Big Ten Basketball: 2019-20 under the radar players from each team
By Jacob Shames
Ohio State: Justin Ahrens
With the additions of D.J. Carton, C.J. Walker, E.J. Liddell and Alonzo Gaffney, minutes might be hard to carve out in Ohio State’s rotation, especially in the backcourt. But even though Ahrens averaged just 9.6 minutes last season, his path to more playing time is easy to see: he’s the Buckeyes’ best shooter. At least according to his teammates. (Numbers don’t lie either — he shot 39 percent from range in 2018-19.)
Ahrens had maybe the best single game last season of anyone on this list. It came out of nowhere, too — after never hitting double figures in the season’s first 27 games, he scored 29 points against Iowa in February going 6-for-10 from deep and hitting all nine of his free throws.
That’s not going to be Ahrens every night his sophomore season, but it shows the type of player he can be as a sophomore. Having Walker and Carton at point should only enhance the number of good looks Ohio State sees from deep, and the 6’5 swingman, who can chip in in the frontcourt in small-ball lineups too, stands to benefit as much as anyone.
Penn State: Trent Buttrick
Expectations are (relatively) high in Happy Valley, and much of that has to do with Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins. But if the Nittany Lions want to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, it will be players like Buttrick that really push them over that edge.
Like many young players, Buttrick benefited from consistent playing time, shooting 52 percent overall and 43 percent from deep in games where he played over 10 minutes. He didn’t get it as a sophomore, though — he started the year in the rotation in lieu of Watkins, but fell out soon after. Buttrick fought back in December and scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting against Alabama, but barely played after New Year’s.
Buttrick’s stats paint him as a stretch-four, but he could be more than that. At 6’8 and 234 pounds, he has the bulk to hang down low and is surprisingly mobile on the perimeter. Pat Chambers compared Buttrick to former Boilermaker Grady Eifert as an archetypal “glue guy,” hinting that Buttrick will play a big role whether that’s starting or coming off the bench.
Purdue: Aaron Wheeler
The Big Ten is flush with young, wiry, athletic walking buckets on the wing, and Wheeler might be the best of them. He’s certainly the most naturally talented player on this list.
Wheeler played high school basketball at the prestigious Brewster Academy and committed to Purdue his senior year. Back then, he oozed the same potential he does now but stood a rail-thin 6’7 and 175 pounds. As a result, Wheeler redshirted in 2017-18 so he’d have more time to add the strength necessary for college ball.
Taking the court at 6’9 and 200 pounds last year, Wheeler was a valuable member of the Boilermakers’ bench unit. Unlike many other players listed here, Wheeler’s minutes were consistent throughout the year, and so were his numbers — he averaged 4.7 points on 44 percent shooting overall, and 5.1 points on 48 percent in conference play. Thanks to a seven-foot wingspan, he averaged 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per 40 minutes while grabbing rebounds at nearly the same rate as the 7’3 Matt Haarms. That combination of deep shooting range, high-flying dunks and versatile defense could make him a superstar.