Big Ten Basketball: Top 5 rising seniors in 2018-19

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 01: Ethan Happ #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates the 59-54 win over the Maryland Terrapins during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

6 of 6

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images /

1. James Palmer Jr., Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers seemed to have found a formula for success with a trio of James Palmer Jr., Isaac Copeland, and Isaiah Roby. Palmer recently transferred to the Cornhuskers this past season from the Miami Hurricanes and gained a step. He put up a team-high 17.2 points along with 4.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest in 2017-18.

Along with Copeland (12.9 points per game), Palmer was instant-offense for the 22-11 squad. They missed the Big Dance, but with their leading scorers returning, things should change. Palmer shot 30.9% from 3-point land and 44.4% from the floor, numbers he can improve upon in 2018-19.

The arrival of freshman Amir Harris should change Nebraska’s overall profile a bit but their veteran experience will carry them on the back end. Palmer has a chance to take home the Big Ten Player of the Year award after earning first-team All-Big Ten honors last season. He’ll have plenty of competition entering his senior campaign.

Next: Preseason Big Ten rankings

The Big Ten clearly has some incredibly talented and experienced players heading into this season. These seniors will collect headlines throughout this coming year while hopefully leading their teams to strong seasons. Will one of these players snag the conference’s Player of the Year award or will someone else sneak in and grab it?

Home/Big Ten