Indiana Basketball Coach DeVries: Lamar Wilkerson 'Got to Be' in Big Ten POTY Race

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — While Indiana basketball sixth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson remained seated on the Branch McCracken Court floorboard Monday night, coach Darian DeVries took a few steps forward and helped lift up his star player.

Wilkerson, in the midst of an effort against Oregon that DeVries called "as impressive of a second half performance as I've seen," was fouled on a 3-point attempt. It was perhaps the Ducks' best method to making Wilkerson miss.

The Ashdown, Ark., native entered a flow state so deep, so thorough, that few others reach — but he's made a commonality. He ultimately finished with 41 points and made 13 of his final 15 shots in a 92-74 win over Oregon, merely the latest in a string of outings that have put Wilkerson firmly in consideration for prestigious Big Ten awards down the stretch.

Which awards?

"All of them," DeVries said.

Wilkerson, who transferred from Sam Houston State last spring, has been amongst the best scorers in the nation this season.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Wilkerson is averaging 21.2 points per game, the 12th-best mark in Division I, and he's one of only three players with multiple 40-point games this year, according to Indiana Athletics.

Wilkerson has leveled up in conference play, as he's averaging 24.4 points per game against Big Ten teams, which puts him on pace to be the highest-scoring Indiana player in Big Ten games since George McGinnis averaged 29.9 points per contest in 1970-71.

All told, Wilkerson ranks top five in the conference in total points (342), points per game (24.4), made 3-pointers (51) and 3-point shooting percentage (38.3%) across 14 Big Ten contests, per IU Athletics Communications. He's scored 15 or more points in 12 conference affairs and has four games with 30-plus points.

Wilkerson is only four triples away from surpassing Steve Alford for the most 3-pointers made by an Indiana player in Big Ten games, and he's part of a historic Hoosier club that includes only four players with at least 50 triples in conference play.

Once known strictly as a shooter, Wilkerson has proven potent as a three-level scorer, and he's added 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while rounding out his skill set. He's a team captain and a valued source of energy in the locker room.

And he's delivered one of the most impressive scoring seasons by an Indiana player in recent memory — all the while being a focal point of opposing defenses.

"I just think he's done a great job, obviously, finding his windows all year long," DeVries said Friday. "And he's getting a lot of attention. So, he's had to really work at learning how to get open. And our guys have done a great job of finding ways to screen for him and locate him.

"And especially when he gets into a zone of making sure that he continues to get those touches and opportunities to have the nights like he has. But he's playing at an incredibly high level."

Wilkerson has found an additional gear while helping turn the Hoosiers' season around.

Since an 86-72 loss to Michigan on Jan. 20 dropped Indiana to 12-7 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers have won five of their past six games. Wilkerson has flourished during the season-changing span, one that's brought Indiana from also-rans to a firm NCAA Tournament candidate.

Wilkerson hasn't scored below 19 points since the Hoosiers' loss to Michigan. He's averaging 28.2 points per game while shooting 49.6% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc. He also made clutch, late-game plays in Indiana's wins over UCLA and Wisconsin, and he accounted for 44% of the team's offense in its lone loss during the stretch, an 81-75 defeat to USC on Feb. 3.

DeVries believes Wilkerson will play in the NBA for a "long, long time." He's a "pretty special" player, DeVries said, who's accepted Indiana's challenge to his defense, playmaking and shot creating.

The result? A path to Big Ten Player of the Year.

"He's got to be in that conversation with a few other guys," DeVries said, "as the best player in the league this year."

DeVries, naturally, views the race through crimson-tinted glasses. But his reasoning for Wilkerson's candidacy stems from the stats, the performances and the plays he's made while helping lay the foundation in DeVries' first season at the helm.

"Just look at the numbers. Look at what he's doing," DeVries said after beating Oregon. "He's a big focal point of defenses. What he's able to do at both ends of the floor — he's a complete player. You know how hard it is to get 41 points? And he's done it twice this year already and putting up monster numbers with percentages to go with it. And he is an incredible teammate on top of it.

"So, there is nothing I would not be in favor of him being the best player and voting for him being the best player in the league."

Wilkerson faces competition from Purdue guard Braden Smith and Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, among several others, in a race still far from finished. Six games remain in the regular season for the Hoosiers (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten), starting with a 1 p.m. tipoff Sunday against No. 8 Illinois (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) at State Farm Center in Champaign.

Indiana is still trying to cement its candidacy as an NCAA Tournament team. Wilkerson is still trying to prove he's worthy of becoming the Hoosiers' first Big Ten Player of the Year since D.J. White in 2008.

Both parties need each other. As Wilkerson goes, so do the Hoosiers. The battle — for March Madness, to snap an 18-year spell, to win together — continues Sunday.