Michigan Wolverines

Freshman point guard Trey Burke added to his already impressive resume on Tuesday when he was named to one of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's (USBWA) All-District Teams.

Burke was one of two freshman (the other being Indiana's Cody Zeller) to be named to the District V team.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and senior Draymond Green were named Coach and Player of the Year for District V, respectively.

Joining Burke, Zeller and Green on the All-District team were Ohio State's William Buford and Jared Sullinger, Marquette's Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, Purdue's Robbie Hummel, Northwestern's John Shurna and Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor.

The Big Ten announced its postseason men's basketball awards Monday night. Here are the recipients:

Player of Year (coaches and media): Draymond Green, Michigan State

Freshman of Year: Trey Burke, Michigan (media); Cody Zeller, Indiana (coaches)

Coach of the Year (coaches and media): Tom Izzo, Michigan State

Defensive Player of the Year (only coaches vote): Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Sixth man of the Year (only coaches vote): D.J. Byrd, Purdue

All-Big Ten First team (Coaches): Draymond Green, Michigan State; John Shurna, Northwestern; Jared Sullinger, Ohio State; Robbie Hummel, Purdue; Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin.

All-Big Ten First team (Media): Green; Shurna; Sullinger; Hummel; Tim Frazier, Penn State

All-Big Ten Second team (Coaches): Cody Zeller, Indiana; Trey Burke, Michigan; William Buford, Ohio State; Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State; Frazier

All-Big Ten Second team (media): Zeller, Burke, Buford, Taylor; Matt Gatens, Iowa

All-Big Ten Third team (coaches): Brandon Paul, Illinois; Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan; Keith Appling, Michigan State; Drew Crawford, Northwestern; Gatens

All-Big Ten Third team (media): Hardaway Jr.; Appling; Crawford; Deshaun Thomas; Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Honorable Mention (coaches): Meyers Leonard, Illinois; Christian Watford, Indiana; Craft; Lewis Jackson, Purdue; Jared Berggren, Wisconsin; Ryan Evans, Wisconsin

Honorable Mention (media): Leonard; Paul; Jordan Hulls, Indiana; Victor Oladipo, Indiana; Watford; Aaron White, Iowa; Zack Novak, Michigan; Branden Dawson, Michigan State; D.J. Byrd, Purdue; Lewis Jackson, Purdue; Berggren; Evans.

All-Freshman Team (coaches only): Cody Zeller, Indiana; Trey Burke, Michigan; Aaron White, Iowa; Branden Dawson, Michigan State; Dave Sobolewski, Northwestern

All-Defensive Team (coaches only): Victor Oladipo, Indiana; Draymond Green, Michigan State; Aaron Craft, Ohio State; Tim Frazier, Penn State; Josh Gasser, Wisconsin

Big Ten Sportsmanship Award: Stu Douglass, Michigan; Sam Maniscalco, Illinois; Jordan Hulls, Indiana; Matt Gatens, Iowa; Austin Thornton, Michigan State; Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota; Brandon Richardson, Nebraska; Nick Fruendt, Northwestern; Aaron Craft, Ohio State; Billy Oliver, Penn State; Robbie Hummel, Purdue; Rob Wilson, Wisconsin

There were a lot of things Michigan coach John Beilein likely didn't like during the No. 13 Wolverines' 67-55 overtime win over Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Tuesday night.

His team, which had driven the ball well and with precision over the past few weeks, settled too often for 3-pointers. Foul trouble came up again, with both Jordan Morgan and Evan Smotrycz sitting for most of the first half with two fouls.

And Tim Hardaway Jr. struggled from the foul line, going 4-of-10.

But this late in the season, in a game Northwestern badly needed to win to make its first-ever NCAA tournament, the Wolverines will take any win they can get on the road.

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It's time to look back and recognize some of the highlights and lowlights from the Big Ten bowl season:

Best performance: Michigan State. After falling behind 16-0 to Georgia, the Spartans rallied back to take the lead in the second half. When they needed to drive the field for a tying touchdown with only 1:55 left, they did just that. When Kirk Cousins threw an interception on the first overtime possession, they responded by holding tough on defense. Michigan State had 17 tackles for loss against the Bulldogs, including five by defensive end William Gholston. Darqueze Dennard grabbed two interceptions, and the special teams came up with a blocked kick to win the game. The 33-30 triple-overtime victory was yet another milestone for the program under Mark Dantonio.

