Big Ten Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview and predictions

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Big Ten logo on the floor before the Big Ten Men's Basketball Final against the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan Wolverines at the Verizon Center on March 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Wolverines won 71-56. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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Big Ten Basketball Trevion Williams Purdue Boilermakers (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The obvious and the important players

Luka Garza: Iowa

It should be impossible to mention the Big Ten and not mention Luka Garza. His season averages of 24 points and over eight rebounds per game have him in the conversation for Big Ten and National Player of the Year. The 6’11 senior’s only game in which he failed to score 16 points came versus Michigan State and he averaged over 19 points against the other four teams that make up the top five in the Big Ten.

Ayo Dosumnu: Illinois

Since declaring he would forgo the NBA Draft and return to Illinois for another season, the anticipation of what the 6’2 guard was going to achieve was at a fever pitch. An obvious topic when it comes to Big Ten Player of the Year is Dosunmu’s 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game. With four 30 plus games to go along with four double-doubles this season. Dosunmu makes the Fighting Illini the No.4 ranked NET team that they are, despite Illinois Basketball going 3-0 while he was sidelined with a broken nose.

Trevion Williams: Purdue

While not as obvious as the aforementioned Big Ten Player of the Year candidates, Trevion Williams is more important to his team’s success. With an average bordering 16 points per game, the 6’10 center’s 53 percent success rate from the field, which includes going 0 for 3 from beyond the arc, will be the reason any of the other Boilermaker’s get a quality look at the basket.

On a team that shoots 30 percent from the three-point arc, doubling him in the post is not always a risk. The success of the Boilermakers will rest upon the 265-pound frame of Williams who has averaged under15 points versus the top four teams in the Big Ten.

Duane Washington: Ohio State

The 15.2 points per game that the junior averages per game are not what makes the 6’3 point guard so important in the ever so important month of March. His almost three assists per game are not even as important as his ability to run the half-court offense for the third-highest scoring Big Ten team.

As the primary ball-handler for the undersized Buckeyes, Washington will not only keep the team turnovers to under ten per game but will have to connect on more than 37 percent of the seven three-pointers he attempts per game if he hopes to lead the Buckeyes into the Big Ten finals.

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