Hoopla's 2024-25 Big Ten Awards

Oh goodness this was hard

I’m currently very Oscars-pilled after last night, so a quick shoutout to “Anora,” which was an excellent, extremely well-deserved winner. See that if you haven’t, but of all the Best Picture noms, I’m begging you to see “Nickel Boys.” My personal favorite movie I saw last year, and one that I won’t soon forget.

All that said, we have *a lot* to discuss before the Big Ten Tournament tips off Wednesday afternoon. I’m choosing to break that up into two posts once again:

• Today - Conference Awards (ahead of the awards being announced on Tuesday)

• Wednesday - Conference Tournament Predictions (ahead of the first game at 3:30)

Dream B1G covered both of these topics, and has a Big Ten Tournament Bracket Challenge that I will be joining before Wednesday, so make sure to check that out as well.

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Last Week’s Hoopla:

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A few notes here before I get into my selections:

• An emphasis on my selections as always: These are going to be the players I would choose if I had a ballot, which I do not. They are not necessarily predictions for what I expect.

• This was already plenty difficult with 14 teams full of great players, and it’s become near impossible to feel good about selections with four more teams added to the mix. There are going to be outrageous snubs simply because there has to be, my deepest apologies in advance.

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Player of the Year

JuJu Watkins. Photo Credit: USC Women’s Basketball, Twitter

• JuJu Watkins, USC — 24.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.1 SPG, 2.0 BPG

This was what I expected coming into the season, but it was by no means locked up from start to finish.

JuJu had some moments of what could be described as a sophomore slump. The middle of the Big Ten schedule caused a lull. But in the end, this was completely undeniable.

Watkins showed up and showed out when USC needed her the most, and there is no other player in the conference, and perhaps the country, that can reach the heights that JuJu can because of her all-around dominance. She had 68 points, 11 blocks and two wins in two matchups against UCLA, who is not only USC’s rival, but a team that is 27-0 against every other team this year.

It has been a true delight to watch Watkins all season long, and while many players had fantastic years, Watkins left no doubt as the leader of the Big Ten regular season champs.

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All Big-Ten Teams

(Players listed in alphabetical order)

First-Team

• Julia Ayrault, Michigan State

• Lauren Betts, UCLA

• Kendall Bostic, Illinois

• Kiki Iriafen, USC

• Elle Ladine, Washington

• Lucy Olsen, Iowa

• Kiki Rice, UCLA

• Shyanne Sellers, Maryland

• JuJu Watkins, USC

• Serah Williams, Wisconsin

These lists were agony to put together, it always felt like I had to commit robbery. But I do feel good about these 10 as the ones who deserve first-team recognition.

I believe UCLA and USC have had strong enough stars and co-stars to warrant two choices apiece here. Lauren Betts is a no-brainer, and both Kikis have been tremendous as No. 2 options, with Iriafen continuing to impress on the inside and Rice improving her efficiency and decision-making across the board.

Julia Ayrault, Kendall Bostic and Serah Williams were each players I didn’t have to overly debate. All three players are stars for their respective teams and have taken on heavy workloads to put up some remarkable numbers this season. Shyanne Sellers continues to be the straw that stirs the drink for Maryland, and through battling various ailments, she has become a true sharpshooter (44.4 3PT%) while still averaging 4.4 assists per game and playing excellent defense.

Lucy Olsen has the scoring (18.0 PPG) and passing (4.8 APG) to be immediately considered for first-team, but it is her ability to hit the big shots in the crucial moments that put her résumé over the edge for me. Finally, Elle Ladine’s remarkable final stretch of the regular season — 24.3 PPG on 60.7% shooting during Washington’s current four-game winning streak — pushed her into the first-team at the final hour for me.

Second-Team

• Destiny Adams, Rutgers

• Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State

• Yarden Garzon, Indiana

• Alexis Markowski, Nebraska

• Cotie McMahon, Ohio State

• Olivia Olson, Michigan

• Sayvia Sellers, Washington

• Kaylene Smikle, Maryland

• Syla Swords, Michigan

• Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State

Even tougher calls here!

Alexis Markowski and Kaylene Smikle were very nearly first-team selections for me, especially with how much of the volume Markowski has shouldered down the stretch of this season. Sayvia Sellers also has had such an underrated season in my eyes, and deserves a spot on one of these teams, even if two Washington players feels over the top.

A pair of duos are on my second-team and three of those players are freshmen. Olivia Olson and Syla Swords have been monsters basically immediately for the Wolverines, and have continued to lead Michigan to instant success. Jaloni Cambridge has also wowed right away, and I’ve been happy to see the strides Cotie McMahon has made to her game around the new star guard.

Indiana is very likely going to be a NCAA Tournament team once again, and a lot of that is thanks to the continued steady hand of Yarden Garzon. She continues to prove herself as one of the very best three-point shooters in the country. Rutgers has snuck into the Big Ten Tournament thanks to Destiny Adams. Her monster averages (17.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG), along with 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game defensively, have been vastly under spoken about by me, but they deserve recognition here.

Finally, I went with Michigan State’s Grace VanSlooten, who has proven to be a terrific transfer add. She has been a great inside scorer (15.6 PPG), averages more than three offensive rebounds per game and adds a steal and block per contest. The Spartans work best as a unit, and she has been an incredibly cohesive fit to the system.

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Freshman of the Year

• Olivia Olson, Michigan — 16.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 SPG

This award has been a war zone all year. There are, at minimum, 10 first-year players this season that would have been absolute locks on the All-Freshman team last year, this class has been that special.