Worst performance: Penn State clearly didn't want to go to the TicketCity Bowl, and it showed right away. Houston quarterback Case Keenum made a mockery of the Nittany Lions' defense, throwing for 227 yards in the first quarter alone. Penn State had allowed that many yards passing in an entire game only once all season. He'd finish with 532 yards passing as the Cougars breezed to a 30-14 victory.

Best new mascot: Northwestern brought a stuffed monkey with a No. 63 jersey to its Meineke Car Care Bowl game against Texas A&M, symbolizing its quest to end a 63-year bowl victory drought. Alas, the Wildcats will have to order a No. 64 uniform after losing 33-22. Better make it a big jersey, because this postseason curse is more like an 800-pound gorilla at this point.

Worst near-death experience: Near the end of Iowa's Insight Bowl loss to Oklahoma, star Hawkeyes receiver Marvin McNutt was nearly taken out by ESPN's skycam, which fell to the field from its cables. The heavy camera almost hit McNutt off the bounce, and he got caught up in its wiring as he left the Iowa huddle. The skycam was unceremoniously escorted off the field, kind of like how Iowa's season ended in a 31-14 loss.

Worst ball security: Purdue and Western Michigan combined for 11 turnovers in a wild Little Caesars Bowl. On two separate occasions, the Boilermakers forced a turnover only to give the ball right back to the Broncos as defenders coughed it up trying to go the other way. Ultimately, Purdue got the upper hand by creating seven takeaways and holding on for a 37-32 victory.

Best clock management: Michigan State trailed Georgia 27-20 late in the fourth quarter of the Outback Bowl when the Spartans were called for pass interference on third-and-3 from the Bulldogs' 37. The officials ruled that Georgia had completed the pass on the play even though receiver Malcolm Mitchell clearly dropped the ball. Dantonio challenged the ruling, despite the fact that Georgia was going to get a first down either way. Dantonio's successful challenge meant that instead of the clock running down toward three minutes, the clock was stopped and reset to 3:43. That extra time proved enormous, as the Spartans tied the game with 14 seconds left in regulation.

Worst clock management: Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema was unsure if he could challenge the ruling when Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas hesitated and nearly left the end zone before kneeling down for kick-return touchback. As Bielema asked the sideline official for a clarification, he was charged with a timeout. That was the second timeout burned by the Badgers early in the second half. They dearly could have used the stoppages when the offense ended the game at the Oregon 25-yard line. Russell Wilson hurried to the line and was instructed to spike the ball with two seconds left, but officials ruled there was no time left.

Best impersonation of a wide receiver: Michigan's fake field goal attempt late in the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl went awry when holder Drew Dileo's intended receiving target, tight end Kevin Koger, didn't know the fake was on. So Dileo threw the ball into a crowd, and Virginia Tech deflected it. But long snapper Jareth Glanda saved the day by hauling it in for an 11-yard gain. The Wolverines ended up with a field goal on the play, and they needed every point in an overtime victory.

Best use of the kicking game: Purdue coach Danny Hope turned into a riverboat gambler in the Little Caesars Bowl, calling for two consecutive onside kicks in the first half. Both worked and led to points. Raheem Mostert also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score.

Worst use of the kicking game: Ohio State had a punt blocked for a touchdown and allowed a 99-yard kickoff return by Florida. The Buckeyes lost by seven points in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

Worst loss of composure: Nebraska star cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery let their emotions get the best of them in the third quarter of the Capital One Bowl. Dennard took a coupLe of swings at Jeffery, who pushed Dennard's helmet back. Both players were rightly ejected. Amazingly, Jeffery was still named MVP of South Carolina's 30-13 win.

Best crisis management: We saw what happened to Penn State and Ohio State as they played for lame-duck head coaches. Illinois not only had to deal with that but also a six-game losing streak and a group of assistants threatening to boycott the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl hours before the game. Somehow, interim head coach Vic Koenning managed to hold things together to help the Illini win 20-14 over UCLA.

Best inspiration: As Michigan's Brendan Gibbons lined up for the 37-yard kick to win the game in overtime, he had one thing on his mind. "Brunette girls,” Gibbons said. “Every time we were like struggling in kicking, coach tells me to think about girls on a beach or brunette girls," Gibbons told reporters. "So that's what we did. Made the kick." And they say blondes have more fun.

A year ago, the biggest blotches in the Big Ten's bloody bowl ledger came courtesy of Michigan and Michigan State.

The Wolverines and Spartans lost their bowl games by a combined score of 101-21 on Jan. 1, 2011. They allowed 51 combined first downs and 1,031 yards. Making matters worse, both losses came at the hands of SEC foes (Mississippi State and Alabama, respectively), reinforcing the perception that Big Ten teams don't belong on the same field with those from the nation's top conference. Of the Big Ten's five losses on a disastrous New Year's Day, Michigan's and Michigan State's stood out from the rest.

