Big Ten Roundup (Oct. 12): Locksley Named Midseason Coach of the Year, Chase Audige Cut by Wizards
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Anyone who can take the Maryland Terrapins to a 5-1 record through the first six weeks of the season deserves recognition.
And that's exactly what Maryland coach Mike Locksley received, as he has been named the Big Ten Midseason Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
In basketball news, former Northwestern men's basketball player Chase Audige has been waived by the Washington Wizards. The NBA team had originally signed the 2022-23 Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year to an Exhibit 10 deal, but cut him on Wednesday in order to sign Michael Foster Jr.
Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:
Mike Locksley Big Ten Midseason Coach of the Year
Despite losing to Ohio State 37-17 on Saturday, it's been an undoubtedly successful year for Maryland football. The 5-1 start Locksley has led the Terrapins to is the program's best start to a season in 20 years, and with the next two games on the schedule being matchups against Illinois and Northwestern, a 7-1 start seems highly probable.
Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State might all be undefeated, but that's expected at those schools. Locksley has surpassed expectations with what he's done at Maryland, and thus, the title of AP Big Ten Midseason Coach of the Year belongs to him.
After going 1-5 as an interim head coach for the Terrapins in 2015, Locksley's second stint in College Park has gone infinitely better. For the first time, he now has an overall winning record during this second tenure, as the team has gone 25-24 from 2019-23.
Maryland is projected to lose to both Penn State and Michigan later this season, but if everything plays out according to plan, the Terrapins should finish the regular season at 9-3. Add on a decently high-profile bowl victory, and Locksley could lead Maryland to its first 10-win season since 2003.
Chase Audige Wavied by Wizards
Less than a month after the Washington Wizards offered Chase Audige an Exhibit 10 deal, the Northwestern Wildcat was waived so that same deal could be given to a different player.
It's part of the deal when being on the fringes of the NBA as a player. Exhibit 10 contracts are purposefully low-risk propositions for the teams that sign them. They do not have to commit to much money and resources to the player, and thus, switching them out for someone else can be easy.
This comes after Audige had a breakout season as a senior at Northwestern in 2022-23. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.1 points and a stellar 2.4 steals per game, as he emerged as one of the nation's best defensive players. Along with his co-star in the backcourt Boo Buie, he led Northwestern to its best men's basketball season in program history, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second time under coach Chris Collins.
Related Stories on Big Ten:
- DYLAN HARPER RECRUITING UPDATE: 2024 five-star prospect Dylan Harper told a reporter on Saturday that he is planning to take an official visit to Rutgers next weekend, while coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini hosted a visit for a prospect in the class of 2025 — Phoenix Gill — who is the son of Illinois basketball legend Kendall Gill. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 6: Here's where all 14 Big Ten football teams stand in the HoosiersNow.com conference power rankings following Week 6 of the 2023 college football season. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 6 SATURDAY B1G GAME RESULTS: Nine Big Ten football teams played games on Saturday during Week 6 of the college football season. From Ohio State's comeback win over Maryland, to Purdue nearly stealing one from Iowa in Kinnick, it was another entertaining day of Big Ten football. CLICK HERE