Big Ten: 5 Favorites For Conference Player Of The Year

Jan 25, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard

(30) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

4. Melo Trimble, Maryland

Stats: 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 43.1% FG, 39.6% 3PT

Next on our list is one of the two aforementioned freshman in Trimble. Coming into the season as the 39th recruit overall according to Rivals. While you’d expect some type of impact from a recruit ranked that high, it’s unlikely you’d expect the type of impact Trimble has delivered this year.

On a team with veteran players like Jake Layman and Dezmine Wells, it’s Trimble who has led the Terrapins in scoring, assists, steals, and three pointers made and has Maryland currently ranked 16th, having reached as high as 11th.

Did we mention he’s just a freshman? (And not even the best freshman in the conference, at that!)

Like Newbill, Trimble has picked up his pace in conference play, averaging 17.1 points. If you dig a little deeper and look at where he stands in the conference in various statistical categories, his 23.0 player efficiency rating ranks him 10th, his 62.9% true shooting percentage ranks him 4th, his 328 points produced is fifth, and his 3.8 win shares rank him 6th in the conference.

Did I mention he was a freshman?

Next: Yogi Ferrell