Big Ten Tournament Breakdown: the Best of the Classes
Ranking the top players by year, from Natalie Potts to Caitlin Clark.
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It’s been a BIG year, to say the least.
Of course, Iowa senior guard Caitlin Clark broke the all-time NCAA scoring record, previously held by LSU guard Pete Maravich.
But don’t look past Ohio State. Not only did the Buckeyes win 15 games in a row — all conference games — on their way to their first outright Big Ten regular season title since 2010, but they also killed it in the conference postseason awards. Kevin McGuff won his first conference Coach of the Year, graduate guard Celeste Taylor won a conference Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight year (winning in the ACC last season) and the Buckeyes had four players — the most of any school — honored on the All-Big Ten teams.
It goes without saying that the upperclassmen led the way for both Iowa and Ohio State all season — and Indiana with the senior duo of guard Sara Scalia and forward Mackenzie Holmes for that matter. It seemed, however, that the underclassmen went heavily unnoticed amid the “Caitlin Clark effect” this season.
Although the conference tournament is already underway, it’s worth exploring this year’s top players by class, which teams will be in the past after this season and where to look for the future of Big Ten hoops.
Note: Only those who played at least 23 games were considered in rankings (80% of season).
Freshmen — 22 qualifiers
Led by Nebraska forward Natalie Potts and Minnesota guard Grace Grocholski, the freshmen class had an outstanding year. These two led the rookie class in scoring and played key roles on their teams all season.
Since Golden Gopher guard and leading scorer Mara Braun suffered a season-ending foot injury in late January, Grocholski has averaged 17 points per game, shooting 37.8% from downtown during that stretch. Grocholski also leads the freshmen with 2.1 offensive win shares this season.
Potts, on the other hand, showed her dominance mostly on the defensive end, placing in the top three among Big Ten freshmen in both blocks and steals and leading the class in rebounds.
But Potts also ranked in the top three in both offensive and defensive rating on her way to claiming conference Freshman of the Year honors.
A couple of other names that stand out include Penn State’s Moriah Murray and Grace Hall, who led the Big Ten freshman class in individual offensive and defensive rating, respectively. Perhaps the Lady Lions didn’t perform as well as they would have hoped this year, especially down the stretch, but these two young women earned big-time minutes late in the season.
The final freshman that really stood out was Purdue’s Mary Ashley Stevenson, who joined Grocholski and Potts as unanimous All-Big Ten Freshman Team honorees.
Stevenson, who put up nine points and three rebounds in a win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, earned a starting role almost right off the bat. Starting 29 of 30 games this season, the rookie from New York City averaged 9.8 points but ranked among the top three in Player Efficiency Rating among conference freshmen. When the Boilermakers didn’t look so hot, Stevenson provided a spark on offense. On a stretch when they went 1-6, the young big stepped up against the top teams in the conference, scoring in double figures against Indiana (twice) and Ohio State.
Freshmen Top 7:
Natalie Potts, Nebraska
Grace Grocholski, Minnesota
Mary Ashley Stevenson, Purdue
Logan Nissley, Nebraska
Rashunda Jones, Purdue
Moriah Murray/Grace Hall, Penn State
Sophomores — 25 qualifiers
This year’s class may be one of the best in recent memory. With forwards including Ohio State’s Cotie McMahon, Wisconsin’s Serah Williams and Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke, the sophomores showed their prowess this season.
After a somewhat rocky start to the season, McMahon found herself in the new calendar year. Since the beginning of 2024, McMahon has averaged almost 15 points per game, including a career-high 33 against Iowa on Jan. 21.
While last year’s Freshman of the Year has developed into a three-level scorer, what’s even more impressive has been her jump in all other areas of her game. If McMahon’s go-to spin move in the paint showed us anything, it’s that she can be aggressive in all areas of her game.
Since the turn of the calendar year, the young forward has made it a point to go after every rebound on both ends of the floor as well as distribute the ball at a very high rate. It was rare to not find McMahon on the defensive glass, pushing the ball up to a fast-paced Buckeyes guard or simply finding the open player in a set offense.
Perhaps not as defined in an all-around game as McMahon was Serah Williams, the only other sophomore to make the All-Big Ten First Team. Williams is known for her interior dominance, leading the league with 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 offensive boards per game.
One of the elite rim protectors in the country, Williams only trailed McMahon in defensive win shares among Big Ten sophomores despite not benefitting from a sub-0.500 Wisconsin squad. The All-Defensive Team honoree was also a focal point of the Badgers’ offensive attack, leading Big Ten sophomores with a usage rate above 30%.
Stuelke was the only other sophomore recognized on the All-Big Ten teams on Tuesday. A big who can get up and down the court in the blink of an eye, Stuelke was a great beneficiary of Caitlin Clark’s offense.
Just against Ohio State on Sunday, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native had several fastbreak layups and finished with 23 points and nine boards to complement Clark’s record-breaking night.
Stuelke showed she can be the future of Hawkeyes basketball with her post play and footwork. Perhaps her best night was a 111-93 win over Penn State when she put up a career-high 47 points that showed the world that Iowa has more than one go-to scorer.
Beyond the All-Big Ten teams, Penn State’s Shay Ciezki, Indiana’s Yarden Garzon and Maryland’s Bri McDaniel should be recognized for their production this season.
