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Michigan State Basketball: Miles Bridges named Big Ten Freshman of the Year

By Connor Muldowney

Feb 23, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo jokes with Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) during the second half of a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo jokes with Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) during the second half of a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball star Miles Bridges has been unanimously named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

The All-Big Ten teams were released on Monday following the voting from media and coaches and Miles Bridges was named to the conference’s second-team. However, he was named a Big Ten All-Freshman and won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award as well.

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Many were confused as to why Bridges wasn’t named to the Big Ten’s first-team, but for a freshman, second-team is just about where he should be. Caleb Swanigan, unsurprisingly, won the conference’s player of the year.

Back to Bridges’ Freshman of the Year award, he wins it unanimously and will now have to attempt to put the Spartans on his back for a deep Big Ten and NCAA Tournament run.

Is anyone really that surprised? Bridges dominated during the regular season and if he had some solid veterans around him, the Spartans may have been a little better. Inconsistent play from the young guys really put a damper on the final record.

Bridges finished the regular season with 16.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and he shot 49 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the arc.

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The biggest story of the night had to be the snubs of Derrick Walton Jr. from first-team All-Big Ten as well as Nick Ward from the All-Freshman squad. Poor voting results this season.

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