Meet the 3 freshman guards running the Big Ten

The Big Ten hasn’t gotten off to a great start in 2014-15. Michigan lost a pair of horrifyingly embarrassing non-conference games in a row to NJIT and Eastern Michigan. Teams like Minnesota and Nebraska have almost completely collapsed in the early season. Major injuries have struck teams like Wisconsin and Illinois, leading to losses against Rutgers and Nebraska, respectively.

As a result, the conference ranks fourth in KenPom’s ratings, juuuuust edging out the SEC, that old perennial basketball powerhouse. It’s more than fair to be wary of the Big Ten early on this year, but there’s plenty of reason to be high on the conference’s future -- and it starts at the guard position. Freshman guards Melo Trimble (Maryland), D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State) and James Blackmon, Jr. (Indiana) have taken the conference by storm, leading three of the Big Ten’s best teams to strong starts this season.

Blackmon is the biggest of the three at 6’4, 190 (Russell is 6’5, 180), and he’s been playing more of a guard/forward hybrid role for the Hoosiers this season. He’s leading the team with 16.6 points per game, bringing in 5.7 rebounds per game and combining with Yogi Ferrell and Robert Johnson to form one of the best backcourts in the conference.

The freshman has scored at least 20 points six different times this season, first doing so in the Hoosiers’ opener against Mississippi Valley State. Blackmon finally broke through and recorded the mark in Big Ten play this past Sunday, scoring 21 points with seven rebounds against Illinois.

Trimble has led a stacked Maryland team with 16.1 points per game, helping the Terps supplant Wisconsin in first place of the Big Ten standings. He’s shooting well from the floor, hitting 42.9 percent of his shot attempts, but the freshman’s biggest impact has come in his ability to drive to the line. He’s tied for third in the nation with 122 made free throws, getting to the line for 7.3 attempts per game and making 88.4 percent of his attempts from there.

Trimble first announced his presence with a 31-point performance against Arizona State in November and fully broke out onto the national scene by hitting six three-pointers against Michigan State (including an ankle-breaking half-ender), scoring 24 points in the Terps’ dominating 20-point victory. He’s had four games in which he’s hit at least 12 free throws and three games with at least four three pointers made.

The leading scorer of the group, Russell has averaged 18.6 points per game this season, good for third in the conference. He’s eclipsed 20 points eight times (including four times in conference play) and scored a career-high 32 against Sacred Heart in November.

Like Trimble and Blackmon, Russell is an excellent shooter who can also make his way to the free throw line. The Buckeyes star is shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range this season -- tops among the three freshmen guards -- and boasts a solid 45.5 percent rate from the floor. He leads the three freshmen in assists (4.8 per game) and has also done a fine job on the boards this year as well (5.1 rebounds per game).

Trimble and Blackmon will face off Thursday when Maryland and Indiana play in Bloomington. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.