After being named Penn State’s first All-American since the 1954-55 season earlier today, Jalen Pickett received more recognition as he was voted first team All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches and media.
Andrew Funk and Seth Lundy both received recognition as well, each being named an honorable mention to the All-Big Ten coaches’ team.
It’s been quite the year for Pickett. The fifth-year senior leads Penn State with 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and seven assists per game, the only player in the country with an 18/7/7 line. Career wise, Pickett is currently the only player in the country with more than 2,000 points, 800 rebounds and 700 assists.
Pickett ranks in the top five nationally in assists per game and assist-to turnover ratio. Nobody has finished a season with that type of line since 2015-16, when Michigan State’s Denzel Washington accomplished that feat. Prior to that, no player had done it since 1993.
He broke 2,000 career points last month in a 93-81 win over Illinois, where Pickett also became the first Penn State player since 1961 to score more than 40 in a game. More recently, Pickett broke Penn State’s single-season assist record, previously held by Tim Frazier, who set it in the 2011-12 season.
It’s clear that Pickett has had a great season, but Funk and Lundy have also been key to getting Penn State a likely NCAA Tournament Bid, which will be just the 10th in school history and third since the turn of the century.
Funk (40.6%) and Lundy (40.9%) both are shooting over 40% from the three-point line on the year and averaging over 10 points per game.
Prior to a potential NCAA tourney berth, those three alongside the rest of the Penn State men’s basketball team will participate in the Big Ten Tournament as the tourney’s 10 seed.
No. 10 Penn State (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) will take on No. 7 Illinois (20-11, 11-9) in Chicago Thursday at 6:30 ET.
