Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis have given the Big Ten Conference a third straight year with multiple first-team Associated Press All-America picks, while Kansas had a second straight first-teamer in Jalen Wilson.
The 7-foot-4, 305-pound Edey appeared on all 58 ballots as a first-team selection from AP Top 25 voters as the lone unanimous pick in results.
The selections of the Boilermakers’ Edey and the Hoosiers’ Jackson-Davis came a year after the Big Ten had three first-team picks. And it gave the league seven through the last three seasons; no other league has more than three.
The Big Ten has had at least one first-teamer for five straight years and eight of the last nine.
Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Alabama’s Brandon Miller joined Edey and Wilson on the first team in representing each of the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seeds.
Edey has commanded the national spotlight all year. The Big Ten player of the year ranks sixth nationally in scoring (22.3), second in rebounding (12.8) and first in double-doubles (26).
“Everybody goes: ‘You go to him so much,’” Purdue coach Matt Painter said after the Big Ten Tournament title win against Penn State. “If they call it by the rules, they’re fouling him on every possession. So why shouldn’t we get it to him and just try to get in that bonus early and steal points?
“Obviously he can make tough post-ups and he can get at the rim, and he gets offensive rebounds when you take him away.”
Jackson-Davis, a 6-9 fourth-year forward, is Indiana’s first first-team selection since Victor Oladipo in 2013. He’s averaging 20.8 points and 10.9 rebounds while taking a leap with his passing (4.1 assists, up from 1.9 last year).
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 75, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 71: Isaac Mushila had 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Islanders (24-10) held off the Redhawks (19-17) in Dayton, Ohio to earn the first NCAA Tournament win in program history.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 4 of 4 at the free-throw line in the final 15 seconds to ice the game and help the Islanders advance to play top-seeded Alabama in the South Region.
The 16th-seeded Islanders, winners of the Southland Conference, returned to the First Four for a second straight season and led for all but 23 seconds.
Southeast Missouri State erased a 10-point deficit and tied it at 64 when Chris Harris made both free throws with 3:07 left.
BASEBALL
GEORGE MASON 11, MAINE 1: Ryan Archibald hit a two-run home run in the second inning to lead the Patriots (8-8) to a win over the Black Bears (3-10) in Fairfax, Virginia.
Maine took a 1-0 lead in the first when Quinn McDaniel scored on an error.
Connor Dykstra, Carsen Pracht and Derek Wood each drove in two runs for George Mason.
SOFTBALL
SEWANEE 8, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND 0: Alice Charboneau had two doubles and RBI as the Tigers (6-15) beat the Nor’easters (1-3) in Kissimmee, Florida.
Michaela Walker pitched five shutout innings for Sewanee, allowing singles to Abby Miner, Grace Tutt and Giulianna Docarmo.
LORAS 5, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND 0: The Duhawks (3-2) took a 5-0 lead in the third inning and beat the Nor’easters (1-4) in Kissimmee, Florida.
Grace Houghton, Morgan Machovec and Clare Murphy each drove in a run for Loras. Abby Miner, Abby Walsh, Lindsay Joyal and Jaiden McKenna each had a single for UNE.
BETHEL 2, SOUTHERN MAINE 0: Ella Bezanson singled in the top of the sixth inning to break up a perfect game bid by Kayla Simacek and the Huskies (0-3) lost to the Royals (8-2) in Kissimmee, Florida.
Simacek struck out 13 for her sixth win of the season. Lauren Merrill allowed two runs on seven hits, with one walk and four strikeouts for USM.
FARMINGDALE STATE 7, SOUTHERN MAINE 3: Madison Day and Hannah Shields each had two hits, but the Huskies (0-4) lost to the Rams (2-3) in Kissimmee, Florida.
Ella Bezanson had two RBI for USM.
Priscilla Rivera had three hits and two RBI for Farmingdale State.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
SUSQUEHANNA 14, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND 8: Abby Andrus had four goals and an assist as the River Hawks (5-3) beat the Nor’easters (4-2) in Clermont, Florida.
Sydney Balotin had three goals, and Abby McHallam and Emily Jacobs each had two for UNE.
WILLIAMS SMITH 19, BOWDOIN 11: The Herons (4-0) scored six goals in the second and six more in the fourth to beat the Polar Bears (2-2) in Geneva, New York.
Peyton Mulhern scored four times for Bowdoin. Sophia Sudano added three goals and two assists, and Collen McAloon also had three goals for the Polar Bears.
Maddie Montgomery had six goals and an assist for Williams Smith.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story