It was announced Tuesday morning that a pair of Purdue freshmen, Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey were named to the 2021 All-Big Ten Freshman Team this season. The freshmen duo join Trevion Williams in receiving Big Ten Honors.
The new kids on the block are impressive.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 9, 2021
Congrats to the 2021 Big Ten All-Freshman team! pic.twitter.com/N1RJJG9I9q
The rest of the All-Big Ten Freshman Team consists of Hunter Dickinson of Michigan. Keegan Murray of Iowa and Illinois’ Andre Curbelo. Notably absent from this list is Purdue’s own Brandon Newman and could be considered a snub, but it just speaks to how deep the Big Ten is as usual.
Ivey has turned into a go-to type guard for Matt Painter as the year has progressed after finding his footing earlier this season. Since February began, he has averaged 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, which could be All-Big Ten numbers if put out over an entire season.
Many were under the impression that Zach Edey was a serious redshirt candidate for his first year in West Lafayette, oh how everyone was wrong. Edey has been the biggest surprise for the Boilermakers by far, and to much appreciation by fans. The 7’4 monster rounded out the regular season by averaging 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 14.6 minutes per game, which is 24.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per 40 minutes for anyone counting at home.
This comes as no surprise given how they have performed this season, and being a large part of Purdue’s success heading into the Big Ten Tournament. Both guys’ evolution over the course of this season has been special to watch and has the potential to become something great in the next few years.