Tag: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

Xavier Tillman wins Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

Tillman is the fifth Spartan to win the award for the Big Ten’s best defender

Naismith got it wrong.

A week after getting snubbed as a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, Michigan State junior center Xavier Tillman Sr. was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Tillman Sr. averaged 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game on the defensive side of the floor this year. Those stats ranked 4th and 7th in the conference respectively. No other player in the conference ranked top ten in both categories. His 10.3 rebounds per game ranked third in the conference.

More than that, Tillman Sr. regularly shut down opposing big men within the conference, including some of the top players in all of college basketball. He held Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza just one field goal in the second half of MSU’s 78-70 win over Iowa. On Senior Day and with the Big Ten title on the line Tillman Sr. held Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson to 8 points on 1-8 shooting from the floor. Minnesota star center Daniel Oturu had two of his worst games of the season squared up against Tillman Sr.

Tillman is the fifth Spartan to win Defensive Player of the Year. Joining Jaren Jackson Jr. (2018), Travis Walton (2009), Eric Snow (1995), and Ken Redfield (1990).

Tillman Sr. was also named second-team All-Big Ten.

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Ohio State defensive end Chase Young takes home two Big Ten awards

Ohio State defensive end Chase Young took home two major Big Ten defensive player awards on Tuesday.

This will probably come as no surprise to anyone reading this, but Ohio State defensive end Chase Young was named the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodwon Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year for 2019.

Young finished what can only be considered as one of the most dominant defensive years of any player in the Big Ten ever. He set the all-time single-season sack record at Ohio State with 16.5 sacks. That leads the country, as does his tackles for loss (2.0 per game), and sack yards (117).

All of that by the way came while missing two complete games and sitting out some of the tail-end of other blowout ones.

Young adds to Ohio State’s conference leading total number of Defensive Players of the Year (1), and Defensive Linemen of the Year (12) awards.

Well-deserved by Young. He’ll next be in action this Saturday in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin.