The Big Ten Media Is On Crack

When the Big Ten Postseason Awards show aired tonight on the Big Ten Network, I was perplexed with some of these awards handed out. It's clear that the media decided to hand out the hardware to the winners, not necessarily the best players. Let's get right into it:

Sixth Player of the Year
My Pick: Chris Allen, MSU
Actual Pick: B.J. Mullens, Ohio State (Coaches)
Why? At the beginning of the year, Mullens looked lost, but after conference play started, the 7-footer really started asserting himself despite not starting many games. There is talk about him bolting to the NBA, but it's clear Mullens could use some more years in Columbus to refine his game.

Freshman of the Year
My Pick: Matt Gatens, Iowa
Actual Pick: William Buford, Ohio State (Coaches and Media)
Why? I acknowledged that Buford could get this award, and sure enough, that is what happened. He's had a stellar year as Ohio State's point guard and is only going to get better. Both of these guys deserved this award, but Buford may have cemented his award after beating Gatens head-to-head last week in Iowa City.

Coach of the Year
My Pick: Bruce Weber, Illinois
Actual Pick: Tom Izzo, MSU (Coaches); Ed DeChellis, PSU (Media)
Why? I really felt Bruce Weber had a legitimate shot at winning this after the turnaround they've had. But perhaps no team has had changed in one year than Penn State, so I can understand why the media picked him. And Izzo is the coach of the Big Ten's best team. Bill Carmody also had a shot after leading Northwestern to one of their best seasons in years.

Player of the Year
My Pick: Manny Harris, Michigan
Actual Pick: Kalin Lucas, MSU (Coaches and Media)
Why? This pick angered me and completely threw me by surprise. There's no question Kalin Lucas is a great player and there's no doubt he is the best player on the best team, but he is NOT the conferece's best player in my opinion. I still contend that Manny Harris, Talor Battle or Evan Turner deserve this honor more than Lucas because if you take those three guys out of their respective teams, they are nowhere near as good.

All Big Ten Teams
First Team
My Picks: Harris, Battle, Turner, Lucas and Kevin Coble
Actual Picks: Harris, Battle, Turner, Lucas and JaJuan Johnson
Why? I got four of these right, but interesting that all five guys are sophomores. That should tell you where the strength of this conference lies and how good they can be if they all stick around. I had Johnson on my second team, but he certainly is deserving of the honor.

Second Team (Media)
My Picks: Johnson, Chester Frazier, DeShawn Sims, Jamelle Cornley, Robbie Hummel
Actual Picks: E'Twaun Moore, Sims, Cornely, Coble, Goran Suton.
Why? Goran Suton? Are you kidding me? The media must have seen something that I didn't in this guy. I can't argue with the other four, but I do take issue with Suton.

Third Team
My Picks: Moore, Lawrence Westbrook, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, Marcus Landry
Actual Picks: Davis, Demetri McCamey, Craig Moore, Robbie Hummel, Landry
Why? Davis definitely deserved some recognition, as did McCamey and Landry. I'm not so sure about Craig Moore. I felt Chester Frazier, with his defense and assists-per-game ratio felt on one of these teams, but he was merely an honorable mention.

Travis Walton was the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year as selected by the coaches.

Complete list of awards can be found here.