But the same two teams that dragged down the Big Ten's rep boosted the conference in this year's bowl go-round. Although the Big Ten's 4-6 overall record isn't anything to flaunt, things would have been much worse if not for Michigan State and Michigan.

Things looked rather bleak around 4:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 as the Big Ten appeared headed for an 0-4 start to the New Year's bowls with the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO still to come. But Michigan State erased a 16-0 halftime deficit against Georgia and rallied to force overtime, winning the Outback Bowl 33-30 in the third extra session. The triumph not only resonated for a Spartans team that hadn't won a bowl game under coach Mark Dantonio, but for a league that avoided another o-fer on New Year's and against the SEC.

Michigan's win two nights later in the Allstate Sugar Bowl wasn't quite as critical, but it still helped the Big Ten. A 4-6 mark, given the Big Ten's inherent obstacles with its bowl lineup, looks better than 3-7. Michigan's victory also gave the Big Ten a 1-1 split in BCS bowls -- a questionable gauge of conference strength but one that is often used. The Big Ten is now 4-2 in its last six BCS bowls (Ohio State later vacated its Sugar Bowl win) with the only two losses coming by a combined nine points in the Rose Bowl.

Speaking of the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin fell short for the second consecutive season in heartbreaking fashion, completing a what-might-have-been season for Bret Bielema's crew. The Badgers made a few too many mistakes against speed-stocked Oregon and ran out of time at the end. Big Ten teams now have lost eight of their past nine Rose Bowl appearances.

Nebraska's first bowl appearance as a Big Ten member was a rough one, as the Huskers fell apart in the second half against South Carolina. Penn State and Ohio State both entered bowl season immersed in coaching transitions and didn't look sharp, as the Lions couldn't contain Houston's Case Keenum and the Buckeyes surrendered two special teams touchdowns to Florida.

Speaking of unsurprising results, the Big Ten's two bowl matchups against the Big 12 went more or less as expected. Both Iowa and Northwestern were sizable underdogs to Oklahoma and Texas A&M, respectively, and neither Big Ten squad got much from their offenses in the first three quarters of their games. Unlike last year, Iowa couldn't cap a disappointing season with an Insight Bowl win, while Northwestern's bowl monkey will be wearing a No. 64 jersey in 2012 as the team dropped its ninth consecutive postseason game, tying Notre Dame for the longest in FBS history.

Aside from the Michigan schools, the Big Ten's bowl highlights came from Purdue and Illinois, which took care of mediocre opponents (Western Michigan and UCLA, respectively). The Boilers rode a powerful rushing attack and special-teams brilliance to victory in Detroit. Illinois' superb defense came through in San Francisco and a team in turmoil prevailed with bowl wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in its history.

The Big Ten didn't enhance its national perception with this year's bowl performance.

But thanks to the Michigan schools, the league's reputation wasn't damaged too much, either.

The college football season is officially over. So it's time to break out the crystal ball and offer our projections for the preposterously-too-early 2012 Big Ten power rankings.

1. Michigan State: The Spartans must replace a lot of leadership, including quarterback Kirk Cousins, receivers B.J. Cunningham and Keshawn Martin and All-American defensive tackle Jerel Worthy. But nine starters return off the Big Ten's top overall defense, featuring Will Gholston, Denicos Allen and Isaiah Lewis as potential breakout stars. Le'Veon Bell could have a big year as the No. 1 tailback, and if Andrew Maxwell can adequately fill in for Cousins, the offense should be fine, especially if Tennessee transfer DeAnthony Arnett gets his waiver to become immediately eligible at receiver. Plus, the road schedule (at Central Michigan, at Indiana, at Michigan, at Wisconsin, at Minnesota) is far more manageable than what the team navigated in 2011.

2. Michigan: A lot of things went right for the Wolverines in 2011, including a favorable schedule. That slate gets harder in 2012, beginning with Alabama at Cowboys Stadium and including road trips to Nebraska and Ohio State. Still, Denard Robinson and Fitz Toussaint form one of the most dangerous offensive duos in the league, and the second year under Brady Hoke and his staff should mean more familiarity and comfort. Coming off a BCS win, Michigan could start the season in the Top 10.

