Big Ten Basketball: Carsen Edwards, Ethan Happ lead early Player of the Year race
By Bryan Mauro
3. Jordan Murphy – Minnesota
In his 4 years in Minneapolis, the one word to describe the senior big man is consistency. The second he stepped foot on campus, he forced the hand of coach Richard Pitino. Murphy forced his way into the starting lineup and has never left. The walking double-double has already set records at Minnesota for most double doubles and most rebounds. Murphy is going to find his name with the greats at Minnesota and his name will be in rafters at Williams Arena.
When the big man is on the floor for the Gophers, he changes the game and changes the way opponents have to play. Murphy is one of the best rebounders in all of college basketball and not just defensively. He can out hustle, use his strength and grab offensive rebounds which usually end in Murphy put backs. Murphy will step out and shoot threes, but he is most comfortable around the rim.
The defensive players on Murphy often must let him score as he can foul players out quickly. The gopher big man is not the best free throw shooter, at just over 60% but he has enough attempts to potentially change the game from the line when he is making them. The gophers can play him at the forward position this year where he is able to move freely in the offense.
The 15 points and 14 rebounds per game do not suggest that he is going to leave this list for conference player of the year any time soon. If Murphy continues to play as well as he has, Minnesota may find their way back into the NCAA tournament.