Big Ten Men's Basketball Preview
By Curt Hogg ,
This is a preview of the 2008-09 Big Ten men's basketball season with my predictions for the final standings. I have to type 300 characters for the introductory slide.
I have no clue what to write, so I'm simply going to write things about the Big Ten.
Purdue has Robbie Hummell and E'twaun Moore. Michigan State's head coach is Tom Izzo. Wisconsin has Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes. Bohannon can shoot the lights out of the ball.
Michigan has two upset wins. Jamal Cornley of Penn State is very talented.
Evan Turner plays for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tom Crean is the coach of Indiana. The Kohl Center is a tough place to play. The season should be a good one.
Illinois plays in Urbana- Champaign. Iowa's nickname is the Hawkeyes. 1234567891011121314151617181920. Am I at 300 yet? Nope.
The Big Ten is the second best conference in the nation. The Big Ten is the second best conference in the nation. The Big Ten is the second best conference in the nation. The Big Ten is the second best conference in the nation. The Big Ten is the second best conference in the nation. The Big Ten is the second best conference in the nation.
Led by guard Raymar Morgan, the Spartans are my pick to win the Big Ten regular season title. Morgan, Kalin Lucas, Goran Suton, and Travis Walton are the returning big-name players.
With a great coach in Tom Izzo and a big home court advantage, the Big Ten title is in their sites.
Evan Turner leads the way for the Buckeyes. Unranked to start the season, they have impressed and are currently 9-0.
Last season, they surprised all of college basketball with their incredible season. This year, everyone expects great things from Purdue.
Led by E'twaun Moore and Robbie Hummell, they look to have a March Madness run. They have looked impressive so far, with both losses coming to Top 10 opponents.
The Badgers were the surprise team of the Big Ten last year after losing their two star players to graduation.
This year, all-Big Ten forward Marcus Landry will lead the team as they hope to surprise just as they did last year.
Coach Tubby Smith is in the midst of turning this program around. They proved themselves with an upset of No. 9 Louisville.
Guard Lawrence Westbrook and the rest of the Gophers hope to reach the NCAA Tournament come March.
Michigan has had two wins over top five ranked opponents (Duke and UCLA). Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims look to lead Michigan to a surprise season in the Big Ten.
Note: Michigan has no mascot, therefore the slide picture is of the band.
Following last season's run to the Big Ten Championship game, the Illini are led by Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey and hope to repeat last year's feat.
Illinois may be less talented, but they still have a chance to have a solid Big Ten season.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are led by Jeff Peterson and Anthony Tucker and will be facing tougher teams this year.
The Hawkeyes have enough talent to compete with the top teams, but can they win against the Big Ten's elite?
Penn State has some good young talent, but won't quite match up to the powerhouses. For this year at least, it's a football year at Penn State.
Northwestern is coming off a disastrous Big Ten season last year. This year, the outcome looks brighter.
Kevin Coble leads the Wildcats, who aren't picked to stir up much in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers lost both of their star players, Eric Gordon and D.J. White, to the NBA.
Now they are in a rebuilding mode with new coach Tom Crean. This year, don't expect much from the lowly Hoosiers.
First Round: Michigan over Indiana
Illinois over Northwestern
Penn State over Iowa
Quarterfinals: Michigan State over Penn State
Ohio State over Illinois
Purdue over Michigan
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Semifinals: Wisconsin over Michigan State
Purdue over Ohio State
Championship: Purdue over Wisconsin
