We had our first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year winner earlier in this list, as Aday Mara came in at No. 10. Now, we reach the first Big Ten Player of the Year in our offseason series ranking the Top 25 players since 1989. A key force on the national champion runner-ups in 2012-13 and one of the best shooters in program history: Nik Stauskas.
Each of the final six names on this list is a legend in Ann Arbor, and Stauskas’ name brings great memories despite only two seasons with the program. Michigan was expected to be a good team in 2012-13, with Trey Burke entering his second year in Ann Arbor as an expected All-American-caliber player. But a freshman class consisting of Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary and Stauskas, who all became starters, propelled the team to greatness.
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Burke was the ball-dominant point guard who made the big shots and had program-defining moments. Many, however, would not have been possible without Stauskas. He was an elite shooter on the perimeter, shooting 44 percent from behind the arc and averaging 11 points per game as a freshman. For a team full of guys who preferred to drive to the hoop, he was the one who kept defenses honest and forced openings in the key.
His no-longer-a-freshman moment came in the Elite Eight of the national title run vs Florida. Stauskas couldn’t miss, and didn’t for the entire game from three. Scoring 19 points in the first half, the Gators scrambled defensively to slow down anything Michigan was doing offensively. The Wolverines jumped to a 23-5 start and never looked back, beating Florida by 20 points on the way to their first Final Four in two decades.
After losing to Louisville, Michigan was expected to take a slight step back. The team’s two leading scorers, Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., departed for the NBA. But a good nucleus remained with Stauskas, Robinson, McGary, Spike Albrecht and Caris Lavert. It was a deep team without the star power the Wolverines had the year prior with Burke. The hope was someone would step up; Stauskas did and then some.
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His game went to a completely different level with the higher expectations and more opportunity with Burke and Hardaway gone and a back injury to McGary after only eight games. Michigan and head coach John Beilein completely rebuilt the offense around Stauskas, and he became the Big Ten Player of the Year because of it.
Stauskas’ production increased from 11 to 17.5 points per game while leading Michigan with 118 assists and being one of the most efficient players on the floor. He shot 47 percent from the field, led the conference shooting with a 44.2 percent clip, and posted 20 points in 14 games. He went from a sturdy post-up shooter to a complete offensive threat in one year.
Two of Stauskas’ most memorable performances came against Michigan State, a team the Wolverines beat twice in the regular season on their way to a Big Ten regular-season championship. With sole possession of first place at stake in late February, the Wolverines trailed by 11 at home in the first half. A strong run to end the opening half had fans jumping to start the second, and Stauskas rode that momentum. He scored 21 second-half points and hit back-to-back threes midway through the half that changed the trajectory of the game.
In the two regular-season games against the Spartans, Stauskas finished with 44 points and nine assists on 14-for-19 shooting.
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Michigan earned a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the Elite Eight before suffering a three-point loss to Kentucky on a last-second three. After just two seasons with the program, Stauskas finished as the eighth sophomore in program history to reach 1,000 points, ranked second in program history for free-throw percentage, fifth in three-point percentage and eighth in made three-pointers. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year, an All-American, the face of Michigan basketball for one season, and a key transitionary piece in Beilein’s tenure, capitalizing on the fact Burke wasn’t a fluke and Beilein was a top coach in the country.
