Less than a week left until the official start of practice, UM Hoop When in the hall We have partnered again to provide a preseason breakdown of the Big Ten’s top 25 players each year.
The series is split into five parts, with the fifth and final installment of the 2022-23 season’s 5v1 Players available below.
Before: 25-21, 20-16, 15-11, 10-6
5. Clifford Omolui, Rutgers (6’11” center, junior)
Omoruyi may not have as extensive an offensive arsenal as the other two bigs in the top five, but he is probably the best two-way bigs in the conference. He defends the rim, dominates the grass, and finishes off what appears to be a catch all around the rim with an emphatic dunk. It was the second highest in the country after Duke’s Mark Williams.
Omoruyi averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds last season, shot an impressive 63.5% in the arc, and finished fourth in the league in block percentage.
Perhaps the scariest thing for the rest of the Big Ten is that Omorui is still on the trajectory of growth as a player. He made a big leap in his sophomore year and is ready to build on that success and expand his offensive repertoire as a junior as Steve focuses on his Pikiel.
4. Chris Murray, Iowa (6.8′, forward, junior)
Murray is back in Iowa City as a Big Ten breakout contender while his twin brothers go to the NBA in the lottery. Despite being listed on the big board of many drafts last spring, Murray didn’t even test the waters in favor of going back to school. Entering the season as an NBA draft candidate.
Murray, who barely saw the floor as a freshman, made a big step forward for Fran McCaffery last season. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 17.9 minutes per game. Murray is a more perimeter-oriented player than his older brother, but in his play last season in the conference he hit 58.2% in twos, his 16th-highest usage percentage in the conference. Murray had a staggering 38.7% completion rate in 3 seconds on 111 attempts last season.
Defensively, he was 7th in block percentage and 11th in stolen base percentage in the Big Ten, among the top 25 defensive rebounders in the conference.
Considering he averaged 21.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per 40 minutes a season ago, it’s not hard to see a clear path for Murray to earn First Team All-Big 10 honors by the end of the season.
3. Zach Eadie, Purdue (7.4′ center, junior)
As a sophomore, Eddie averaged 30.3 points and 16.2 rebounds per 40 minutes. Of course, he split his fifth with Trevion Williams, so he only played 19 minutes per game.
Now a junior and a major big man on the roster, this Purdue team is Edie’s team. The question is how many minutes can you play with Matt Painter? Edey only played 25 minutes or more on his three occasions last season, but if he can top that total regularly this season, he’ll be one of the most productive big men in the country. should be one.
There is some talk about how many minutes Edie can play because of his massive build and lack of mobility guarding the ball screen.
Players like former Purdue big man Isaac Haas clocked 23.4 minutes on the same system, but the statistical advantage per minute with Edie on the court is something preseason will miss. You can not.
2. Trace Jackson-Davies, Indiana (6.9′, forward, senior)
To the surprise of many, Jackson-Davis chose to return to Bloomington for a fourth season after returning the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament last March.
Jackson-Davis compiled his best season as a Hoosier last winter when his efficiency numbers improved. His 2 points on the field his goal percentage improved by 7.6%, leading the Hoosiers in both scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 RPG).
As Mike Woodson gave Jackson Davis more defensive latitude, he worked as a shot blocker. He finished third in the league in block percentage and his average per game improved from his 1.4 to 2.3.
His late-season dominance brought Indiana back to the postseason for the first time in nearly six years. In his four games against Michigan, Illinois and Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, Jackson averaged 25.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 66.6% shooting percentage from the field.
The next step for Jackson-Davis is to add midrange or perimeter shots to his offensive arsenal. Woodson revealed on Media Day in Indiana that Jackson-Davis has the freedom to expand his game. Doing so will improve his NBA inventory while also giving the defense one more concern when it comes to making game plans to stop him.
1. Hunter Dickinson, Michigan (7’1 center, junior)
After Dickinson returned from COVID-19 in early January, he helped turn Michigan’s season around, averaging 20.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 33.3 minutes per game. He shot 59.1% within the arc, 34.0% from his range from three-pointers, and in 20 games he earned eight KenPom MVP honors.
Some of Dickinson’s dominance was lost in the fact that Michigan started the season slowly and failed to live up to their high preseason expectations, but they produced as regularly as Dickinson in the final three months of the season. Very few players were targeted.
In Big Ten games, Dickinson finished second in scoring and fifth in rebounding, with every player above him on both lists moving this offseason.
His defensive limitations are well-documented, but his ability to dominate offensively should allow Michigan to compete in the Big Ten despite an almost entirely new supporting cast this season.
Submit to: 2022-23 Season Preview, Trace Jackson Davis
