ET and "The WB"Proving the theory that the conference POY will most likely come from the best player on the best team, Michigan State's Kalin Lucas took home the trophy over Evan Turner in both the Coaches and Media balloting.
That's not to say Kalin Lucas isn't a bad ass in his own right, he's clearly a stud and I love watching him play, but nobody meant more to their team this year than Evan Turner. That's not always the criteria but I'm still mildly surprised Turner didn't at least earn a split based on his impact to the Buckeyes bottom line compared to Lucas. Take Lucas off MSU for the year and take Turner off OSU for the year. Which team still competes for the league title? Exactly.
MSU fans - don't take it as sour grapes. It's not - just a truly unbiased opinion from a guy who watched more than his fair share of Big Ten basketball this year, not just Ohio State.
Take a peak at the conference stats head to head:
| Player | PPG | Asst | A/TO | Reb | FG% | 3FG% | Stl | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Turner | 16.8 (3) | 3.86 (8) | 1.11 (12) | 6.9 (5) | 51.6 (7) | 27.3 (NR) | 1.72 (4) | 36.0 (2) |
| Kalin Lucas | 14.8 (6) | 4.60 (4) | 2.26 (4) | 2.4 (NR) | 41.6 (NR) | 39.5 (8) | .83 (NR) | 31.8 (15) |
Still, I love Lucas and I think Talor Battle was really the only other guy besides Turner who deserved serious consideration. Lucas did say that if he couldn't vote for himself, he votes for Turner.
Turner, of course, did lock down a First Team selection as both the coaches and media agreed on all five selections, all of which are sophomores.
| Player | School | PPG |
|---|---|---|
| Manny Harris | Michigan | 17.1 |
| Kalin Lucas | Michigan State | 14.8 |
| Evan Turner | Ohio State | 16.8 |
| Talor Battle | Penn State | 17.3 |
| JaJuan Johnson | Purdue | 13.2 |
No Buckeyes made second or third team in either the coaches or media ballots but they were still well represented in other areas.
Wil Buford brought home Freshman of the Year honors and B.J Mullens picked up the best Sixth Man trophy. Both also earned spots on the All-Freshman squad. While I hoped Mullens would have a bigger impact this season, he's still a sure fire lottery pick.
Rounding out the Buckeye props, Jon Diebler and Buford picked up Honorable Mention.
Tom Izzo was tabbed as Coach of the Year.
