Trey Burke has become the first Michigan player in almost 50 years to be named the Sports Illustrated national player of the year.
The sophomore, who was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year earlier this month, joins Cazzie Russell (1966) as the only Wolverines to win the Sports Illustrated award. He joined Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Doug McDermott (Creighton), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga) and Cody Zeller (Indiana) on the magazine's All-America first team.
Burke, who is averaging 19.2 points, 6.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds, also led Michigan in steals and was only five blocks behind Mitch McGary for the team lead. He's considered a leading candidate for the major Player of the Year awards that will be announced in April.
The fourth-seeded Wolverines start the NCAA tournament against 13th-seeded South Dakota State Thursday evening at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