3. Wisconsin: The Badgers will have to overcome many challenges to reach their third straight Rose Bowl. The biggest concern is at quarterback, where there's no experience to replace Russell Wilson and his record-breaking efficiency level. Bret Bielema will have to remake almost his entire offensive coaching staff after Paul Chryst took several assistants with him to Pittsburgh. Still, Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball returns to keep the Wisconsin running game among the best in the country. And the two Big Ten teams who beat the Badgers in 2011 -- Michigan State and Ohio State -- must come to Madison in '12.

4. Ohio State: The Buckeyes aren't eligible to make the Big Ten title game, but don't be surprised if they put up the best record in the Leaders Division. A transition period can be expected as Urban Meyer takes over as head coach and installs an entirely new offensive system. But Ohio State had a small senior class in 2011 and brings back many talented players, such as defensive lineman John Simon, quarterback Braxton Miller and running back Carlos Hyde. A schedule that features eight home games should equal much improvement over this year's 6-7 record.

5. Nebraska: Few teams will be as experienced on offense as Nebraska, which returns seven starters and just about every key skill player on that side of the ball. Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead should be even better with another year in offensive coordinator Tim Beck's system. The questions are on defense, where the Huskers struggled at times in 2011 before losing their top two players in linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard. Nebraska must get tougher up front defensively to handle the Big Ten grind and has difficult road assignments looming at Ohio State and Michigan State.

6. Penn State: For the first time since 1965, we'll see what a Penn State team looks like that is not coached by Joe Paterno to start the season. New coach Bill O'Brien made a wise decision to retain defensive assistants Larry Johnson and Ron Vanderlinden, and even without All-American lineman Devon Still, that side of the ball should stay stout with standouts like Gerald Hodges, Jordan Hill and hopefully a healthy Michael Mauti. O'Brien's biggest impact should come on offense. The former New England Patriots offensive coordinator will try to bring the Nittany Lions attack into the 21st century with a competent passing game. Tailback Silas Redd provides a nice crutch while that transition occurs.

7. Iowa: After two straight 7-5 regular-season finishes, the Hawkeyes will look to get back into Big Ten contention. But they'll have to overcome the losses of star receiver Marvin McNutt, offensive tackle Riley Reiff, defensive linemen Mike Daniels and Broderick Binns and cornerback Shaun Prater. When he's on, James Vandenberg is as good a dropback passer as there is in the Big Ten, but making up for McNutt's production won't be easy. Assuming Marcus Coker returns from suspension, the running game should be very good. The defense simply has to improve after giving up too many big plays in 2011, and Kirk Ferentz hasn't yet named a successor to veteran defensive coordinator Norm Parker, who retired.

8. Purdue: The Boilermakers have a chance to make a move in a Leaders Division that is marked by coaching changes. They return most of the major pieces of their Little Caesars Bowl-winning team, and the return of Rob Henry from his season-ending knee surgery opens up some interesting possibilities at quarterback. Kawann Short should be one of the top defensive linemen in the league if he decides to return for his senior year. We'd still like to see more consistency from Danny Hope's program before we rank Purdue too high, however.

9. Northwestern: Dan Persa and his record-breaking accuracy are gone, along with top receiver Jeremy Ebert. Yet we're not too concerned about the offense and like the multi-dimensional options that Kain Colter provides with his all-around athleticism. Northwestern's issue is whether it can fix a defense that had trouble stopping anybody. The fact that the Wildcats lose their top three defensive backs from a secondary that was routinely torched does not inspire confidence.

10. Illinois: New coach Tim Beckman has his work cut out for him in Year One. He has to completely revamp an offense that couldn't shoot straight in the back half of 2011 while implementing a new spread style. He has to try to maintain the defense without coordinator Vic Koenning or All-American defensive end Whitney Mercilus. And he faces a schedule that sees the Illini going to Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan, all three of which won in Champaign this past season. There's still talent on defense, led by promising linebacker Jonathan Brown. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase needs to build on his second-half showing in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

11. Minnesota: After a horrible start, the Gophers showed a lot more fight down the stretch in 2011, beating Iowa and Illinois at home. Jerry Kill knows how to build a program, and the team can't help but be better in 2012, especially if MarQueis Gray continues to develop at quarterback. But Minnesota still has some holes on its roster that can only be fixed through recruiting, and while the Gophers could make a run at bowl eligibility this year, they'll be hard-pressed to make too much noise in a stacked Legends Division.

12. Indiana: The good news for the Hoosiers is that they played a ton of freshmen in 2011, and the growing pains should start to pay off for guys such as Tre Roberson and Mark Murphy in 2012. The second year under Kevin Wilson should also bring progress. Still, this is a team that went 1-11 in 2011 with no wins over FBS teams, so it remains an uphill climb.