A lot of this award has come down to which Michigan freshman do you prefer, or if Jaloni Cambridge can surpass them both. Syla Swords has had a marvelous season, but Olivia Olson has continued to deliver for the Wolverines time and time again down the stretch of the season. She’s had double-digit points in 24 of 29 games, and has been a spark through efficient deep shooting and as a great rebounder.

Swords took the nation by storm immediately with that South Carolina performance, and she has had her fair share of big-time moments that made this a very difficult season. But as a whole body of work, Olson’s season has gotten the narrow edge in my eyes over the rest of the field.

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All-Freshman Team

• Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State

• Tori McKinney, Minnesota

• Olivia Olson, Michigan

• Syla Swords, Michigan

• Britt Prince, Nebraska

As discussed above, Cambridge, Olson and Swords were the only locks here, and I think all three of them would be great Freshman of the Year choices. The final two spots are a nightmare to choose.

Rutgers’ Kiyomi McMiller has the statistical output to be here in the games she played. But she’s missed quite a few games down the stretch now, and in a battle this close that matters a little bit more. Kennedy Smith is an unbelievable defensive talent, but because of the state of this class, her complementary role in the USC machine fell just short for me.

I ended up with Tori McKinney and Britt Prince, two players who not only had remarkable debut seasons, but had ones that significantly changed the trajectory of their teams. McKinney started the season off the bench, was vaulted into a starting role from the Mara Braun injury, and currently ranks 18th among all Big Ten players in win shares thanks to her two-way ability. I don’t think the Gophers are near the bubble without her.

Prince is a very similar story. Though she immediately was a starter, I was worried about Nebraska’s tournament aspirations when Natalie Potts went down for the season. Prince had to pick up that slack and, alongside Markowski, Nebraska is fully in the picture. She’s been a great scorer, active defensively and has not been afraid of the moment.

But seriously: McMiller, Smith, Mila Holloway, Elina Aarinsalo, Elsa Lemmilä, Berry Wallace, Kayleigh Heckel, Avery Howell, and plenty of other first-years who have made a splash. What a truly unbelievable freshman group.

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Defensive Player of the Year

• Rayah Marshall, USC — 1.2 SPG, 2.1 BPG, 1.7 DEF Win Shares, 70.9 DEF Rating

This is another three-player race in my eyes between Marshall, Betts and Watkins. Marshall’s teammate who you may have heard of could very well win this, and I have no issues with that. JuJu is averaging 2 steals AND blocks per game, I get it.

For me, I lean Marshall for a few small reasons. One, she does beat Watkins in some defensive metrics, with a slightly better defensive rating (70.9 vs. 74.9) and defensive BPM (+7.2 vs. +6.2). On the same team, those numbers matter to me. I’m also just so impressed with Marshall’s ability to defend bigs and contain opponents without fouling: Her and Betts are the only players in the Big Ten with block rates above 8% and foul rates below 3.5%.

Watkins has fantastic stats and is a clearly phenomenal defender, the same goes for Betts. I will understand going with either of them, especially Watkins for her highlights against UCLA. But Marshall is just so good defensively every single night, and plays her role better than just about anyone could, so I wanted to give her the recognition.

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All-Defensive Team

• Lauren Betts, UCLA

• Kendall Bostic, Illinois

• Rayah Marshall, USC

• Taylor Thierry, Ohio State

• JuJu Watkins, USC

Kendall Bostic has been a truly phenomenal interior defender for the entirety of her Illinois career. She’s among the conference’s best in defensive win shares once again, is third in the nation in defensive rebounds per game, and is at the heart of so much of Illinois’ success.

Taylor Thierry is a piece of the Ohio State defensive machine, but it’s her versatility that always stands out to me when I watch her. Defensively she can guard just about anyone, and has the motor and active hands to make each of those positions pay with forced turnovers or difficult shots.

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Sixth Player of the Year

• Timea Gardiner, UCLA — 7.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 41.2/37.3/85.7 splits

Runner-Up: Annika Stewart, Minnesota

A common theme with these awards: They are all difficult this year. Bri McDaniel felt like the pick for much of the season, but her injury opened the door, and I think Gardiner is the most valuable off-bench weapon in the conference.

Arguments could be made for her teammate Janiah Barker, or for either of USC’s freshmen who come off the bench as well. Gardiner’s shooting feels specifically impactful for the Bruins to me, and she’s had some signature performances as well throughout the season.

I wanted to highlight what Annika Stewart has done for the Gophers as well. The Nebraska transfer plays just over 15 minutes a game, but puts up 9.4 PPG on 40.9% shooting from deep. She’s been a terrific under-the-radar addition for Dawn Plitzuweit this season.

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Coach of the Year

• Shauna Green, Illinois

Runner-Up: Kim Barnes Arico, Michigan

Cori Close and Lindsay Gottlieb deserve credit for capitalizing on their team’s talented rosters and finishing the regular season with two losses apiece. That isn’t a lock no matter what the talent looks like, and Gottlieb may have the edge in this race with that mindset.

My current logic for choosing Coach of the Year is to look at it as an award for a coach that most exceeds the roster’s expectations, and I think Shauna Green deserves it within that angling. Illinois was due for a bounce-back, but that was not at all a given after both Makira Cook and Gretchen Dolan went down for the season. But the Illini did not falter, getting to 11 conference wins and a 21-8 record that will get them back in the Big Dance.

Kim Barnes Arico also deserves a whole lot of credit. This is a team that revolves around talent that had never played college basketball before, and Michigan has overcome that to finish with the same 11 wins as Illinois and a 20-9 record.

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These awards will be announced tomorrow (Tuesday, March 4). I’m excited to see what blatant snub surprises me the most!

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Photo Credit: USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB), Twitter

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