The season is winding down for both MSU men’s basketball and the rest of the Big Ten. It’s been a competitive season for the Spartans, one filled with injuries and a lack of playing chemistry at times.
The rest of the Big Ten has taken advantage of some of the lapses by the Spartans, including Michigan (who beat the Spartans twice) and Nebraska (who throttled MSU at Breslin Center ) .
Some of these players, teams and coaches could come back to haunt MSU in the conference tournament in key situations . For now, read our picks for end-of-season conference honors.
- Matt Sheehan and Zach Smith, The State News
Player of the Year: Terran Petteway, Nebraska
Terran Petteway should be getting two scholarships for what he is doing for Nebraska. He currently leads the Big Ten in points per game (18.2) and he is a huge reason why the Cornhuskers are sitting on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
It hits close to home for a lot of you reading this, but the sophomore guard put the dagger in MSU on the Spartans home court to give Nebraska its biggest win of the season. He can score from anywhere on the court and teams still have close to no idea how to contain him.
That is proven by the fact he has scored at least 15 points in all but two conference games.
Without Petteway, Nebraska is just another bottom feeder in the conference standings, but since he is lighting it up Nebraska is a serious contender for the Big Dance.
Coach of the Year: John Beilein, Michigan
I know this isn’t what Spartan fans want to read, but this is a no-brainer in my eyes. John Beilein not only lost Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway to the NBA, but he lost sophomore forward Mitch McGary to season-ending back surgery before the season really picked up steam. How in the world would Beilein rally the troops and respond?
Well, no one knows how he did it, but he and the Wolverines have responded by all but locking up the conference title. At one point Michigan beat three top ten teams in consecutive games. Coaches like Beilein prepare their teams the rest of the way with adjustments and great coaching.
Tournament winner: Wisconsin
Come tournament time, consistency and defense reign supreme. With six straight victories under their belt, it’s safe to say Bo Ryan has his Badgers back on the right track after hitting a brutal 1-5 stretch in the middle of the season.
Nearly every player in their starting five has a defined role, and they all do it well. Not only that, but Wisconsin excels at keeping the game at the pace they want, making Badger Ball a nightly ordeal.
Zach Smith
Player of the Year: Nik Stauskas, Michigan
Top ten in the conference in scoring, field goal percentage, assists, free throw percentage, three-point percentage, three-pointers made, assist/turnover ratio and minutes played make the Canadian a pretty good choice for the POY award. Both Keith Appling and Adreian Payne would’ve been candidates had they stayed healthy, but Stauskas has the big games against the big opponents to make him a shoe-in for the award.
Coach of the Year: Tim Miles, Nebraska
Miles has made great strides to make Nebraska a legitimate Big Ten basketball school. Their win at the Breslin Center was a program-defining win for the Cornhuskers and makes them a potential NCAA Tournament team. Last year, they won five games in their first season in the Big Ten and now, Miles has them at 8-7 in conference play and in line for a postseason birth.
Tournament winner: MSU
The best is yet to come for MSU. The return of Branden Dawson will come at the perfect time for MSU go get back into the swing they hoped to be in all season and make a deep run at both tournaments. The way things are looking right now, MSU and Michigan could face off for a third time in the championship game. Just like in football, Indianapolis will be kind to the Spartans.
