Which Michigan Players Get All-B1G Nods?
With 3 weeks to go and Michigan basketball absolutely humming on all cylinders, I've decided to take a look at the upcoming all-B1G honors. Here's who I'm thinking will be recognized from Michigan--Isaiah Livers, Hunter Dickinson, Franz Wagner, Mike Smith, Chaundee Brown, (Eli Brooks should be IMO, but will probably get looked over). Let me know what you would change!
My All B1G First Team:
Marcus Carr - Minnestoa
Ayo Dosunmu - Illinois
Isaiah Livers - Michigan
EJ Liddell - OSU
Luka Garza - Iowa
All B1G Second Team:
Mike Smith - Michigan
Duane Washington Jr. - OSU
Franz Wagner - Michigan
Trace Jackson-Davis - IU
Kofi Cockburn - Illinois
All B1G Third Team:
D'Mitrik Trice - Wisconsin
Eric Ayala - Maryland
Joe Wieskamp - Iowa
Ron Harper Jr. - Rutgers
Hunter Dickinson - Michigan
All B1G Freshman:
Jaden Ivey - Purdue
Jonathan Davis - Wisconsin
Brandon Newman - Purdue
Keegan Murray - Iowa
Hunter Dickinson - Michigan
All B1G Defensive Team
Jamari Wheeler - Penn State
Jacob Young - Rutgers
Ayo Donsunmu - Illinois
Franz Wagner - Michigan
Myles Johnson - Rutgers
Player of the Year:
Luka Garza - Iowa
Defensive Player of the Year:
Myles Johnson - Rutgers
Freshman of the Year:
Hunter Dickinson - Michigan
Sixth Man of the Year:
Chaundee Brown - Michigan
Coach of the Year:
Juwan Howard - Michigan
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:23 AM ^
I don't think Mike Smith will be on any of the lists. He's having a great year, but I think he will just miss the cut.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:24 AM ^
Which would be insane given he leads the conference in assists and has definitely been the a top 3 PG in the conference
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
Since that's a double negative, do you think he will be on the list?
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:09 AM ^
Oops! fixed it
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:35 AM ^
Insane that how many good centers the big ten has if Dickinson is third team
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^
Crazy that a Kenpom top 10 player of year across all of college, can only muster 3rd team All BIG! What a conference! Can't say I would argue with it either. As great as Hunter was in the second half yesterday, Lidell had a hell of a game.
Can't wait to see the Dickinson-Garza; Dickinson-Cockburn match ups. That might jostle these rankings a little.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:37 AM ^
You seem to have done a good job. I agree with how you've got most of the Michigan players slotted, though it feels as if Brooks should get more credit too.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:38 AM ^
I want to put Brooks on the All Defensive team, but I just feel like they try to split up honors to as many teams as possible and can find arguments for other guards over him
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
Mine looks a lot like yours OP (minus Smith being 2nd team)
1st team: Livers
2nd team: Wagner
3rd team: Dickinson
HM: Brooks & Smith
All Freshmen: Dickinson
All Defensive: Wagner
Freshman of the Year: Dickinson
6th Man: Chaundee
Coach of the Year: Howard
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:41 AM ^
Brown will be on the Defensive Team*
*maize colored glasses
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:55 AM ^
I love Chaundee and the role he plays for us. I love that he goes full-out whenever he's on the court. I also love that he wants to be a defensive pest on their best player. I also think he's a solid defender.
But I think his overall defense is over-rated here at MGoBlog. His aggression can lead to turnovers but also lead to blow-bys. He also gets caught ball-watching or over-helping at times off-ball. He's a great injection of energy to the team and an above average defender. Charles Mathews he's not.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:08 AM ^
Matthews had about 2 inches and I would say a few more in-terms of length. Players did not get by Matthews on the dribble; like at all. While he didn't force the amount of turnovers CB does, he also like you said didn't get lost in help or play too aggressively.
Chaundee is an ideal 6th man in the fact that he can generate instant offense through his shooting and his aggressive defense.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
I just looked it up and yeah, his DRTG isn't actually all that great. Depending on where you look, his DRTG is 101.2 (Brooks is 99.2) and his DBPM is 1.7 (Brooks is 3.9) on sportsreference.
On Torvik his DBPM is 0.7 (Brooks is 2.9) and his D-PRPG is 2.4 (Brooks is 3.8). Not bad by any means, but not Tasmanian devil either.
He does a lot of the flashy defensive stuff though that Brooks and Smith can't do, like chase down blocks and bodying some guys down low. Plus the 1 man full court press stuff he does is fun because it annoys the guy he's defending a bit.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:51 AM ^
Crazy that the best player on the best team will be relegated to third team
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
Livers to me is the best player on the team...and that’s no shade to Hunter
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Unfortunately, individual statistics don't help the Wolverines. From a statistical perspective, the wealth is shared so much. Here are the Wolverines that are ranked in the top 10 in major statistical categories:
Mike Smith is 1st Ast/game
Hunter is 7th in Reb/game and 3rd in Blk/game.
Wagner is 9th in Stl/game.
That's it. And those three are not 1st team All Big Ten this year. So much talent this year.
