A month ago, I declared D'Angelo Russell a candidate for any National Player of the Year award. Allow me to make it up to Ohio State fans and jinx someone else.
Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky is having the type of season we all expected from him. He came into the season as a leading candidate for the Naismith Trophy and the only person stopping him from becoming a consensus winner of that award is Jahlil Okafor.
While the Duke freshman tops Kaminsky in points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage, I would vote for the Wisconsin senior. Kaminsky's three-point shooting ability means his true shooting percentage is nearly equal to Okafor's and it makes him a more well-rounded offensive threat.
Kaminsky is also a better passer and a more imposing defender at the rim, as his block percentage is higher than Okafor's. The Badgers forward is also one of only two players among the nation's top 16 in offensive and defensive win shares – the other being Utah's Delon Wright.
So, in spite of the fact he strapped a GoPro to his chest on senior day, Kaminsky should be the top candidate for National Player of the Year.
1. Wisconsin (26-3, 14-2)
Last Week: 59-53 loss at Maryland, 68-61 win vs Michigan State
This Week: at Minnesota, at Ohio State
The Badgers began the toughest stretch of their schedule – three of their final four on the road – with a loss to the Terps. It opens the unlikely possibility Wisconsin won't be the outright Big Ten regular season champion.
Maryland sits two behind in the loss column as Wisconsin ends their season with two tough road games. Although I don't think they'll lose to Minnesota, it's never easy to win at "The Barn." For different reasons, that statement also applies to winning in Columbus.
2. Maryland (24-5, 12-4)
Last Week: 59-53 win vs Wisconsin, 66-56 win vs Michigan
This Week: at Rutgers, at Nebraska
Dez Wells' played his final game in College Park, giving the rest of us a chance to reflect on his career. Apparently, his three seasons were good enough to consider if the school should put his jersey in the rafters.
It's fair to say Wells helped Mark Turgeon keep his job, even without an NCAA Tournament berth the past two seasons. Turgeon and Maryland fans are grateful for Wells' contribution in his three seasons, but placing his jersey among the likes of Len Elmore, Joe Smith, Juan Dixon and Len Bias seems like a bit of a stretch.
Still, Wells might deserve the honor because of the great postgame interview above. It might be hard to believe but Wells wants us to know Frank Kaminsky "is not god."
3. Ohio State (21-8, 10-6)
Last Week: 81-57 win vs Nebraska, 65-61 win vs Purdue
This Week: at Penn State, vs Wisconsin
Amir Williams will play his final game at Value City Arena on Sunday and has earned a standing ovation when he's honored on senior day.
Sure, he's had the most underwhelming career imaginable for a five-star recruit and McDonald's All American, but he deserves applause for being an endless source of entertainment. To be fair, since LeBron James came back, no individual is more universally mocked in the state of Ohio. I can't imagine being so nonchalant in the face of constant ridicule from the Buckeye fan base. He also responded to a challenging matchup against Purdue with one of his best single-game performances, particularly in keeping the Boilermakers out of the paint in the second half.
Sorry for being so complimentary, here's a classic blooper to balance things out:
4. Purdue (19-10, 11-5)
Last Week: 92-85 win vs Rutgers, 65-61 loss at Ohio State
This Week: at Michigan State, vs Illinois
An abysmal second half against the Buckeyes cost the Boilermakers their fifth straight win and another road victory to bolster their resume.
Even against an OSU frontline decimated by foul trouble, Purdue decided to go away from A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas. Instead, Matt Painter's club ran a stagnant offense with little time on the shot clock to execute anything properly. Having said that, Painter is still probably going to win the B1G Coach of the Year Award, particularly if his team can overcome bad non-conference losses and still make the NCAA Tournament.
5. Iowa (19-10, 10-6)
Last Week: 68-60 win vs Illinois, 81-77 OT win at Penn State
This Week: at Indiana, vs Northwestern
The Hawkeyes hit a soft portion of their schedule and are took advantage of it, with wins over Rutgers, Nebraska, Illinois and Penn State.
It was a lot of pressure for a team on the bubble heading into this recent stretch. A loss to Penn State could've undone their tournament hopes. Of course, senior Aaron White prevented an embarrassing loss – he hit six free throws in overtime and stole an inbounds pass to help seal the win.
Up next, a potential shootout at Assembly Hall looms. Bet the over:
Iowa at Indiana is not going to be a legendary defensive battle. pic.twitter.com/6onc2nYVkd
— Adam Jacobi (@Adam_Jacobi) March 1, 2015
6. Michigan State (19-10, 10-6)
Last Week: 96-90 OT loss vs Minnesota, 68-61 loss vs Wisconsin
This Week: vs Purdue, at Indiana
It seemed as though the Spartans were in the midst of making a surge up the Big Ten standings. Instead, they were just looking ahead to an inevitable loss to Wisconsin and past Minnesota.
