Will Derik Queen win Big Ten Freshman of the Year? How many Terps on all-conference teams? Experts weigh in
It's been a while since Maryland basketball had so many players worthy of all-Big Ten discussion. Which players will make the cut and will Derik Queen win rookie of the year? Here's what the experts said.
It's been a while since Maryland basketball had so many players worthy of all-Big Ten discussion. All five starters have starred at times, all average 12 points per game or more. One of them, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, sits in the all-American range of some analytics, ranking as the No. 11 offensive player in the country per EvanMiya. Another, Derik Queen, has been one of the most sensational freshmen in the country.
A third, Julian Reese, has been Mr. Consistent, leading the Big Ten in double-doubles and ranking in the top six in rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots. And the other two, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel, have been the team's best players at times. On the flip side, though, the numbers game is a killer after the conference added four new teams before this season. That makes it more than 25 percent more difficult to earn all-conference honors than in the past.
There are 10 first and second-team spots for more than 230 Big Ten players. Maybe second team is the new first team?
"It was hard to do when there were only 11 or 14 teams. Now it is nearly impossible to take 18 teams and drill down to three five-man units without missing a ton of otherwise deserving players. Somebody (a lot of somebodies) is going to get snubbed," longtime Ohio State beat writer Steve Helwagen said.
With only five games left in Maryland's Big Ten schedule, that vote isn't far off. To get a sense of where Maryland's newly dubbed Crab Five might land in the All-Big Ten voting, I asked a bunch of teams beat writers and others who follow the conference closely where they'd place them on the all-conference teams, and whether Queen is the conference's rookie of the year. Here's what they said:
FOX Sports' John Fanta on the rookie of the year
"Derik Queen is my rookie of the year because his feel for the game is beyond his years, and he touches the game in every way for Maryland. I think he's truly the best freshman in the league and certainly the one who brings the most value to the table. "I would put Derik on the first team -- because it's only 5 guys, it's hard. Gillespie and Reese deserve second-team consideration -- I'd put Reese on the second team!"Maryland Basketball Scoop: Interesting situation developing at one spot
Illinois beat writer Jeremy Werner on the rookie of the year race
"I think this is clearly the best freshman class I've seen in the Big Ten. Queen would've won it in a landslide last year, but there are three likely top six picks in this class who have all been really good for their teams. Queen would've won in a landslide last season as would've five or six other freshmen from this class. He's deserving of the honor. Still, while Rutgers lack of winning hurts that duo, it's hard to ignore Dylan Harper, who is clearly one of the best players in college basketball, and Kasparas Jakucionis had a strong case before Illinois started struggling. Queen certainly has a strong argument as the most impactful player on a winning team. I think it'll come down to Harper and Queen."Big Ten beat writer on which two of the Big Three will have the best chances ...
"Any of Maryland's top four scorers — Queen, Gillespie, Reese and Rice — deserve some level of All-Big Ten consideration in my view but given the depth of the league and the limited number of spots on the teams, Queen and Gillespie are the two that I think have the best shot, given what I've watched this season. Queen has been one of the better Bigs in the league that I've seen this year, and the fact that he's doing it as a freshman makes it all the more impressive. Gillespie has risen to the moment in leveling up from Belmont. He's been excellent at times in a league where you can find a lot of good guards. I think in a vacuum, both Queen and Gillespie have solid cases in terms of their performance and value, but the spots are going to fill up quickly, and there are players who deserve to be ahead of them."And on the rookie of the year race
" In terms of watching players live this season, Bailey is probably the best freshman and one of the best players I've seen with my own eyes in the Big Ten this winter. I get it with him. The top 5 NBA Draft buzz is real. But it would be fair to ding him for team performance when talking about this award. If Maryland plays its way into a top 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and Queen continues to play at a high level, he might have the best case if you're marrying what a player's individual success means to his team success. Maybe there's some co-Freshman of the Year situation like with Mgbako and Freeman last year, but it feels like Bailey or Harper gets the nod outright."Helwagen on rookie of the year
"It will be tight between Bailey, Harper and Queen for the freshman or rookie of the year. Harper has had the ball in his hands a lot and produced pretty well. The stats are fairly even between Bailey and Queen. Will Bailey and Harper split the Rutgers vote? That could work to Queen's benefit. Plus, he's one of the key players on a contending team. I think I would give him my nod."Fanta on who should make first team
Big Ten beat writer on the freshmen
"At least one deserves to make the third team. Queen's case for Freshman of the Year is a good one. He's been great, especially during this recent stretch. I think the debate between Queen, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and Kasparas Jakucionis is fun, and there's a couple ways you can look at it. Given Maryland's success this season, there's an argument that Queen has been more valuable to the Terps compared to Illinois' inconsistency and Rutgers' struggles."Helwagen on Reese and Maryland
"Julian Reese has been outstanding for Maryland as well. He deserves credit for setting Queen up any number of times and producing near double-double numbers in his own right. He's not going to get the credit he deserves [in the voting]."Overall, I think Maryland has Sweet 16 potential, maybe Elite Eight. The starting five is just about as good as anybody. Do they avoid injuries and foul trouble? Do they get any bench help? Those factors may determine their end result."
More comments
Fanta: "Kevin showing his strengths right now. His best teams get better as the year goes on. He's done a nice job."Werner: "Queen will definitely be on one of the top two All-Big Ten teams. Gillespie and Reese in consideration for Sscond and third team."
Helwagen: "I saw one projection that had Gillespie and Queen as second team picks and I can definitely see that. They have been outstanding for one of the surprise top teams in the league."
