Big 11 Preview

The Big 10 took a lot of shots for being weak last year. But, they had 3 of the Elite 8 and 2 of the Final 4, the best performance of any conference. This year, they have 8 teams that could be playing in March, no joke. The conference is strong.

1. Michigan St. Yup, Sparty is ready for another Final 4 trip. Losing Alan Anderson, Chris Hill, and Cedric Tolbert will hurt, but with this team, I think it'll end up being addition by subtraction. Michigan St. has been so deep the past few years, yet have had problems. Those have mainly stemmed from having so much talent, Tom Izzo gave everyone playing time, which didn't allow Izzo to find combinations that worked because he was playing so many people. Now, with a set rotation of 7-8 guys, all with defined roles, I think Sparty will click. It all starts with Drew Neitzel at the point, who played very well as a freshman last year. Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager are dynamic wing players. They can shoot, rebound, defend, and fly on the fast break. Paul Davis had a monster NCAA Tourney down low. If he can play like that for a whole season, look out. Usually a strength, a weakness of this team could be rebounding, mainly at the power forward position. Will it be Drew Naymick or football player Matt Trannon. If Sparty can find someone to defend, rebound, and score garbage points at this position, they'll be just fine. The young guys are fast and athletic also. Look out for Marquise Gray, he could be Freshman of the Year. I've been critical often about MSU because they've had a lot of talent, but wasted it, until last year's NCAA's. I'm looking forward to watching them play this year because I think they'll have a big year.

2. Iowa. Everyone returns from a team that won 21 games last year, except for Pierre Pierce, who's in legal trouble. This is your typical Steve Alford team: gritty, gutty, not pretty, but they compete. They have bombers outside in Jeff Horner and Adam Haluska. Haluska is your classic jump-shooter, Horner is the guy who makes it all go, shoot, drive, dribble, defense. Mike Henderson gives them defense outside, Greg Brunner is the blue-collar guy inside. Iowa has fallen into a habit of starting strong, faltering in the middle, then doing just enough in the end to make the NCAAs. With all of the distractions gone from last year, they have enough experience starting and coming off the bench to have a big year.

3. Indiana. As you've probably heard me say a lot, it's now or never for Mike Davis. This is the team that has to get it done and I think it will. Marshall Strickland provides experience at the point. Good defender, good slasher, and good foul shooter. Not a great 3 point shooter, but it's his job to find the shooters IU does have. Robert Vaden, Roderick Wilmont, and AJ Ratliff are the long-range bombers. The thing to see will be if they now have the ability to create their own shot. DJ White should have a big year, especially now with Marcus Killingsworth and Lewis Monroe, the Auburn transfers now eligible to play who have been hyped for more than a year. This team will play good defense, but their offensive output will determine how far will they go. Will Monroe and Killingsworth live up to the hype, and can the team, still relatively young, be able to produce knowing this is the big year for their coach???

4. Illinois. You know Dee Brown and James Augustine will get theirs and Brown will be a force at both ends. But who will step up and also be a playmaker??? Warren Carter was only put in to give Roger Powell a rest, Rich McBride was strictly a spot-up perimeter shooter, and Brian Randle was out all last year with a injury. They will play good defense also, but where will the point production come from??? This will be Bruce Weber's toughest coaching job in awhile.

5. Ohio St. I was never a fan of ballhog Tony Stockman and no game Brandon Fuss-Cheatham. They're gone and the Bucks can only be better. Stockman not shooting the ball every 5 seconds and Fuss-Cheatham's lack of production cost them in key moments. This year, Terrence Dials will get more touches inside, JJ Sullinger will be able to score more, and Ivan Harris could have a breakout year. Point guard Jamar Butler has size and looks to get people involved. Matt Sylvester provides points off the bench. The glaring weakness is inside play. Outside of Dials, the Buckeyes lack another proven brute. Sylvester and Harris like to hang around the perimeter. If no one steps up and Dials gets in foul trouble, that will cost OSU games. But, this team beat Illinois and won 20 games last year, and Thad Matta is a really good coach. They'll be ready to play every night.

6. Wisconsin. The Badgers don't have much coming back from last year, but Bo Ryan will find a way to win 20 games. Alando Tucker is back, he needs to stay healthy for the entire year. Kammron Taylor has a lot of ability, can he include more discipline in his game. Who will fill the shoes of Mike Wilkinson, the heart and soul of this team last year. McDonalds high school all-american Brian Butch is the logical choice, but he hasn't even come close to living up to the hype. And, I haven't even seen glimpses of it yet. Every good Wisconsin team has had a post player you could count on. Right now, this team doesn't have one, which will make it hard for Tucker and Taylor to be as productive as they can be.

7. Michigan. Last year was supposed to be the year for the Maize and Blue, but injuries and legal problems turned it into a nightmare. Everyone is back again this year, but does this team have the maturity to be successful??? They have the talent, in fact, they may be the most talented team in the league, including Michigan St. Daniel Horton and Dion Harris are fantastic point guards, Lester Abram is the prototypical swing player, Brent Petway is the athlete who can do it all, and Courtney Sims and Chris Hunter provide the beef down low. And I still didn't mention Sherrod Harrell, Ron Coleman, and Graham Brown, who started last year. Michigan needs to cut down on turnovers, they have a tendency to play out of control. If they do that, improve shot selection, and avoid off the court problems, look out.

8. Minnesota. 8th place for a team that made the NCAAs last year. The Gophers were one of the surprise teams of the year thanks to Vincent Grier. One of the best slashers out there, Grier wills his way to the basket. With Dan Coleman coming back and UNC transfer Adam Boone ready to go, the Gophers are capable of making it back to postseason play. The Gophers need to find someone up front and another shooter to make that happen. They'll win their fair share of games, especially at home. Williams Arena and the raised floor still gives teams fits.

9. Purdue. How will the Boilers respond from the disaster that was Gene Keady's last year??? Carl Landry is their scorer, his midrange game is second to none. His game is 18 feet in, and he sticks to it. David Teague will be healthy at the start of the year, unlike last year. He can score from the outside, look for him to shoot the 3 better than he did last year. Like Minnesota, Purdue lacks a big man who can score. Matt Kiefer is back, but he's mainly a face up jump shooter. Matt Painter begins just his 2nd year as a head coach. He had one great year at Southern Illinois, but with Bruce Weber's players. The word is still out as to whether he can be a good coach at the highest level.

10. Northwestern. The Princeton offense lives in Evanston. Michael Thompson, transfer from Duke, showed flashes last year. Vedran Vukusic is your typical European player, great shooter, no defense. The x-factor could be Bernard Cote, ready to play after transferring from Kentucky. He didn't show much at UK. Now given a chance, will he take advantage of it???

11. Penn St. The Nittany Lions are still hoping there's another Crispin brother out there. They've got some players back, Travis Parker is a solid swingman, and Geary Claxton gives them athleticism in the backcourt. But there still isn't a lot of talent on this team. They'll start two Euros up front, but they're known for their shooting, not for rebounding and physical defense which is a Big 10 must.

SEC is next.