Big Ten Basketball: Projecting each team’s key player production for 2021-22

Northwestern – Boo Buie and Ryan Young

Decrease in production: Boo Buie

If you did not know the name Boo Buie after his freshman season, you did after his sophomore one. Whether it is due to the pleasing alliteration of his name or because in December he averaged almost 17 points and over four assists in a five-game stretch which included wins over Michigan State, Ohio State, and Indiana.

Oddly enough the 6’2 point guard’s scoring average settled at 10.3 points per game, the exact number he averaged as a freshman. Although the transfer of Miller Kopp to Big Ten rival Indiana leaves 11 points and over nine field-goal attempts to be accounted for, those shots will not be going to Buie, and if they do, his career 37 percent shooting is not good enough to capitalize.

With a bigger frontcourt to work with, Buie will be distributing the ball more to facilitate easy shots. Combined with the fact the Buie scored five points or fewer more times than fifteen or over, his scoring production will decrease but he will be even more important to his team’s success

Increase in production: Ryan Young

With the aforementioned Miller Kopp transfer, the Wildcats’ frontcourt will comprise of familiar actors, but in different roles. Robbie Beran will slide to small forward, Pete Nance will go from center to power forward – which could also negatively affect his production- and five-game starter Ryan Young becomes the full-time ‘man in the middle’.

The 6’10 junior will be exerting a lot of energy on the defensive end attempting to keep Kofi Cockburn, Trevian Williams, and Hunter Dickinson away from the basket, but he will be just as important on the offensive end. Young averaged eight points in 19 minutes on five shots a game.

With his ability to get position in the paint and score at the rim, Young will be utilized in hopes of accumulating fouls on the opposing centers, and more than five shots a game will be required to be successful. The only sure-fire way to stop Cockburn, Williams, and Dickinson from scoring, is if they are on the bench.