I see a scenario with 2-3 players team (Livers, Wagner, Dickinson) as Second Team and 1-2 players on the third team/honorable mention (Smith, Dickinson). Coach Howard might be Coach of the Year (maybe this cements it). Certainly one of the more dangerous Big Ten teams of the last decade, though.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
I don't see a Michigan player making 1st team but they could and probably should have 3 on the second team (Livers, Dickinson, Wagner). As much as I'd like to see guys like Brown, Smith, and Brooks on the 3rd team I don't see it happening.
I would say TJD is a lock for 1st team which knocks Livers down to 2nd team. He's averaging 20 and 10 and lets be honest, the people that vote on this stuff look at box scores first. I'm always reminded of the massive snub of Derrick Walton not getting 1st team over Nate Mason who averaged like 1 more ppg despite shooting significantly worse than Walton. He slashed like 38/36/81 while Walton put up 44/42/88. I'm still mad if you can't tell. The coaches even voted this way too.
I could also see Cockburn getting 1st team over Carr since he has faded quite a bit over the B1G season.
Trevion Williams will make a team for sure. Probably 2nd/3rd
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:11 AM ^
Late senior season Derrick Walton may still be my favorite player of the last 5 years.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
He was an absolute killer during that stretch. It was incredible. Late season senior Derrick Walton = late season senior Jake Rudock.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:53 AM ^
Remember that there's no rules about positions when it comes to these teams....as silly as that may seem. But in a league with so many great centers (and a lack of good PGs) I think you will see a shake up in what you predicted.
Also, as one of the few people who was touting Mike Smith in the off-season when most of this website had him at 12mpg backing up Brooks.....I'm thrilled you thought to put him on here. But no way he makes it. Honorable mention. What I actually think happens instead is that Dickinson takes his spot on the second team.
I'd like for Brooks to take Ayo's spot on the defensive team....but I think he is always going to toil in the shadows being a great player without any recognition.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:10 AM ^
The "Michigan 2-Guard Snub" is becoming a thing. After years of MAAR being a cold blooded scorer and Brooks being a pest defensively and a quality 3 pt shooter, they both quietly were amongst the most important players on great teams; but were always overshadowed and not talked about on a conference level as they should.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
I like that parallel with MAAR and Brooks. It shows the value of a veteran guard who stabilizes the rotation even if they're never going to be much of a pro. It will be the role we most miss next year unless we bring back Smith, Brooks, or another transfer.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:12 AM ^
You're right about the positions. I'd have Kofi on the 1st team along with Garza and maybe TJD. T. Williams and Dickinson on the 2nd team as long as Hunter has a few more games like yesterday.
Mike Smith may well be a top 3 PG in the conference but there is no way that 3 PGs will make all conference teams.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:47 AM ^
All-B1G teams don't suit our style of play, which emphasizes team play over dependency on the individual (see the Wagner thread, mates). I couldn't care less about how many players we get on the end-of-year lists. I like cutting down nets.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:30 AM ^
It’s interesting but Michigan is such a balanced team. All of the starters and Chaundee play critical roles. We can hurt you from any position.
So often you see good teams that are carried by one or two players.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:53 AM ^
If we win the B1G outright, I think Livers will be 1st team all B1G. I think Hunter will be on the 2nd team with Wagner having a chance on that team as well. Hunter and Coach Howard are in pretty good position as well to win their awards. Chaundee has played well, but guys like Jacob Young(avg 14 pts/gm) and CJ Walker will get some love as well for 6th man of the year.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:17 AM ^
I don't think Hunter will get the nod over Kofi Cockburn. Cockburn's stats are a bit better than Dickinson. B1G C are a loaded position and Dickinson likely will get 3rd team which isn't too bad for him.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:52 AM ^
They take the 5 best players regardless of position. This isn’t like how the NBA votes for their All-NBA teams. It’s possible Dickinson Garza and Cockburn could be 1st team.
February 22nd, 2021 at 1:20 PM ^
Good point here on "if we win the B1G outright" -- If Hunter, Livers, Wagner have big games against Illinois and Iowa, could tilt some of this more favorably.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:16 AM ^
No Foster Loyer?
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:47 AM ^
And no Brad Davison? Maybe they should add a Dirtiest Player award.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
Both Gach belongs on the All-Conference list, according to Both Gach.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^
I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan doesn't get 1st team All-B1G. They don't have the counting stats to compare to other players in consideration for 1st team. I expect a bunch from 2nd/3rd team All-B1G. This shows that Michigan has more balance across the board while still being a dominant team in the conference
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
I was going to say "where's Dickinson?" and then realized he's probably the third-best center in the league and is also the #6 KPOY. It's an insanely stacked conference.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
Wow, no love for Chase Audeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeej
Kidding, I just love saying, Chase (dramatic pause,) aw-DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEJ
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
I bet they make Trevion Williams a PF and put him on third team (at least) ahead of Ron Harper, Jr. He's 7th in scoring and 3rd in rebounding in the Big 10. They'll find a way to get him on an All-Big10 team.
Likewise, Garza probably gets moved to PF to make room for Cockburn on the 1st team, and TJD moves to the 3, knocking Livers to 2nd team. I don't agree with that, but the voters are going to look at the top scorers and make spots for them. I think TJD is overrated. He misses a lot of easy shots. He's too reliant on his left hand and can't go right. But he's Indiana's whole offense so he puts up big numbers.
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:11 PM ^
Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan and Dylan because he spits hot fire!?
February 22nd, 2021 at 6:46 PM ^
I don't see any MSU players on that list. Where are the weird guys?