Ciezki, who was second in the class in offensive win shares, averaged almost 13 points per game on efficient shooting splits of 43% from the field, 39% from beyond the arc and 89% from the free-throw line.
Garzon, paired in a frontcourt with Holmes, had the third-highest defensive win shares this season among Big Ten sophomores and a 90.6 individual defensive rating.
McDaniel shot the ball at a 50% clip from downtown as part of her 13 points per game. The young guard stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in the Terps’ second-round win over Illinois Thursday.
Sophomores Top 7:
Serah Williams, Wisconsin
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Hannah Stuelke, Iowa
Shay Ciezki, Penn State
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Bri McDaniel, Maryland
Juniors — 28 qualifiers
Although not gaining as much attention as the sophomores, this season’s junior class had a set of players with diverse skill sets.
All-Big Ten First Team selections Alexis Markowski of Nebraska, Laila Phelia of Michigan and Shyanne Sellers of Maryland led the way for the third-year players.
Markowski, yet another superb player down low, led the class in rebounds to complement her 15.8 points per game. The Nebraska big was only held to one single-digit scoring performance this season (against Ohio State). In fact, in her last seven games when the Huskers went 5-2, Markowski averaged 14 points on 52.3% from the field.
That Ohio State game was in part thanks to Taylor Thierry, a back-to-back All-Big Ten Second Team honoree. Thierry was especially efficient this season, placing in the top two in the league among juniors in individual offensive and defensive rating as well as offensive, defensive and total win shares.
Thierry certainly benefited from a great two-way Buckeye team, but don’t discount her individual play. While Ohio State has prospered behind graduate guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor, Thierry is no doubt one of the league’s best all-around players because she can score when needed and can guard all five positions.
On the other hand, you have a rival of Thierry’s in Michigan’s Phelia, who led all Big Ten juniors in scoring this season. Although she didn’t provide Thierry’s defensive prowess, Phelia’s 16 points per game this season helped Michigan to a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament.
As you can see from the chart above, Sellers and Michigan State’s DeeDee Hagemann were consistently among the top in advanced stats. The latter was honored with an All-Big Ten Second Team selection behind 50-40-75 shooting splits and a late-season scoring tear.
Sellers, who has widely been acknowledged as one of the league's best scoring guards, guided the Terps on the offensive end all season. Although she often had trouble knocking down shots against the top teams, she dismantled the lower-ranked conference teams and did help in a close loss to the Buckeyes.
Finally, the Lady Lions’ Leilani Kapinus was one of the best all-around defenders in the Big Ten this year, culminating in an All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection. Kapinus was a great on-ball defender and, with the help of graduate guard Ashely Owusu in the backcourt, clinched a Day 2 berth against Wisconsin.
Juniors Top 7:
Alexis Markowski, Nebraska
Laila Phelia, Michigan
Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
Taylor Thierry, Ohio State
Leilani Kapinus, Penn State
DeeDee Hagemann, Michigan State
Seniors/Graduates — 46 qualifiers
Despite the outstanding play from all other classes, this year was defined by the seniors and graduates. Clark, deservedly, was the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year, leading Iowa to No. 3 in the latest AP poll as well as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten.
Although Iowa waned late in the season, including losses down the stretch against Nebraska and Ohio State, Clark never dipped in her production, leading the league with a 44.9 PER, six efficiency points higher than Holmes.
Sheldon and Holmes both stayed at the helms of their teams, leading them to the top and third seeds, respectively. Although the former was not recognized on the coaches’ All-Defensive team this season, she and teammate Celeste Taylor led the way with more than two steals per game each.
After playing just 13 games last season, Sheldon returned to her 2022 self, guiding the Buckeyes on both ends of the floor. Taylor complimented her on both ends, particularly on the defensive end, but upped her offensive production substantially in the last few games of the regular season.
While Sheldon, Taylor and McMahon had a deep supporting cast, Indiana’s all-around play matched that of the Buckeyes. Holmes, last season’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-Defensive Team yet again with a dominant paint presence, finishing second with 1.5 blocks behind Michigan State big Julia Ayrault.
The Hoosiers also had a versatile backcourt of Sara Scalia — who averaged over 16 points on near-50-40-90 shooting splits — and Chloe Moore-McNeil, a frustrating on-ball defender who added a spark on the offensive end as well.
Despite those three being the only teams currently ranked in the AP top 25, Ayrault, along with backcourt specialist Moira Joiner, led the Spartans to a 4-seed in the conference tournament. Ayrault led the entire league in individual defensive rating and was one of the most efficient players with a PER of 35.4. The Michigan native led the Spartans to a top-10 defense by turnover margin, ranking third among Power 5 schools behind only Ohio State and West Virginia.
The senior class consisted of a multitude of top performers behind the aforementioned players, including Nebraska’s Jaz Shelley, Penn State’s Ashley Owusu and Illinois’ Kendall Bostic, to name a few.
Seniors Top 7:
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
Celeste Taylor, Ohio State
Julia Ayrault, Michigan State
Sara Scalia, Indiana
Chloe Moore-McNeil, Indiana
As the Big Ten Tournament continues today with the quarterfinals, we expect to see some of the best matchups, headlined by Ohio State-Maryland and Michigan State-Nebraska.
All of today’s and Saturday’s games are streaming on Big Ten Network. The championship will air on CBS on Sunday.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
A really nicely done story.