Big Ten media day is today in Chicago and just moments ago, the conference announced its preseason picks for league champion and player of the year this morning.
Here’s the full release:
PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Already named the preseason No. 1 team in the nation by several publications, Indiana has been chosen as the Big Ten favorite heading into the 2012-13 season as voted on by a panel of conference media. The media also tabbed Hoosier sophomore Cody Zeller as the Preseason Player of the Year. Michigan and Ohio State, two of the three teams that shared the 2011-12 Big Ten title, were selected to finish second and third, respectively, in the conference.
Zeller was a unanimous pick to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and was joined on the squad by the Wolverines’ Trey Burke, the Buckeyes’ Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas and Penn State’s Tim Frazier.
Indiana returns all five starters and 11 total letterwinners from last year’s team that advanced to the Sweet 16 and finished with a 27-9 overall record. The Hoosiers are led by fifth-year head coach Tom Crean. Zeller was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches last year and was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and media last season.
Michigan welcomes back three starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad that won a share of the Big Ten title. Head Coach John Beilein enters his sixth year with the program and returns a pair of All-Big Ten selections in Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. Burke was the media’s selection for Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season.
Ohio State returns three starters from last year’s Final Four squad. The Buckeyes won a share of last year’s Big Ten title and are led by ninth-year head coach Thad Matta. Craft and Thomas both earned All-Big Ten recognition a season ago, while Craft was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
The complete 2012 Preseason All-Big Ten Team and preseason poll can be found below.
2012-13 BIG TEN PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Indiana
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State2012-13 PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
CODY ZELLER, Indiana
Trey Burke, Michigan
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State
Tim Frazier, Penn State2012-13 PRESEASON BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cody Zeller, IndianaUnanimous selection in ALL CAPS
Filed to: 2012-2013 Big Ten preview, Cody Zeller