The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan basketball Big Ten's Top Player Leads U-M Into NCAA Action M ichigan enjoyed plenty of anticipation in its second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against South Dakota State University. The No. 4 seed Wolverines began South Regional action close by, at The Palace of Auburn Hills. They harbored hopes of advancing past that opener, to a square off against Akron or VCU in the third round, and perhaps a Sweet 16 date with No. 1 seed Kansas. To get there, they once again pinned a lot of their hopes on sophomore point guard Trey Burke. Confirmed as the best player in the nation's best league, Burke certainly carried some serious credentials heading into The Big Dance. Burke grabbed Big Ten Player of the Year honors March 11, heading a group of Wolverines garnering plaudits in the conference. Both coaches and media chose Burke as the league's top performer, as well as a unanimous first-teamer. "It feels really good and is such an honor and an accomplishment," Burke said. "I give my coaches and my teammates a majority of the credit because, without them, I wouldn't be in this position. They deserve this as much as I do." "We can't say enough about Trey and what he has meant for this program, what he has meant to the Big Ten and really what he has meant to the national profile of the Big Ten," Sophomore point guard Trey Burke brought home the Big Ten Player of the Year award after leading the league in scoring, averaging 20.2 points per outing in conference games. photo by per kjeldsen U-M head coach John Beilein said. "He's a terrific competitor and a great teammate, and it is a great pleasure to coach him every day." Burke led the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 20.2 points per game in league play. He was the only player in the conference to score more than 15 in every Big Ten contest, and still easily paced the league with his average of 6.4 assists per game. The sophomore wasn't a one-man show, though, with coaches also choosing junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to the All-Big Ten first team.