Big Ten lands three players on AP All-America first team

Keegan Murray has given Iowa a first-team Related Press All-American for the third straight yr, and Kofi Cockburn has made it two in a row for Illinois — not unhealthy for a pair applications that have not had a complete lot of them.

The Combating Illini by no means had a first-team choose till Ayo Dosunmu made it final season when Cockburn was voted to the second group. And the Hawkeyes had not had a first-team choice because the 1952 season till Luka Garza, final yr’s AP participant of the yr, made his second consecutive look within the five-man group.

Throw in Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and the Large Ten was properly represented Tuesda on the AP’s first group, which additionally included Kentucky massive man Oscar Tshiebwe — this yr’s participant of the yr favourite — and Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji.

“I’ve needed to study from quite a lot of guys final yr simply what it takes to be nice at this degree,” stated Murray, a sophomore guard from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who’s fourth nationally in scoring at 23.6 factors per recreation heading into the NCAA Event.

“I imply, it’s sort of like every thing simply acquired put collectively for me,” Murray added, “simply all of the laborious work that we put in.”

The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes, who received the Large Ten Event title on Sunday, will open their NCAA tourney on Thursday towards Richmond.

“We struggled earlier on this yr a little bit bit and now we’re doing very well,” Murray stated, “and it’s only a nice feeling.”

All of the first-team picks have their groups positioned to make a postseason run.

Cockburn, the bruising ahead from Kingston, Jamaica, and the fourth-seeded Combating Illini play Chattanooga on Friday, the identical day Davis and the third-seeded Badgers open towards Colgate. Tshiebwe has Kentucky seeded second going into Thursday’s recreation towards Saint Peter’s. Agbaji and the top-seeded Jayhawks open towards one of many play-in groups.

Davis is the Badgers’ third first-team All-American, becoming a member of Alando Tucker in 2007 and Frank Kaminsky in 2015, whereas Tshiebwe is the primary for Kentucky since Tyler Ulis in 2016. Agbaji offers the Jayhawks a first-team choose for the third time in six years after Frank Mason in 2017 and Devonte Graham in 2018.

Similar to Murray with the Hawkeyes, Agbaji already has some expertise reducing down nets this season.

The Large 12 participant of the yr led Kansas previous Texas Tech within the convention title recreation, including match MVP honors to a rising assortment of {hardware} that Agbaji has earned throughout his senior season.

“It is nice to see him do all these items. He is engaging in just about each aim he got down to accomplish,” Jayhawks teammate Christian Braun stated, “and it is superior to observe him on daily basis, you understand, work laborious and apply laborious and do all these items, after which accomplish every thing he got down to accomplish.”

SECOND TEAM

Drew Timme of Gonzaga led the AP second group for the second straight yr and was joined by freshman teammate Chet Holmgren. Jaden Ivey of Purdue gave the Large Ten one other All-American, whereas seemingly No. 1 draft choose Jabari Smith of Auburn and Benedict Mathurin of Arizona rounded out the second group.

The Bulldogs, who’re the No. 1 total seed within the NCAA Event for the second straight season, additionally had two second-team picks final yr in Timme and Jalen Suggs. One other teammate, Corey Kispert, was a first-teamer final yr.

THIRD TEAM

Paolo Banchero of Duke was the one participant from the ACC to be chosen for one of many first three groups, whereas the Blue Devils had been the one group from the vaunted basketball convention to land within the ultimate Prime 25 ballot this season. Banchero additionally will go down as the ultimate All-American in a protracted checklist to have performed for retiring Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Banchero was joined on the third group by Collin Gillespie of Villanova and E.J. Liddell of Ohio State, each of whom had been honorable point out picks final season, and Walker Kessler of Auburn. James Akinjo of Baylor and JD Notae of Arkansas tied for the final spot on the third group, giving it six members fairly than 5.

HONORABLE MENTION

David Roddy of Colorado State was the highest vote getter among the many honorable point out alternatives. Others to obtain the consideration embrace Armando Bacot of North Carolina; Johnny Juzang of UCLA; Alondes Williams of Wake Forest; Tari Eason of LSU; Zach Edey of Purdue; two-time choose Max Abmas of Oral Roberts; and Ron Harper Jr. of Rutgers.