of the conference's top teams.
Player-of-the-Year: Frank Kaminsky. Just because his team was better than D'Angelo Russell's.
Coach-of-the-Year (1, 2, 3): Matt Painter, Mark Turgeon, Fran McCaffery
I covered last year's putrid senior night debacle against Northwestern, in which Purdue "clinched" last place in the Big Ten and looked every bit the part. Then I covered this year's senior night, in which Purdue clinched a third-place tie in the league and perhaps an NCAA Tournament bid.
That's why I had to go with Painter, because his team was bad last season and because he took a team into this fall with a bunch of freshmen and no relevant seniors and only two upperclassmen and played the whole year with a point guard who wasn't on campus midway through preseason practice. Players always deserve the lion's share of the credit, IMO, but these players showed again that what Painter does works.
This was a really tough call over Mark Turgeon, the tipping point being last place. Maryland wasn't a last-place sort of team.
Fran McCaffery and Tom Izzo absolutely deserve mention here too. McCaffery's Iowa team ended the season as the hottest team in the Big Ten and Izzo engineered another Michigan State-type season without typical Michigan State-type talent. I don't think there's an NBA player on that roster, and that's rare for the Spartans.
Freshman-of-the-Year (1, 2, 3): D'Angelo Russell, Melo Trimble, James Blackmon.
Easy vote here. No-brainer actually. Had we been asked for a five-man team - as will be announced - I'd have added Bryant McIntosh and probably Isaac Haas in a close call over Vince Edwards.
All-Defense team
(Media don't vote for this, but here you go anyway)
- A.J. Hammons, Purdue (Defensive Player-of-the-Year)
Absolute game-changer defensively, maybe the only guy in the league from a defensive standpoint who really influences opponents' game plans.
- Sam Thompson, Ohio State
- Rapheal Davis, Purdue
- Branden Dawson, Michigan State
- Shannon Scott, Ohio State
Note: I probably forgot someone obvious.
Thoughts?
We do have an All-Big Ten vote, something we take probably more seriously than we ought to. Took me an hour-and-a-half to figure out on Sunday, which seems excessive.
Anyway, in advance of the announcements tonight, I thought people might be interested in what at least one ballot - ours - looked like.
First-team All-Big Ten
1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin: Obviously.
2. D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State: Obviously:
3. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana: You can probably make a case against him because of how IU finished out. I can't, though.
4. Travis Trice, Michigan State: Tough call here, and I'm probably in the minority here because I haven't seen much first-team buzz for him, but he led a Michigan State team that's not as talented as usual to a big season and took over later in the year when the Spartans should have been on the bubble. His performances against Purdue and Indiana were big-time, as well as in Michigan State's dominant showing at Iowa, which was a huge win. Trice led Michigan State in scoring in Big Ten play and led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
5. A.J. Hammons, Purdue: Maybe a bit of a hometown vote here because I saw what Hammons' improvement meant to his team. Hammons influenced for the better almost every game he played in this Big Ten, was efficient and often physically dominant on offense and the foundation of Purdue's profound defensive improvement. He turned this season from a great shot-blocker into a great shot-blocker and a good all-around defensive player. You could not say that about him his first two-and-a-half seasons at Purdue.
Second-team All-Big Ten
1. DJ Newbill, Penn State: Unbelievable scorer whose numbers wouldn't be what they are if his team had anyone else who could do literally anything.
2. Aaron White, Iowa: A first-team-worthy guy who I put on the second team simply because there were guys I felt more strongly about for the first team.
3. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin: The forward's versatility and athleticism were a huge piece of one of the country's best teams.
4. Dez Wells, Maryland: I could have made a first-team case for two Maryland players. Instead, I put them both, maybe unfairly, on the second team. Might have blown this one.
5. Melo Trimble, Maryland: I could have made a first-team case for two Maryland players. Instead, I put them both, maybe unfairly, on the second team. Might have blown this one.
Third-team All-Big Ten
1. Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin: Wisconsin's next really, really, really good player and a guy who completes an awesome frontcourt.
2. Terran Petteway, Nebraska: One of the league's top offensive talents but Nebraska was the conference's biggest disappointment and that doesn't reflect well on him.
3. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State: Could have put him on the second team.
4. Branden Dawson, Michigan State: The Big Ten's best rebounder and one of its most impactful defensive presences, Dawson was a first-teamer until the final few weeks of the season.
5. Rapheal Davis, Purdue: Maybe another hometown vote here, but both ends of the floor matter and Davis was Purdue's tone-setter there and made more impactful offensive plays than the causal observer may recognize. Purdue went from atrocious defensively to very good and that's why it was one of the conference's top teams.
Player-of-the-Year: Frank Kaminsky. Just because his team was better than D'Angelo Russell's.
Coach-of-the-Year (1, 2, 3): Matt Painter, Mark Turgeon, Fran McCaffery
I covered last year's putrid senior night debacle against Northwestern, in which Purdue "clinched" last place in the Big Ten and looked every bit the part. Then I covered this year's senior night, in which Purdue clinched a third-place tie in the league and perhaps an NCAA Tournament bid.
That's why I had to go with Painter, because his team was bad last season and because he took a team into this fall with a bunch of freshmen and no relevant seniors and only two upperclassmen and played the whole year with a point guard who wasn't on campus midway through preseason practice. Players always deserve the lion's share of the credit, IMO, but these players showed again that what Painter does works.
This was a really tough call over Mark Turgeon, the tipping point being last place. Maryland wasn't a last-place sort of team.
Fran McCaffery and Tom Izzo absolutely deserve mention here too. McCaffery's Iowa team ended the season as the hottest team in the Big Ten and Izzo engineered another Michigan State-type season without typical Michigan State-type talent. I don't think there's an NBA player on that roster, and that's rare for the Spartans.
Freshman-of-the-Year (1, 2, 3): D'Angelo Russell, Melo Trimble, James Blackmon.
Easy vote here. No-brainer actually. Had we been asked for a five-man team - as will be announced - I'd have added Bryant McIntosh and probably Isaac Haas in a close call over Vince Edwards.
All-Defense team
(Media don't vote for this, but here you go anyway)
- A.J. Hammons, Purdue (Defensive Player-of-the-Year)
Absolute game-changer defensively, maybe the only guy in the league from a defensive standpoint who really influences opponents' game plans.
- Sam Thompson, Ohio State
- Rapheal Davis, Purdue
- Branden Dawson, Michigan State
- Shannon Scott, Ohio State
Note: I probably forgot someone obvious.
Thoughts?