MSU's defense fell apart in East Lansing, allowing the Gophers to hit 52 percent of their shots in an OT loss. Tom Izzo is not immune to criticism, deciding not to intentionally foul with his team up three late in the second half. He went after his team instead of questioning himself:
"It's a choice I made and a choice I'll live with," Izzo said, following the game. "If guys would do their damn job and do what they're supposed to do, we wouldn't have been in that position anyway."
7. Indiana (19-10, 9-7)
Last Week: 72-65 loss at Northwestern
This Week: vs Iowa, vs Michigan State
In what has become my favorite semi-annual tradition, Tom Crean loses again to Northwestern – he is a sparkling 4-8 in his career against the Wildcats.
Two home games to finish the regular season, both against tournament-caliber teams, give him a chance to quiet the frenzy around his job status. Still, it feels like his seat and the takes have never been hotter:
Let's see what Twitter is saying about Tom Crean right now *phone combusts in hellfire* pic.twitter.com/Bkd5cQr6Hw
— Ross (@rosslancaster) February 26, 2015
8. Illinois (18-11, 8-8)
Last Week: 68-60 loss at Iowa, 86-60 win vs Northwestern
This Week: vs Nebraska, at Purdue
Illinois' tournament hopes seem dimmer by the week.
Iowa was their third straight loss, giving Joe Lunardi every right to keep them out of his tournament projections. As unlikely as it may seem, a win at Purdue will help determine their postseason fate. Although they still could make a run in the Big Ten Tournament, the game against the Boilermakers has the feel of an elimination game.
Even if the Illini don't make the tournament, they'll always remember this season as "the one year we let Mike Gesell dunk on us:"
9. Minnesota (17-12, 6-10)
Last Week: 96-90 OT win vs Michigan State
This Week: vs Wisconsin, at Penn State
Winning the Big Ten Tournament aside, the Gophers will not be dancing this year. That doesn't mean the rest of the B1G should overlook KenPom's No. 53 ranked team.
Michigan State did, playing uncharacteristically poor defense and sent Minnesota to the line 40 times. They needed a missed free throw late in the second half (Denzel Valentine did it too, no need to be so hard on yourself, Bron) and overtime to beat the Spartans. Gophers could have won in regulation, though, had Carlos Morris made a free throw that was the result of this:
10. Michigan (14-14, 7-9)
Last Week: 66-56 loss at Maryland
This Week: at Northwestern, vs Rutgers
Those rooting for the Sun and Blue can't take much solace in anything that happened this season – other than, maybe, going 1-1 against Ohio State.
The Wolverines suffered slew of early season losses and then a wave of injuries hit. There is a positive development in the latter category. He's missed half of Michigan's Big Ten games with a foot injury but is poised to return:
So...Derrick Walton is dressed and warming up for #Maryland. He still has the Fred Sanford walk, so it's not clear if he'll play. #Michigan
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) February 28, 2015
11. Northwestern (14-15, 4-10)
Last Week: 72-65 win vs Indiana, 86-60 loss at Illinois
This Week: vs Michigan, at Iowa
Hey, everyone remembers the last time the Wildcats won four straight, right? Man, those Jim Burns and Mike Weaver squads were fun to watch.
Burns and Weaver, of course, played for Northwestern during the 1996-67 season, the last time the program experienced this much success. Unfortunately, the Wildcats couldn't make it five straight, losing to Illinois by 16. But they still own Tom Crean.
12. Nebraska (13-15, 5-11)
Last Week: 81-57 loss at Ohio State
This Week: at Illinois, vs Maryland
Beginning with the Huskers, the bottom three teams in the conference have lost a combined 23 straight games. Most of that is Rutgers, but it's still not a good reflection on Penn State or Nebraska.
Tim Miles' club had all week to focus on Ohio State and win the right to re-enter their own locker room. All of that effort resulted in an 11-point deficit before the first TV timeout.
At least Miles is still having fun:
Miles, on how locker room ban blew up nationally: That just shows how bad the Oscars were."
— Robin Washut (@RobinWashut) February 25, 2015
13. Penn State (15-13, 3-12)
Last Week: 81-77 OT loss vs Iowa
This Week: vs Ohio State, at Minnesota
As Thad Matta will tell you Tuesday, D.J. Newbill can lead Penn State to victory by himself.
Newbill got some help from Shep Garner against Iowa. Still, Newbill couldn't help himself in overtime against Iowa, since he threw away a pass in a one-point game on what would have been their final possession. The Nittany Lions have now lost five straight games.
14. Rutgers (10-19, 2-14)
Last Week: 92-85 loss at Purdue
This Week: vs Maryland, at Michigan
Perhaps the Scarlet Knights shook Purdue's confidence. After all, the Boilermakers allowed 55 second half points at home to them.
Purdue guard Rapheal Davis was quite unhappy with how they finished the game.
"I think we should have lost," he said afterwards. "We played terrible in the last four minutes. We have to be better at finishing games. We can't go to Ohio State on Sunday and play like that in the second half and expect to win."
First off, that's the closest Rutgers has gotten to an actual win in a while. Secondly, credit Davis for predicting the outcome of their game against Ohio State.
