Big Ten Daily (Feb. 16): 4 Big Ten Players Named to Naismith Award Midseason List

Four Big Ten men's basketball players were named to the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year midseason list. Purdue's Zach Edey and Braden Smith, Michigan State's Tyson Walker and Northwestern's Boo Buie all made the cut.

The midseason list for the Naismith Men's College Basketball Player of the Year Award was released on Thursday, with four Big Ten names firmly in the mix. Purdue's Zach Edey and Braden Smith, Michigan State's Tyson Walker and Northwestern's Boo Buie were all included.

Edey claimed last year's honor and is looking to become just the third player in history to repeat. The others were UCLA's Bill Walton (1972-74) and Virginia's Ralph Sampson (1981-83).

A total of 30 players were named to this year's midseason list. Here's the complete rundown:

• Max Abmas, Texas
• Armando Bacot, North Carolina
• Johni Broome, Auburn
• Boo Buie, Northwestern
• Devin Carter, Providence
• L.J. Cryer, Houston
• RJ Davis, North Carolina
• Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
• Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
• Zach Edey, Purdue
• Kyle Filipowski, Duke
• PJ Hall, Clemson
• Daron Holmes II, Dayton
• David Jones, Memphis
• Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
• Tyler Kolek, Marquette
• Jaedon Ledee, San Diego State
• Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
• Caleb Love, Arizona
• Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
• Tristen Newton, UConn
• Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
• Baylor Scheierman, Creighton
• Mark Sears, Alabama
• Jamal Shead, Houston
• KJ Simpson, Colorado
• Braden Smith, Purdue
• Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State
• Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
• Tyson Walker, Michigan State

Edey is likely to repeat as the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year this season. The 7-foot-4 center is averaging 23.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks on the year.

Smith has been one of college basketball's rising stars. The sophomore averages 12.8 points, 7.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per contest. 

Buie is considered the best guard in the Big Ten this season, delivering high-scoring totals and making big plays in clutch moments. The veteran Northwestern star averages 19.2 points, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Walker is another big-time player in clutch moments. He's averaging 18.4 points, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Spartans. 

Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record

The wait is finally over. Iowa's Caitlin Clark now owns the NCAA all-time scoring record for women's basketball, setting a new mark on Thursday night.

Clark buried a long 3-point attempt from the logo at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to pass Kelsey Plum for the top spot on the all-time scoring list.

Here's the shot that gave Clark the record:

This shot solidified Caitlin Clark as the All-Time Leading Scorer in NCAA Women’s Basketball.

History captured exclusively on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/vumC0J79z0

— Barrett Media (@Barrett_Media) February 16, 2024

Clark scored 49 points and dished out 13 assists in Thursday's 106-89 victory over Michigan. It was a night most fans in attendance will remember for a long, long time.

There are still four games remaining in the regular season, along with the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. It's hard telling how far the career point total will climb for the Hawkeyes star.

Rutgers gets another big win

Quietly, Rutgers is on the rise in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights picked up their fourth straight victory on Thursday, defeating Northwestern 63-60. Steve Pikiell's team has improved to 14-10 on the year and 6-7 in conference play.

Thanks to this recent run, Rutgers now sits in seventh place in the Big Ten standings.

Jeremiah Williams gave Rutgers 15 points, five assists and five rebounds in the win over Northwestern. Jamichael Davis added 11 and Aundre Hyatt pitched in 10. Cliff Omoruyi finished the night with nine points and nine rebounds.

Rutgers continues to get the job done on the defensive end. It held Northwestern to just 36% shooting from the floor and forced the Wildcats into 15 turnovers.

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