BTN's Shelley Till looks at Big Ten's Wooden Award candidates

The John R. Wooden midseason top 20 list is out and Big Ten women's basketball is well represented with seven of the 20 finalists. Since the inception of the award to the women?s game in 2004, no Big Ten player has ever won the Wooden award. Seven names leads all conferences this season, so could this be the year it happens? Let?s take a look at the Big Ten's finalists who may have the best shot.

The Women?s Award was established in 2004 and presented annually to the outstanding collegiate female basketball Player of the Year. There is also a five-women All American Team selected by experts on the women?s game from across the country. The Wooden Award website lays out all of the criteria for the award, including the fact that players must excel on offense and defense across the entire season, from exhibition games on through any tournament play.

[MORE: Women's scoreboard | Standings | Stat leaders | Polls ]

The candidates from the Big Ten represent the best of the best, but do they have what it takes to make the Wooden cut? The list of finalists from the Big Ten include:

Ohio State's Ameryst Alston & Kelsey Mitchell. This dynamic duo for No. 7 Ohio State has been dubbed the best guard combo in the country since last season. With an additional year under their belts, they?re operating like Batman and Robin on the court. Turn your head the wrong way and – Holy smokes, Batman! – you barely recover from being stripped of the ball only to look up to see Kelsey Mitchell drop a ?Ka-Pow? lay in or deliver an assist as Alston hits a ?Bam!? three-pointer in transition. I believe Mitchell has the numbers and the kind of  impact that stands alone, and that could carry her from the final ballot to the All-American Team.

Maryland's Shatori Walker- Kimbrough & Brionna Jones. Another lethal combo that has their team at No. 5 in the nation. Walker-Kimbrough and Jones cause fits for opposing teams because of their powerful inside-out punch. Walker-Kimbrough is lightning quick off the bounce and has a silky smooth jumper. If she happens to miss (she shoots a solid 54 percent from the field), Jones is there to clean up inside. Jones? field goal percentage? She leads the nation shooting a sizzling hot 66.9 percent! They have the tools to make the cut, and their chances of making the team depend heavily on how deep into the NCAA tourney Maryland advances.

Minnesota's Rachel Banham. She is the only player not on the Preseason Top 30 to make the Midseason Top 20 list. Banham is staying close behind Mitchell amongst the nation?s scoring leaders. Banham averages 23.6 points a game, good enough for sixth in the nation, and she also ranks in the top 10 in several national shooting statistics. Not bad for someone who missed an entire season due to injury last year. If Banham continues down this path and avoid future foul trouble, and if her team competes well in the NCAA tourney, don?t be surprised to find her amongst the nation?s elite at the end of the season.

Michigan State's Aerial Powers. She is the type of player who can flip a switch and light up the court for No. 21 Michigan State. Case in point: Her recent inspirational second half against Iowa. Powers scored 21 of her game-high 23 points and pulled the Spartans out of a 16-point deficit to win by seven. She definitely meets the ?contributes to team effort? criteria of the Wooden award.

Northwestern's Nia Coffey. She is that all-around player every coach would love to have. She averages a double-double (18.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg), can snag a defensive rebound, lead the attack coast to coast, and finish with authority. Coffey definitely has the tools to compete with the upper echelon. Can Northwestern turn the ship around and get it heading in the winning direction to ensure NCAA tournament play?

All seven of these accomplished young women will be competing on BTN this week. Here is the full BTN TV schedule as well as the schedule for BTN Plus. The national award winner and a five-player All-America team will be named after the 2016 Final Four in Indianapolis in April. Take look at this list of previous winners below.