Penn State men’s basketball team wrapped up its regular season with an impressive win in Madison against Wisconsin, a place the Nittany Lions have not won at since 1995. Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. finished, what was likely his final career game, with eight points, nine assists, and three steals.
Before the Big Ten tournament kicks off on Wednesday, the All-Big Ten teams and awards were released. It was announced that Baldwin was voted again for the second consecutive season as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Baldwin finished the season with 71 steals in 30 games, good for an average of 2.4 steals per game. He was limited with a back injury all season, but still took home the hardware and a placement on the Big Ten all-defensive team.
There was no clear favorite for this award this year, and it was anyone’s award to claim. The other four players on the Big Ten all-defensive team were Oregon’s Nate Bittle and TJ Bamba, Michigan State’s Jaden Akins, and UCLA’s Kobe Johnson.
Junior center Yanic Konan-Niederhauser was an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media, and senior forward Puff Johnson was named an honoree for the Big Ten sportsmanship award for the second straight year.
Senior guard D”Marco Dunn was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after his 25-point performance against Wisconsin. Dunn shot 10/12 from the field including 4/5 from three. A terrific honor for an underappreciated Nittany Lion.
Penn State should be invited to either the NIT or the Crown, a new tournament created by FOX which includes auto-bids for the top two teams from the Big East, Big Ten, and Big 12 that do not make the NCAA tournament. The fields for the NIT and the Crown will be announced soon.