Big Ten WBB 2023-2024 Postseason Awards

You are only allowed to comment on any preseason predictions that I got right.

Note: Hi! This is March. While I may still publish stuff here every so often, you’ll be able to find all of my Wisconsin WBB coverage over at Badger Notes this season and offseason. I’ve been writing about football, volleyball, and hoops over there all year and I’d love for you all to join me.

B1G Player of the Year

Preseason: Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Post non-conf: Caitlin Clark, Iowa
End of season: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

There is nothing I wanted more than to have a different player win this award but, alas, Clark is inevitable. She led the nation in points per game (32.3), field goals made per game (10.6), three-pointers made per game (5.4), assists per game (8.7), win shares (7.9), and offensive win shares (6.9). Keep in mind that I wrote “the nation” there and not “the Big Ten.” Clark had a truly transcendent offensive season this year. She has broken multiple all-time scoring records and will be remembered as the greatest scorer, women’s or men’s, in college basketball history.

Caitlin Clark has owned me yet again. (Photo credit: @IowaWBB on Twitter)

The funny thing about that is…she’s probably a better passer than she is a scorer. Over her four-year career in Iowa City the lowest, THE LOWEST, she has finished nationally in assists per game is third. She has had the best assists per game numbers for three years running and has the best assist percentage for the past two seasons.

She only has one hole on her resume, national champion, and she’ll be looking to fill that here in a couple of weeks. It would be silly not to mention how useless she is on defense, but her steal percentage has improved each year she has played which shows she’s at least cognizant of her shortcomings. Clark is also a world-class flopper and uses that to her advantage to get to the free throw line.

Despite my misgivings, and it brings me no joy to report this, Caitlin Clark is clearly the 2023-2024 Big Ten Player of the Year.

B1G Defensive Player of the Year

Preseason: Leilani Kapinus, Penn State
Post non-conf: Leilani Kapinus, Penn State
End of season: Leilani Kapinus, Penn State

Penn State has not been what you’d call a “good” or “competent” defense over the previous four years, never finishing higher than 263rd in defensive rating or 325th in points per game allowed. This year, however, their defensive rating is 160th best in the country and their points per game allowed is 306th “best.”

I bring this up not to shame the Nittany Lions, although those are shameful numbers, but to further emphasize how excellent Leilani Kapinus is on the defensive end of the floor. The Madison, Wisconsin native averaged 2.1 steals per game and 1.1 blocks per game this year and she also hit the defensive glass (5.3 per game) hard.

There are a number of Ohio State players you could reasonably give this honor to, but I think the fact that there ARE so many Buckeyes who could conceivably be DPOY makes what Kapinus is doing at PSU even more impressive. OSU has a really good defense because they have a bunch of really good defenders. Penn State’s defense is getting better through the sheer force of will of Kapinus.

B1G All-Defense Team

• Julia Ayrault, Michigan State*

• Celeste Taylor, Ohio State*

• Taylor Thierry, Ohio State

• Leilani Kapinus, Penn State

• Serah Williams, Wisconsin

• Sixth Woman: Antonia Bates, Rutgers*

*not on preseason team

I’ll be honest with you here…I don’t know how/why Celeste Taylor wasn’t on my preseason All-Defense team. Did I forget to write her name down? Am I just an idiot?? Por que no los dos, amigos.

B1G Freshman of the Year

Preseason: Riley Nelson, Maryland
Post non-conf: Grace Grocholski, Minnesota; Natalie Potts, Nebraska
End of season: Natalie Potts, Nebraska

5-star McDonald’s All-American Riley Nelson seemed like a safe choice for this award, but she was being brought along slowly by Brenda Frese and then disaster struck when she tore her ACL in the middle of January. She was averaging 5.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, and shooting 44.3% from the field in 14.1 minutes per game before her injury. Hopefully she makes a full recovery and is able to star for the Terps in the near future.

Minnesota’s Grace Grocholski finished a close second here after averaging 11.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, and shooting 36.3% from deep (42.3% overall). She had a typical up-and-down freshman season but seemed to struggle a bit more after star sophomore Mara Braun went down for the Gophers.

Natalie Potts burst onto the scene for the Huskers this year. (Photo credit: @HuskerWBB on Twitter)

I will admit that Nebraska’s Natalie Potts wasn’t on my radar before the season, but after scoring in double digits in eight of her first 10 games while also racking up a pair of double-doubles she was on everyone’s radar. Potts was a consistent presence at the forward position next to all-conference performer Alexis Markowski. Potts averaged 10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, and 0.9 spg while shooting 52.0% from the field (23.6% from beyond the arc).

