As one might expect, given where they finished in the conference standings, UCLA and USC did not dominate the Big Ten men’s basketball postseason awards.
In fact, they barely registered a blip.
The Bruins were the only L.A. team to earn so much as a mention.
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Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau was selected to the All-Big Ten Third Team by both coaches and media after leading UCLA with 18 points per game.
Senior point guard Donovan Dent was an Honorable Mention selection by both coaches and media after following a disappointing start with a recent stretch that will be hard to top.
Over his last five games, Dent has piled up 53 assists and two turnovers — a remarkable 26.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
For the season, Dent averaged 13.6 points, 7.5 assists and 1.9 turnovers while making 42 percent of his shots and 23.7 percent of his 3-pointers. The assists and turnovers are significant improvements over his final season at New Mexico, where he averaged 6.4 assists and 3.1 turnovers on the way to becoming an Honorable Mention All-American.
But the shooting accuracy figures are a big drop-off from Dent’s having made 49 percent of his shots and 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers in his final season as a Lobo.
What matters most to the Bruins is that Dent is playing his best basketball of the season heading into the team’s Big Ten Tournament opener Thursday at the United Center against either Minnesota or Rutgers.
Bilodeau is having easily his best season, also averaging career highs in rebounds (5.8) and 3-point accuracy (46.2 percent).
“Tyler’s gonna get a chance to play in the NBA,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin told reporters last weekend. “He’s one of the best shooters in the country.”
Meanwhile, there was a former Bruin who captured a big award.
Michigan center Aday Mara won Defensive Player of The Year in his first season as a Wolverine after spending his first two seasons in Westwood. Mara led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally by averaging 2.6 blocks per game.
Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named Player of the Year by both conference coaches and media after exhibiting across-the-board excellence while averaging 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocked shots and 1.2 steals.
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler was selected Freshman of the Year after averaging a team-high 17.9 points while breaking the school’s freshman scoring record. USC freshman Alijah Arenas was not selected for the five-player All-Freshman Team, most likely as a result of his delayed start to the season after recovering from a knee injury. Arenas averaged 14.8 points in 13 games while emerging as one of his team’s go-to scorers.
Nebraska freshman Braden Frager was selected Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg was named Coach of the Year after his team was the surprise of the season in the conference, spending much of the season ranked in the top 10. Nebraska tied a school record with 26 victories and set one with 15 victories in the Big Ten.
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The All-Big Ten First Team, as selected by conference coaches, included Lendeborg, Wagler, Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort and Purdue’s Braden Smith. The First Team picked by the media differed slightly and included Lendeborg, Wagler, Fears, Smith and Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz.