Coming into this season, Wisconsin men’s basketball senior forward Frank Kaminsky had astronomical expectations put upon him.

Following his 28 points and 11 rebound recorded in Wisconsin’s regional final victory over Arizona last season that pushed the Badgers to the Final Four, Kaminsky was on everyone’s map.

Now, this year, he was expected to be even greater than in the past.

To say he was great would be an understatement, as Kaminsky exceeded any and all preseason expectations and has now been named Big Ten Player of the Year.

Kaminsky led the Badgers to a 28-3 record and a Big Ten regular season title, leading the team in points (18.4), rebounds (8.1), assists (2.6), blocks (1.6) and steals (0.9). His per game averages of 18.4 points and 8.1 rebounds were good for third and second in the Big Ten respectively and he also had the fourth-highest field goal percentage in the conference at 56 percent.

Kaminsky was also Wisconsin’s most consistent player, scoring in double figures in every game he played except one, and had 20-plus points in 13 games this season. He also has a Big Ten-leading 10 double doubles on the year.

Kaminsky was also a first-team all-Big Ten selection for the second-straight season.

Now, Kaminsky also has his sights on being named the National Player of the Year, as his season has reached that level of greatness. Kaminsky is one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award given annually to the most outstanding men’s college basketball player.

Kaminsky is currently the frontrunner for the award in the eyes of many, and he has history to back him up.

Over the last 10 years, the only other Big Ten player to average at least 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game was Ohio State guard Evan Turner, who won the National Player of the Year honors that season.

With both his performance and history on his side, it looks as if this Big Ten Player of the Year honor is just one step of many on Kaminsky’s way to leading the Wisconsin men’s basketball team back to the Final Four this year.

Ryan wins Coach of the Year

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan also won his fourth Big Ten Coach of the Year award. The coaches selected Ryan as Coach of the Year while the media tabbed Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon as Coach of the Year. Wisconsin’s 28-3 record is the best start in program history.

Dekker, Hayes, Gasser collect Big Ten honors

Wisconsin junior forward Sam Dekker was named to the all-Big Ten second-team while sophomore forward Nigel Hayes was a third-team all-Big Ten selection.

Dekker was second on the Badgers averaging 13.1 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds. He shot over 50 percent (51.5%) from the floor in the regular season.

Hayes, after winning the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award last season, averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in his sophomore season.

For the third time in his career, senior guard Josh Gasser was selected to the all-Big Ten defensive team.