B1G All-Freshman Team

• Grace Grocholski, Minnesota

• Natalie Potts, Nebraska*

• Casey Harter, Northwestern*

• Mary Ashley Stevenson, Purdue*

• D’Yanis Jimenez, Wisconsin*

• Sixth Woman: Rashunda Jones, Purdue (didn’t play quite enough minutes per game IMO, but deserves recognition nonetheless)

*not on preseason team

I was really impressed with Purdue’s freshman class overall every time I watched the Boilermakers. Stevenson and Jones (along with Sophie Swanson and McKenna Layden) have Purdue set up quite nicely for the future. D’Yanis Jimenez made a lot of freshman mistakes this season, but the amount she played will massively help her development moving forward. She could make a big leap as a sophomore.

Top Transfer

Preseason: Ashley Owusu, Penn State
Post non-conf: Destiny Adams, Rutgers
End of season: Destiny Adams, Rutgers

Ashley Owusu didn’t play her first game of the season until Jan. 14 due to vague “injury concerns” that were actually “transfer eligibility concerns” but once she got on the court she lit things up for PSU. In her 14 games played (12 starts) she scored fewer than 15 points exactly one time and hauled in fewer than five rebounds exactly one time as well. It may come as a shock to you that these statistical anomalies occurred in the same game, one in which she was in foul trouble and played her fewest minutes of the season. She ended up leading Penn State in scoring (18.0) and assists (4.1) while finishing second in rebounds per game (5.9). Missing the first half of the season did disqualify her from winning this prestigious honor however.

Destiny Adams took a few weeks to get fully acclimated at Rutgers this year, but once she did she was a Problem for Big Ten defenses. She has scored in double-figures for the last 16 games running, including a 33-point explosion against Penn State and 28 points against Michigan State. Adams does all of her work in the paint (only seven three-pointers attempted all season) and she does it quite well. She also averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, and 1.6 steals per game to round out her impressive season.

When discussing Adams in my preseason preview I wrote “There is no better gamble to take in college sports than “buying low” on a former top prospect that is looking for a new situation” and “She has the potential to be a game-changer for RU this year.” Quite frankly, I think I nailed this one.

B1G Coach of the Year

Preseason: Kevin McGuff, Ohio State
Post non-conf: Robyn Fralick, Michigan State; Dawn Plitzuweit, Minnesota
End of season: Robyn Fralick, Michigan State

Much like I said in my “post non-conf” awards post, I don’t think Kevin McGuff did anything to lose this award per se, but Robyn Fralick did a TON to win it. She turned MSU’s very good offense into a lethal killing machine in her first year on the sideline in East Lansing while keeping the defense at the same level. The 22 wins for the Spartans is their most since 2015-16 and their 84.5 points per game were their most since at least 2009-2010.

Moira Joiner is one of the many, many, Spartans that improved in one year under Robyn Fralick. (Photo credit: @MSU_WBasketball on Twitter)

The leaps made by Moira Joiner, DeeDee Hagemann, Abbey Kimball, Theryn Hallock, Tory Ozment, and Julia Ayrault were all extremely impressive in their first year under Fralick and speak to her coaching ability. Sheesh, that’s a lot of players that vastly improved!

All-B1G 1st Team (preseason):

• Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana

• Caitlin Clark, Iowa

• Shyanne Sellers, Maryland

• Alexis Markowski, Nebraska

• Jaz Shelley, Nebraska

• Cotie McMahon, Ohio State

• Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State

• Makenn Marisa, Penn State

• Ashley Owusu, Penn State

• Kaylene Smikle, Rutgers

All-B1G 1st Team (post non-conf):

• Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana

• Caitlin Clark, Iowa

• Shyanne Sellers, Maryland

• Moira Joiner, Michigan State*

• Mara Braun, Minnesota*

• Alexis Markowski, Nebraska

• Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State

• Makenn Marisa, Penn State

• Kaylene Smikle, Rutgers

• Serah Williams, Wisconsin*

All-B1G 1st Team (end of season):

• Kendall Bostic, Illinois**

• Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana

• Caitlin Clark, Iowa

• Shyanne Sellers, Maryland

• Julia Ayrault, Michigan State**

• Alexis Markowski, Nebraska

• Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State

• Taylor Thierry, Ohio State**

• Destiny Adams, Rutgers*

• Serah Williams, Wisconsin*

*new on post non-conf. list
**new on end of season list

I am sick and tired of Kendall Bostic not getting enough recognition for what she does at Illinois! She is one of the best post players in the country, not just the Big Ten, and she should be treated as such! Bostic averaged 12.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg, and 0.8 bpg while shooting 61.4% from the floor. Her usage rate went up this season and her eFG% stayed basically the same. Her 1.15 points scored per possession was 17th best in the country and she also barely turns the ball over. I will not be silenced any longer! Kendall Bostic Hive forever!!

As mentioned above, what Fralick did at MSU is nothing short of incredible this year. Julie Ayrault averaged 15.1 ppg (previous high 9.0), 7.3 rpg (previous high 4.9), 2.4 apg (previous high 1.8), and 2.1 bpg (previous high 1.3). Her rate statistics were also much higher, so this wasn’t just a case of “playing more minutes” either. Her usage rate (26.7%) was seven percent higher than her previous career best while her 1.09 points per possession (99th percentile this year) and 57.2% eFG% (95th percentile) shattered her prior personal bests too.

Serah Williams has staked her claim as the best big in the Big Ten (Photo credit: @UWBadgers on Twitter)

Serah Williams finished the year ranked 7th in rebounds per game and 8th in blocks per game…in the whole damn country! Her overall numbers were also better in Big Ten play than they were in non-conference just in case you were worried that she padded her stats against St. Thomas or Western Illinois.

All-B1G 2nd Team (preseason)

• Kendall Bostic, Illinois

• Makira Cook, Illinois

• Chloe Moore-McNeil, Indiana

• Sydney Parrish, Indiana

• Hannah Stuelke, Iowa

• Jakia Brown-Turner, Maryland

• Laila Phelia, Michigan

• Mara Braun, Minnesota

• Celeste Taylor, Ohio State

• Jeanae Terry, Purdue

• Serah Williams, Wisconsin

All-B1G 2nd Team (end of season)

• Makira Cook, Illinois

• Sara Scalia, Indiana*

• Hannah Stuelke, Iowa

• Laila Phelia, Michigan

• DeeDee Hagemann, Michigan State*

• Moira Joiner, Michigan State*

• Mara Braun, Minnesota

• Jaz Shelley, Nebraska

• Cotie McMahon, Ohio State

• Kaylene Smikle, Rutgers

*not on preseason list

DeeDee Hagemann and Moira Joiner received the vaunted Robyn Fralick Bump as well. Mara Braun didn’t play for the second half of the season and STILL did well enough to be second team all-conference. I hope she’s healthy next year because she is a FUN player to watch.

All-B1G Honorable Mention

• Genesis Bryant, Illinois

• Chloe Moore-McNeil, Indiana

• Kate Martin, Iowa

• Jakia Brown-Turner, Maryland

• Bri McDaniel, Maryland

• Theryn Hallock, Michigan State

• Amaya Battle, Minnesota

• Grace Grocholski, Minnesota

• Natalie Potts, Nebraska

• Melanie Daley, Northwestern

• Caleigh Walsh, Northwestern

• Celeste Taylor, Ohio State

• Leilani Kapinus, Penn State

• Makenna Marisa, Penn State

• Ashley Owusu, Penn State

• Abbey Ellis, Purdue

• Jeanae Terry, Purdue

• Ronnie Porter, Wisconsin

Friend of the program,

Hoopla

Wyatt, has discussed this before but it bears repeating. Ashley Owusu playing under half the season disqualifies her from earning higher honors but it also, unfortunately, disqualifies her teammates from doing so as well because all of their numbers took a hit when she returned to the floor. This hasn’t seemed to bother the Nittany Lions any, as they keep winning games, but it is why a preseason first teamer like Makenna Marisa finds herself on the “honorable mention” list.

I love, love, love Kate Martin, Chloe Moore-McNeil, and Ronnie Porter so much. They all play their roles perfectly and are a big reason why their respective teams succeed.

I could have taken this picture back in September, but I suppose it’s important to play the actual games too. (Photo credit: @OhioStateWBB on Twitter)

My preseason predictions

1. Ohio State

2. Iowa

3. Indiana

4. Penn State

5. Maryland

6. Nebraska

7. Illinois

8. Michigan

9. Purdue

10. Rutgers

11. Michigan State

12. Minnesota

13. Wisconsin

14. Northwestern

Regular season results (difference from preseason predictions)

1. Ohio State (-)

2. Iowa (-)

3. Indiana (-)

4. Michigan State (+7)

5. Nebraska (+1)

6. Penn State (-2)

7. Michigan (+1)

8. Maryland (-3)

9. Illinois (-2)

10. Wisconsin (+3)

11. Minnesota (+1)

12. Purdue (-3)

13. Northwestern (+1)

14. Rutgers (-4)

Shoutout to Michigan State and Wisconsin for outperforming their preseason expectations! Anti-shoutout to Rutgers for being from New Jersey AND for underperforming their preseason expectations.