Top 10 Guards in Big Ten Basketball History: Who is the GOAT?

The Big Ten has seen some incredible guards throughout the conference’s history. Arguably the two best point guards of all time in Magic and Isiah, and shooters like Rick Mount who could hit from anywhere in the gym. Check out our list of the best point guards in college basketball history!

Criteria

Leadership is important at the guard position, especially point guard. Does the player make the team better? That’s what separates the top players. Every player on this team was a leader, tough, and tough. The team was the most important thing, and all ten guys on this list made everyone around them better.

10)John Wooden,Purdue

Wooden may be best known as a coach, but he was also an exceptional player. He led Purdue to its first national championship and was named player of the year. He was also selected to the All-American team three times.

Wooden was also an all-time great basketball player at Indiana High School and would go on to become one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time at Indiana State and UCLA.

Purdue Profiles: John Wooden

9) Kendall Gill, Illinois

Gill was a tremendous athlete who could do everything on both ends of the court. As a senior, Gill led the Big Ten in scoring and was named a first-team All-American (UPI). He left Illinois as the seventh-leading scorer in school history. Gill helped lead the Illini to a tournament berth every year he played, including the 1989 Final Four.

The 1989 Illini may have been the best team in the country that year, but Michigan got hot and won all season long. 1989 was the year of the Illini, but they still fell short.

Kendall Gill 89 vs. Iowa

8) Nick Anderson, Illinois

Anderson was one of the best shooters in Big Ten history and the range of his shot was astonishing. He was dangerous as soon as he crossed half-court. Anderson, along with Kendall Gill, formed one of the best backcourts in Big Ten history.

The pair would lead the Illini to the Final Four in 1989, falling short in an overtime loss to Michigan.

Nick Anderson Buzzer Beater Illinois at Indiana | 3/5/89

7) Derron Williams, Illinois

The Illini have had some great guards, and Williams is at the top of that list. Williams could do it all and helped the Illini all the way to the 2005 National Championship game.

As a sophomore, Williams improved his scoring average from 6.3 to 14.0 points per game and assists per game from the previous year to 6.17. Williams was selected to the First-Team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media.

Deron Williams Illinois Highlights

6) Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State

Cleaves was a three-time All-American for the Michigan State Spartans and is best known for introducing the world to Tom Izzo and helping him to his only national championship win.

Cleaves was an unparalleled representative of Big Ten basketball, captaining the team three times. Cleaves Michigan State team was the last team to win a national championship, and he showed exactly why guard play is so important in college basketball.

The Flint Stones (Full Feature HD)

5) Ronnie Lester, Iowa

Lester made his presence felt immediately upon arriving on campus in Iowa City, Iowa. He started as a freshman and played a crucial role in Iowa’s successes during his four seasons. At Iowa, Lester would earn All-American honors in 1979, First Team All-Big Ten honors in 1978 and 1979, and lead the Iowa Hawkeyes to a shared Big Ten title in 1979 and the Final Four of NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament in 1980.

An injury in 1980 severely limited him, and without it he might have led Iowa to a national championship. Lester is often forgotten outside of Iowa, but he was a true legend.

Hawkeye Basketball Legend Ronnie Lester #12 Jersey Retirement Ceremony @ Fieldhouse on March 1, 1980

4) Steve Alford, Indiana

Alford was a pure shooter who could shoot from anywhere. He was an average defender and needed screens to get his shot off, but he was as accurate a field goal and free throw shooter as you will ever see, and he helped the Hoosiers win it all in 1987.

Alford made seven three-pointers in the 1987 National Championship game and was one of the best free throw shooters in college basketball history. Alford was an immediate impact player when he stepped on the field at Indiana and remains one of the all-time favorites in Hoosier history.

Steve Alford – 1987 NCAA Tournament Score Highlights

3) Rick Mount, Purdue

Mount was arguably the greatest shooter in College Basketball history. He averaged over 30 points per game during the three seasons he played, and that was without a three-point shot. He shot over 50 percent from the field, while gunslingers like Pete Maravich were shooting in the mid-40s. Mount helped lead the Boilermakers to the national championship game.

Mount was the main reason the Boilers made it to the 1969 National Championship, and to this day it remains the only time Purdue has made it that far. Mount is still a schoolboy legend in the state of Indiana.

Rick Mount | Big Ten Icons

2) Isiah Thomas, Indiana

Thomas was only a Hoosier for two years, but those two years were special as Thomas led the Hoosiers to back-to-back Big Ten championships and the 1981 National Championship. Thomas was a tremendous leader with an innate ability to take over a game.

Thomas was the best Hoosier to play the game, and he accomplished that feat in just two seasons. Thomas also helped the Hoosiers win two Big Ten championships, not a bad resume for two years. Thomas would go on to establish himself as one of the top five point guards in NBA history!

Isaiah Thomas (Basketball Documentary)

1) Magic Johnson, Michigan State

Just like Thomas Magic only played two seasons, but those two seasons ended with a 1978 Regional Finals loss to Kentucky and a 1979 National Championship victory against Indiana State. Magic is the best point guard to ever play basketball at any level.

The Spartans were not serious title contenders when Magic arrived on campus. In his first year, the Spartans won almost everything, and in his second season they came away with the win. Magic didn’t just help Michigan State; he, with the help of Larry Bird, changed the game of basketball forever.

Highlights of the COLLEGE DUEL between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson (1979.03.26) Indiana St vs Michigan St (EPIC!!)

Honorable Mentions

Jalen Rose, Mich

Rose, one of Michigan’s Fab 5, helped lead the swagger of the Wolverines and his “Fab” teammates to a pair of NCAA Final Fours. The Fab Five fell short in both final fours against Duke in 1992 and North Carolina in 1993.

Mike Conley, State of Ohio

Conley was a great scorer who could beat you with his outside shooting, cutting and driving to the basket. Conley was also a solid defender and a great leader – one of the greatest Buckeyes of all time.

Rickey Green, Michigan

After being named to two consecutive Juco All-American teams in Vincennes (JUCO), he quickly rose to the All-Star point guard ranks.

Green was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament team twice and earned All-Big Ten honors both years at Michigan.

In 1976, he received an honorable mention in the All-American competition and in 1977 he was selected by consensus to the first team.

He then finished second in the national player of the year category at the university level.

Scott Skiles, State of Michigan

Skiles was a tough, hard-nosed player who helped Michigan State reach the Sweet 16 in 1986, where they would lose a controversial game to the Kansas Jayhawks. A great passer and shooter, Skiles was a high school legend in the state of Indiana, where he led Plymouth to victory over Gary Roosevelt in the 1982 IHSAA State Championship game.

D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State

Russell is arguably the best defensive guard in Big Ten history, and would later be considered one of the best defenders in the NBA. Russell was also an offensive weapon and one of the best Buckeye basketball players of all time.

Russell was a complete player, but the defensive end is what landed him on this top 10 list.