Complete All-MIAC Men's Basketball Team

WINONA, Minn. — It was a career year for Saint Mary's University's Michael Burfeind (Lewiston, Minn.), as the junior scored in double figures a career-high 22 times, recorded single-season career-bests in points (38) and rebounds (12), and notched his first collegiate double-double.

And Wednesday afternoon, Burfeind earned yet another career first — First-Team All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Burfeind was one of 17 players named to the All-MIAC First Team, but he wasn't the only Cardinal to earn post-season honors, as Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) was selected to the MIAC All-First Year Team, and Pat Freeman (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) was an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection.

Regular-season co-champion Gustavus swept the conference's individual honors, as Seth Anderson was named the Joe Hutton Player of the Year, while Jim Hill earned Sixth Man of the Year honors and Mark Hanson was selected Coach of the Year.

Burfeind closed out a stellar junior season averaging a team-best 18.0 points-per-game — ranking him third in the MIAC in scoring — while also owning team-highs in field goals made (163), free throws made (114), free throw percentage (.832) and blocked shots (11). The junior forward led the team in scoring in 18 of the Cardinals' 25 games, and scored in double figures 22 times — including a streak of 19 straight games with 10 or more points.

Burfeind, who owned SMU's top five individual offensive outputs this season, eclipsed the 20-point plateau nine times this season. His season- and career-high 38-point output against Concordia on Dec. 7 was the first 30-point effort of Burfeind's career and was the most scored by a Cardinal since Will Wright tossed in 41 against MacMurray (Ill.) on Nov. 22, 2008. Burfeind also recorded his first collegiate double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds in SMU's first meeting against Saint John's on Dec. 5.

Pederson took the conference by storm in 2011-12, as the Cardinal freshman started all 25 games, averaging 8.7 ppg and 2.8 rpg, while also dishing out 80 assists — the most since Brensley Haywood notched 81 assists during the 2006-2007 season. Pederson concluded his first collegiate season netting a team-high 17 points in the Cardinals' regular-season finale against conference co-champion St. Thomas.

Freeman closed out an illustrious four-year career at Saint Mary's with a stellar senior season in which he averaged 11.4 ppg and led the team in rebounding with 129 boards (5.2 rpg). Freeman scored a career-high 23 points against Concordia on Dec. 7, and then equaled that mark against Macalester on Jan. 7. After scoring in double figures just 11 times in his first three seasons, Freeman scored 10 or more points 14 times this season.

As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the sixth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for men's basketball, which included SMU's Joe Murray (Park Ridge, Ill.)