Couch: Here's how I voted for the All-Big Ten basketball teams and awards
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
I didn't think were any egregious omissions or selections in this year's Big Ten postseason awards and teams. Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg was the clear choice for Big Ten Player of the Year. I thought there were three must-haves on the All-Big Ten first team: Lendeborg, Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr., and Illinois Keaton Wagler. Purdue's Braden Smith also made both the coaches' and media's first team. I voted him No. 7 on my 15-player ballot, making Smith a second-team selection. But voting for him is understandable. I went instead with Ohio State's Bruce Thornton and Iowa's Bennett Stirtz.
With 18 teams in the Big Ten, it is hard to make the first, second or third team. Sometimes during the season, we'll refer to someone as an all-conference-caliber player, and maybe they are, but when you actually have to pick the 15 names, a lot of good players get left off. Michigan's Morez Johnson and Wisconsin's John Blackwell were the only second players from a school to make my ballot.
Below are my selections as part of the media panel that voted, followed by the All-Big Ten teams as voted on by coaches and media:
My Big Ten Player of the Year ballot
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
2. Jeremy Fears, Michigan State
3. Keaton Wagler, Illinois
My Freshman of the Year ballot
1. Keaton Wagler, Illinois
2. Hannes Steinbach Washington
3. David Mirkovic, Illinois
My Coach of the Year ballot
1. Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
2. Dusty May, Michigan
3. Niko Medved, Minnesota
My All-Big Ten first team
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
2. Jeremy Fears, Michigan State
3. Keaton Wagler, Illinois
4. Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
5. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
My All-Big Ten second team
6. Morez Johnson, Michigan
7. Braden Smith, Purdue
8. Nick Boyd, Wisconsin
9. Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
10. Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
My All-Big Ten third team
11. Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana
12. Hannes Steinback, Washington
13. John Blackwell, Wisconsin
14. Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA
15. Cade Tyson, Minnesota
Big Ten postseason awards and teams
Player of the Year
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan (coaches and media)
Defensive player of the year
Aday Mara, Michigan (coaches only)
Freshman of the year
Keaton Wagler, Illinois (coaches and media)
Sixth man of the year
Braden Frager, Nebraska (coaches only)
Coach of the year
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska (coaches)
Dusty May, Michigan (media)
Howard Moore assistant coach of the year
Sharif Chambliss, Wisconsin (coaches only)
Coaches' All-Big Ten first team
Keaton Wagler, Illinois
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Braden Smith, Purdue
Coaches' second-team
Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
Nick Boyd, Wisconsin
Coaches' third team
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan
Aday Mara, Michigan
Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA
Hannes Steinbach, Washington
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
Coaches' honorable mention
David Mirkovic, Illinois
Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State
Cade Tyson, Minnesota
Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska
Rienk Mast, Nebraska
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Donovan Dent, UCLA
Coaches All-Freshman Team
David Mirkovic, Illinois
KEATON WAGLER, Illinois
Trey McKenney, Michigan
Braden Frager, Nebraska
Hannes Steinbach, Washington
Coaches' All-Defensive Team
Kylan Boswell, Illinois
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Aday Mara, Michigan
Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska
Media panel All-Big Ten first team
Keaton Wagler, Illinois
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
YAXEL LENDEBORG, Michigan
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Braden Smith, Purdue
Media panel second team
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
Nick Boyd, Wisconsin
Media panel third team
Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana
Aday Mara, Michigan
Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA
Hannes Steinbach, Washington
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
Media panel honorable mention
Kylan Boswell, Illinois
David Mirkovic, Illinois
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State
Cade Tyson, Minnesota
Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska
Rienk Mast, Nebraska
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Tariq Francis, Rutgers
Donovan Dent, UCLA
(Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS)
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: All-Big Ten basketball teams, awards: How I voted
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos