Big Ten Basketball: Top 10 Player of the Year candidates for 2021-22

Big Ten Basketball: Top 10 Player of the Year candidates for 2021-22 season

Feb 20, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Sasha Stefanovic (55) celebrates a three point basket with forward Trevion Williams (50) and guard Jaden Ivey (23) against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

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Big Ten Basketball Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

. . . Kofi Cockburn. 5. player. 481

2021-22 stats: 21.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 1.1 apg

Cockburn had to wait a bit before his season was able to start, having to serve a three-game suspension to start out after the NCAA found him in apparent violation after accepting money for his merchandise before NIL rules became official.

Regardless, the junior All-American has been making up for lost time in the nine games since. He had 18 points and seven rebounds in his season-opener against Cincinnati, followed up with 23 points and 14 rebounds to beat Kansas State. But Cockburn’s best performance came against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, going for a career-high 38 points and 10 rebounds on 15/19 shooting from the field.

The center’s production has remained high ever since, currently on a run of five straight double-doubles, the latest coming in a 25-point, 14-rebound performance in a dominant win over Missouri. Cockburn has benefitted from being the focal point of the offense, also helped by Plummer being so effective from the perimeter and taking the attention away.

After a slow start to the season, Illinois is 9-3 (2-0) and looking like an NCAA Tournament team once again. Had Cockburn played all 12 games, he would’ve been higher on this list but the smaller sample size hurts him at this very moment. But if he continues putting up 22 and 12 kind of numbers the rest of the way, the Big Ten Player of the Year Award will be within reach.

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