OSU's Buford named All-Big Ten; Turner player of year

Ohio State point guard Evan Turner led the Big Ten in scoring (19.5 points) and rebounding (9.4).

COLUMBUS – Libbey's William Buford has been named to the All-Big Ten team by both the media and the conference coaches after an outstanding sophomore season for Ohio State in which he helped the Buckeyes win a share of the Big Ten championship.

The former three-time City League player of the year was chosen on the third team All-Big Ten on both the media and coaches' ballots after averaging 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds for Ohio State.

Buford's teammate, junior Evan Turner, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, was named the Big Ten player of the year by both the media and the league's coaches, while Ohio State coach Thad Matta won the coach of the year in the media voting. Purdue coach Matt Painter took top honors in voting by the Big Ten coaches.

Turner is the fifth Buckeye to win the award as the conference's best player, and joins Toledo products Jim Jackson, who won it twice (1991, 1992) and Dennis Hopson (1987) in that elite club, along with Scoonie Penn (1999) and Terence Dials (2006).

Turner led the Big Ten in scoring (19.5 points) and rebounding (9.4) from the point guard position, and was second in assists (5.8). He is the first player in Big Ten history to finish in the top two in the league in those three categories.

Michigan senior DeShawn Sims was named to the All-Big Ten second team by both the media and the coaches, while junior Manny Harris was tabbed for the third team by both voting groups. Sims was fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 16.9 points and fourth in rebounding at 7.1. Harris finished fourth in the Big Ten in scoring with a 17.1 average after scoring in double-figures in 27 of 29 games for the Wolverines (14-16, 7-11 Big Ten).

Ohio State point guard Evan Turner led the Big Ten in scoring (19.5 points) and rebounding (9.4).

Joining Buford and Turner on the list of players receiving postseason honors in the Big Ten were Ohio State teammates David Lighty (third team/media, honorable mention/coaches), Jon Diebler (honorable mention/both) and Dallas Lauderdale (all-defensive team). Lauderdale led the conference in blocked shots with 65, while Diebler led the Big Ten in 3-pointers with 93 this season.

Buford, who started all 31 games for the Buckeyes this season, adds the recent honors to his growing collection. The 6-foot-5 Buford was Ohio's Mr. Basketball as a senior at Libbey, the Division II co-player of the year in the state that same season, and then was named the Big Ten freshman of the year last season, by both the media and the conference coaches.

Ohio State (24-7), which started the Big Ten season with a 1-3 record but recovered to go 14-4 in the conference, shared the Big Ten regular-season title with Purdue and Michigan State. The Buckeyes earned the top seed for this week's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, and will play Friday in the quarterfinal round against the winner of Thursday's Michigan-Iowa game.