Victor Oladipo- Oladipo has been the best player on the regular season champion Indiana Hoosiers. He also is my pick for the B1G Player of the Year. During conference games he averaged 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. On top of that, playing as a guard he led the conference in field goal percentage at 57 percent. He came up huge in all of Indiana's biggest games. Including this road win against Michigan State.. The Hoosiers have a great chance to win the National Championship, and if they do, expect Oladipo to lead them to it.
Trey Burke- The Michigan Wolverines were a minute away from clinching a share of the B1G title. A lot of people will remember the final free throw that Burke missed, but that does not discount the work that he did all season. Without him, the Wolverines would not have been in that position. He led the conference in scoring and assists with averages of 20.2, and 6.4 respectively. He showed a great command of trying to make others around him better, but being able to take over a game when need be. This was on display at Purdue. Some Wolverine fans do not like to hear this, but the Wolverines will go as far as Burke takes them during the month of March.
DeShaun Thomas- DeShaun Thomas is the forgotten man on Ohio State. The media loves Aaron Craft, and let them tell it, he's the only player on the court for the Buckeyes. Even searching Youtube for a video with Thomas, all I got was Aaron Craft videos. Despite that fact, Thomas was second in the conference in scoring at 19.7. He also got 5.6 rebounds per game. The Buckeyes are a balanced team, that could cause trouble for teams come tournament time. Even though the name you will hear the most is Craft, beware of Thomas, who is a scorer who can put in buckets from all over the floor.
Cody Zeller- Coming into the season, Zeller was the odds on favorite to win the B1G Player Of The Year. He played to those expectations, it just happened to be a year where his Hoosier teammate Oladipo, and Burke became the conference poster boys. Zeller was third in the conference in scoring, and second in rebounding with averages of 17.1 and 8.2. He showed up with a monster game in the biggest one of the season at Michigan to win the outright B1G regular season championship. Zeller is another key cog in what could be a special season for the Hoosiers.
Adreian Payne- This last spot was one that could have went to many players. Trevor Mbawke of Minnesota, the aforementioned Aaron Craft, and Jared Berggren of Wisconsin were all worthy candidates. However, I am giving my last spot to the most consistent Michigan State Spartan, Adreian Payne. Payne finally showed Spartan fans the talent that he has teased them with for two years. With averages of 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1 block, he was a big part in the Spartans having a shot at the conference title. They will need him to stay aggressive, and active as they head into the tournament.
Well, there you have my All-Conference picks for the B1G. I would also like to salute my pick for Coach of the Year Bo Ryan of Wisconsin. Gary Harris of Michigan State who is my pick for Freshman of the Year, and Victor Oladipo who edged out Aaron Craft as my pick for Defensive Player of the Year.
Feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you think of my picks. You can also follow me on twitter at @JimmyLWilsonJr and let me know there.
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