Ohio State's unexpected run at a Big Ten regular season title came up short Sunday when Michigan State claimed the outright crown, but that doesn't mean the Buckeyes won't be walking away with some individual hardware.
After finishing second in the league in scoring (19.2 ppg) and rebounds per game (8.9 rpg), Keita Bates-Diop was a unanimous choice for the first-team All-Big Ten list Monday, the first Buckeye to earn such honors since D'Angelo Russell in 2014-15. Bates-Diop was a four-time recipient of the Big Ten Player of the Week award during his redshirt junior campaign, posting a pair of 30-point performances and collecting 12 double-doubles. Bates-Diop was joined by Michigan State's Miles Bridges as the only unanimous choices on the first-team list.
Congrats to the 2017-18 #B1GMBBall first-team All-Big Ten honorees as selected by conference coaches and media. pic.twitter.com/ldorvN2i8F
— Big Ten Men's Hoops (@B1GMBBall) February 26, 2018
Bates-Diop was also named as the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Senior forward Jae'Sean Tate, who finished the season as Ohio State's second leading scorer (12.5 ppg) and rebounder (6.2 rpg), came in as a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches. Tate and Bates-Diop were the only two Buckeyes to start every game this season for Chris Holtmann, leading Ohio State to a 24-7, 15-3 record heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Congrats to the 2017-18 #B1GMBBall second-team All-Big Ten honorees as selected by conference coaches and media. pic.twitter.com/rGMUDJCWBk
— Big Ten Men's Hoops (@B1GMBBall) February 26, 2018
Tate was not named to the media's All-Big Ten second or third team.
Freshman center and Westerville, Ohio native Kaleb Wesson was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman team on Monday, after averaging 11 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his rookie season. Wesson was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week twice this season, and started 27 of 30 games in 2017-18.
The 2017-18 #B1GMBBall All-Freshman team as selected by conference coaches. pic.twitter.com/1DCuaYCQn2
— Big Ten Men's Hoops (@B1GMBBall) February 26, 2018
While three of his players were honored, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann was also named as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
