Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako Among Top Big Ten Freshman of the Year Candidates

Averaging 11.6 points per game, Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako is one of the top contenders to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year, along with Iowa's Owen Freeman and Minnesota's Cam Christie.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Big Ten regular season is winding down, and season-long accolades are taking shape.

Purdue center Zach Edey is the heavy favorite to win his second consecutive Big Ten and National Player of the Year awards, but the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award is up for grabs.

Iowa forward Owen Freeman appears to be the favorite. He's won Big Ten Freshman of the Week a conference-high nine times out of 15 weeks so far, including twice in November, twice in December, three times in January and twice in February.

At 6-foot-10, Freeman is averaging 10.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 assists per game. He has started 20 games and appeared in all 29 for Iowa, which holds a 17-12 overall record and stands seventh place in the Big Ten at 9-9. Freeman shoots 64% from the field, 66.3% at the free throw line and has missed all three 3-point attempts. He's posted 15 double-digit scoring games, five double-doubles and scored a season-high 22 points against Nebraska. Freeman is fifth among all Big Ten players with 51 blocks.

Freeman's full game was on display in Iowa's recent 88-86 overtime win over Wisconsin on Feb. 17, when he finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, four blocks and two steals. He does a great job running the floor, and he's held his own on the glass as a freshman in a physical league. Despite being tabbed by the 247Sports Composite rankings as a three-star recruit and the nation's No. 182 prospect out of Moline High School in Illinois, Freeman has made a strong case all season to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year. 

Owen Freeman has now won @bigten freshman of the week 9⃣ times.

His latest honor was sealed with his eye-popping line in Iowa's OT win over Wisconsin. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rHZ2NxUzgg

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 19, 2024

One of Freeman's biggest competitors is Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako, who was the conference's top-rated recruit, No. 8 nationally, out of Roselle Catholic High School in Gladstone N.J. Mgbako had a slow start through his first five games, which included frequent defensive lapses and just 5.0 points per game. But after that stretch, he has been a consistent source of offense for coach Mike Woodson's Hoosiers, who are 15-13 overall and 7-10 in the Big Ten. He's perhaps Indiana's most improved player, too.

Mgbako leads all Big Ten freshmen with 20 double-digit scoring games, including career-highs of 22 and 20 points against Nebraska and Northwestern, respectively, in February. Starting all 28 games and playing 26.1 minutes per game, Mgbako is averaging 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists. 

He's not the most efficient scorer, shooting 39.5% from the field and 32% across 122 3-point attempts, but Mgbako is capable of scoring from any spot on the floor at 6-foot-8. He's won Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice, on Jan. 2 and the most recent award on Feb. 26. Mgbako iced Indiana's wins over Michigan and Wisconsin with clutch free throw shooting, contributing to his 80.4% on the year. 

Minnesota's Cam Christie rounds out a trio of top contenders for Big Ten Freshman of the year. The younger brother of former Michigan State guard Max Christie, who was a one-and-done NBA Draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, Cam has a good chance of topping his older brother's freshman year stats.

A 6-foot-6 guard out of Rolling Meadows High School in Arlington Heights, Ill., Christie was a four-star recruit and ranked No. 135 nationally. He averages 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 43.2% from the field, 41.0% on 134 3-point attempts and 77.1% at the free throw line. Max scored 9.3 points per game on 31.7% 3-point shooting for Michigan State in 2021-22.

Christie has helped coach Ben Johnson's Golden Gophers improve from 9-22 last season to 17-10 this year, already Minnesota's most wins since 2018-19. Christie leads all Big Ten freshmen with 55 3-pointers made, which is tied for ninth among all Big Ten players. He has 16 double-digit scoring games, including a career-high 20 against New Orleans and a 19-point performance against Michigan State. 

Wisconsin's John Blackwell is the only other player to receive Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, doing so three times. He's averaging 7.9 points on 46.5% 3-point shooting in 26 games off the bench, which may put him a tier below Freeman, Mgbako and Christie for the year-long freshman award.

Unless one player finishes particularly strong in the home stretch of the season, it'll be a difficult decision between Freeman, Mgbako and Christie for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. There's little separation from a scoring perspective, with Mgbako at 11.6 points per game, followed by Christie and 11.2 and Freeman at 10.8.

Each plays a different position, too, which could make the comparison even more challenging. Freeman ranks among the league's top shot blockers, and Christie could finish top 10 in 3-point shooting. Mgbako falls short in both of those categories, but he's arguably a more versatile offensive threat and will likely finish as the league's top freshman scorer overall. 

According to Evan Miyakawa's Bayesian Performance Rating, which measures a player's overall value to his team when he's on the floor, both offensively and defensively, Mgbako is ranked 32nd among all Big Ten players. Blackwell is ranked 57th, Freeman is ranked 61st, and Christie is ranked 75th.

Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana are all currently outside NCAA Tournament projections and ranked between seventh and 10th in the Big Ten standings. From a head-to-head standpoint, Iowa defeated Minnesota twice, but lost its only matchup of the season against Indiana. The Hoosiers beat Minnesota 74-62 in Bloomington on Jan. 12, and the teams meet again in Minneapolis on March 6.

Though Freeman has taken home the majority of the weekly awards, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award could come down to a few votes, as Mgbako and Christie both present solid cases. Last season, All-Big Ten awards were announced after the regular season and before the Big Ten tournament.

Here are the last 10 Big Ten Freshman of the Year winners:

• Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana: 13.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.7 apg
• Malaki Branham, Ohio State: 13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
• Hunter Dickinson, Michigan: 14.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg
• Kofi Cockburn, Illinois: 13.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg 
• Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan: 14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg
• Jaren Jackson, Michigan State: 10.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg
• Miles Bridges, Michigan State: 16.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg
• Ethan Happ, Wisconsin: 12.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg
• D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State: 19.3 ppg, 5.0 apg
• Noah Vonleh, Indiana: 11.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg

Here are all of Indiana's Big Ten Freshman of the Year winners since 1985-86:

• Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2022-23: 13.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.7 apg
• Noah Vonleh, 2013-14: 11.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg
• Cody Zeller, 2011-12, tied with Trey Burke: 15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg
• Eric Gordon, 2007-08: 20.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
• D.J. White, 2004-05: 13.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg
• Jared Jeffries, 2000-01: 13.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg
• A.J. Guyton, 1996-97: 13.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg
• Damon Bailey, 1990-91: 11.4 ppg, 2.9 apg
• Eric Anderson, 1988-89: 11.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
• Jay Edwards, 1987-88: 15.6 ppg, 3.2 apg
• Dean Garrett, 1986-87: 11.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg

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