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Big Ten Basketball: 2022 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

By Trevor Sinodhinos

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 06: Alfonso Plummer #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center on January 6, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 06: Alfonso Plummer #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center on January 6, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Big Ten Basketball Michigan States Max Christie Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
Big Ten Basketball Michigan States Max Christie Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports /

Players to watch

SO Keegan Murray

If you are going to watch the Big Ten Tournament, you might as well pay attention to the leading scorer over the regular season, Keegan Murray. The biggest asset the 6’8 undersized center provides is his ability to read opposite on the screen action with point guards Tony Perkins and Joe Toussaint.

Murray connects on 36 percent of his three-pointers which will require centers such as Kofi Cockburn, Zach Edey, and Hunter Dickinson to guard him on the perimeter. There have been just two games where Murray has failed to make a three-pointer and was successful on 5 of 6 versus Maryland and the 20 for 43 in the past 10 contests.

Gr Alfonso Plummer

15.1 ppg / 2.5 rpg / 1.1 apg

Kofi Cockburn averages over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and one cannot help but want to watch him. It is, however, 6’1 Alfonso Plummer that will determine just how easy it is for Cockburn to get those averages and lead Illinois through the tournament. As a 42 percent three-point shooter, the Utah Utes transfer is the primary floor spacer for the Fighting Illini. The more shots Plummer is knocking down, the less of a chance that his defender will double-down on Cockburn in the paint.

Plummer will be worth watching for he is the only Illini player to average more than three makes from beyond the arc per game. His success ranged from 8 for 10 versus Ohio State to 1 for 6 versus Wisconsin. It should be mentioned that Cockburn did score 37 in that Wisconsin game, but that was over a month ago.

FR Max Christie

9.3 ppg / 3.4 rpg / 1.5 apg

The Michigan State Spartans are the best free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten, and while ten made free throws in a game does not guarantee the Spartans a victory, their chance of winning does decrease substantially when they do not reach that number. A player that has the combination of needing to get to the foul line and having the ability to do so is 6’6′ guard Max Christie.

Entering his freshman season, Christie was the No. 17 recruit on the RSCI and quickly became Head Coach Tom Izzo’s second scoring option. Christie attempted the most or second-most field goals in the Spartan’s first four games, and the 38 percent shooter remains the Spartans’ second-leading shot taker. Christie needs to get into the painted area and draw contact and raise his two free-throw attempts per game and not depend on his 38 percent shooting.

JR Paul Mulcahy

8.9 ppg / 4 rpg / 5.2 apg

It is very easy to dislike the Rutgers shooting guard if you have to go up against him on the court. His hustle and his enthusiasm can get under one’s skin but are also the reasons why he should be a player you want to watch. The 6’6 guard’s contributions are not just the intangibles that do not show up in the box score, Paul Mulcahy also leads the Big Ten in assists per game.

A feat that is not easy to accomplish as Rutgers’ leading scorer Ron Harper (15.5ppg) is No. 11 in Big Ten scoring and Geo Baker (12.2ppg) is No. 25 in the conference. Mulcahy also averages the second-most steals for Rutgers and the fourth most rebounds. Regardless of what end of the floor Rutgers’ is playing, you have something to watch Mulcahy do.

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