Rutgers senior Caleb McConnell was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday by the coaches. It’s the first major award given to a Rutgers player since joining the conference eight seasons ago. McConnell was also named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team as well as an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by the media.
McConnell led the conference in total steals (43) and steals per game (2.2) during the 20 game regular season. In addition, he finished 15th in total defensive rebounds (86) and defensive rebounds per game (4.3). He also finished tied for 24th in league play with 11 blocked shots and tied for 22nd with 0.