After finishing roughly two months of the college basketball season, it’s time to revisit the leaderboard for the Big Ten Player of the Year race. Injuries have played a role in shaking things up a bit since the last listing, but eight of the ten listed last time are still in the top ten. Isaac Haas has seen his productivity and minutes go down since conference play started and Robert Carter Jr also is off the list for now. Here’s a quick look at players 10-6, with players 5-1 to come shortly:
- 10. Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin: (16.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.6 APG, 59.5 Free Throw Rate)- Hayes has struggled at times much like his team has. The easy looks that he was able to capitalize on with Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker on the roster last season have gone away, but Hayes has still managed to score more than 20 points five times. He also has increased his assist rate from 11.9 to 21.9 percent as he has done a nice job facilitating for the Badgers.
- 9. Caris LeVert, Michigan: (17.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.2 APG, 129.9 O-Rating)- Through no fault of his own, LeVert took a decent sized drop here because he has missed the last five games for Michigan due to a lower leg injury. The numbers he has put up to date still hold up however, as he leads the Wolverines in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Caris LeVert is still one of the top ten players in the B1G despite missing his teams’ last five games. (Getty)
- 8. Malcolm Hill, Illinois: (18.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 80.0% FT)- Even though Illinois is off to a 1-4 start in conference play, Hill has still been one of the most consistent and versatile performers in all the league. The junior has scored in double-figures in each game this season, and has also lead the Illini in rebounds five times, and lead them in assists seven times.
- 7. Andrew White III, Nebraska: ( 17.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 64.2% eFG, 52.3% FG)- White III has continued his solid play during non-conference play, as he is averaging 18.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG since conference games have started. He is one of the most efficient players offensively in the whole conference, and his ability to rebound despite only checking in at 6’7″ has helped a team with no one taller than 6’8″ in its regular rotation rank inside the top 60 in both offensive and defensive rebounding nationally.
- 6. Bryant McIntosh, Northwestern: (15.8 PPG, 7.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 84.1% FT)- Mcintosh will be under the spotlight as Northwestern’s schedule gets significantly tougher during the next four games. He has proven up to this point however that he is possibly one of the best passers in the nation with his 41.0 percent assist rate that puts him seventh in all the land. How he does in future match ups that pit him against Melo Trimble, Yogi Ferrell, and Mike Gesell may ultimately decide where he ends up as far as postseason honors are concerned, as well as deciding whether or not Northwestern makes the NCAA Tournament.
Check back later on for players 5-1 on the list.