Illinois Basketball's Will Riley Named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year

If someone had said before the season that Will Riley would put up 31 points in his Illini debut and average 16.7 points over his last three regular-season games, betting on the 6-foot-8 forward to make the Big Ten All-Freshman Team would have seemed like easy money.

But after a down January, during which Riley was touched by the flu and averaged just 7.4 points per game, and competing against one of the most talented freshman classes the Big Ten has ever seen, Riley was left off the squad. Falling just short of a group that included Michigan State’s Jase Richardson, Illini teammate Kasparas Jakucionis, Maryland’s Derik Queen (Freshman of the Year) and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, though, is hardly a crime.

Besides, Riley’s excellent freshman campaign – he averaged 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just 24.9 minutes – received its own Big Ten special recognition.

On Tuesday, Riley, despite starting Illinois' last five games, was awarded the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Joining Andre Curbelo, who was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2021, Riley became just the second Illini player to receive the award. He came off the bench in his first 26 games to qualify for the honor.

Riley teammates and fellow first-year players Kasparas Jakucionis (All-Freshman Team and Third Team All-Big Ten by media and coaches) and Tomislav Ivisic (Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by media) brought in awards of their own.

Now Riley and the Illini seek to add some team awards to the trophy case – and a Big Ten Tournament title is first on that agenda. Illinois begins that trek on Thursday night in Indianapolis against the victor of Iowa vs. Ohio State.

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