By Patrick Hayes

UM Hoops and Inside the Hall are continuing their projected rankings for who will be the 25 best players in the Big Ten next season. Southfield Lathrup’s Roy Devyn Marble of Iowa came in at No. 21 and another Michigan native, Michigan State‘s Keith Appling, a Detroit Pershing grad, is at No. 6:

Given his progression from his freshman to his sophomore season, Keith Appling looks like a prime candidate to continue his ascent into the discussion of the Big Ten’s elite players. The former McDonald’s All-American saw a steep regression in his 3-point shooting percentage, but those woes were negated by Appling’s ability to get to basket and either score (50.7 percent shooting on 2′s) or get to the foul line. Only Indiana’s Cody Zeller and Ohio State’s Aaron Craft posted a better free throw rate and Appling converted on close to 79 percent of his 178 free throw attempts. Appling also emerged as one of the Big Ten’s best distributors as his 4.1 assists per game were good for 5th in league play. Provided he continues his hard-nosed defense and regains some of his shooting touch, all-conference honors aren’t out of the question for Appling.

That analysis is in line with what many observers have said about Appling this offseason.