Big Ten Basketball: X-Factor for the 9 NCAA Candidates

Last night, I improved to 7-0 picking Big Ten games on the season—including a 6-1 record against the spread—as Michigan systematically dismantled Penn State at home. The Wolverines were led by an impressive performance from Tim Hardaway Jr.

With no Big Ten games scheduled for the moment, let's take a break from my daily predictions and reflect on the "X-Factor" for each of the conference's nine NCAA Tournament candidates, as they head into the new year.

These guys may not be the coverboys of their squads, but their consistent production is just as vital to their respective team's success as any other player on the roster.

Illinois: Sam Maniscalo

The fifth-year Bradley transfer with deadly three-point range has proven to be a keystone for Illinois' success this season.

While he's exploded in some of the team's best victories (19 points against Richmond, 24 points against Maryland), he has also disappeared in their losses.

In the two losses to UNLV and Missouri, Maniscalco averaged 6.5 points (4.5 below his season average) and shot a combined 2-12 from beyond the arc. The Illini need him to start making shots when it matters during Big Ten play.

Indiana: Will Sheehey

Sheehey provides the Hoosiers with toughness, energy, and a much-needed offensive spark when Cody Zeller and Christian Watford are struggling.

He was named the MVP of the Hoosier Invitational, and looked particularly impressive in the finals against Butler, where he came off the bench and racked up 21 points in 31 minutes.

He held his own physically in the upset over Kentucky as well, hitting both of his three-point attempts in that game.

He sat out the loss to Michigan State with an injury sustained in practice, but the Hoosiers need him to get healthy quickly, as Big Ten play has been known to sneak up on teams with impressive non-conference records.

After all, they are still undefeated when he plays.

Michigan: Jordan Morgan

Michigan plays an unconventional defensive style, preferring to trap out of the 1-3-1 zone in order to hide their lack of beef and muscle down low.

However, the Big Ten features so many impressive post players that it's going to be impossible to hide that weakness for very long.

Morgan is the Wolverines' only answer to the likes of Jared Sullinger, Meyers Leonard, Cody Zeller and Derrick Nix. He's 6'8'', built like a machine (see above) and willing to bang bodies inside.

A lot of Michigan's conference success is hinging on how well he can hold his own defensively against some of the nation's best big men.

Michigan State: Travis Trice

The Keith Appling experiment at point guard this season has drawn mixed reviews.

On the one hand, Appling has still shown the ability to push the ball up the court and score in bunches. On the other, there are times where his lack of experience running an offense is brutally obvious and turnovers become a problem.

In tough road environments against tight man-to-man defenses—such as Purdue and Wisconsin—Trice is going to be heavily counted on to come in and run the offense, while Appling will slide over to shooting guard.

This is a tall task for a freshman, but Trice has shown himself to be capable in the first couple months of the season.

Trice might also be the team's second best shooter, so he'll be counted on to keep knocking down open threes when the Spartans seem to lose their offensive rhythm—as they often do.

Minnesota: Rodney Williams

With the unfortunate loss of All-Big Ten forward Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota is in desperate need of a new superstar to run their offense through.

This team is deep enough—and well-coached enough by Tubby Smith—that they should be able to stay competitive in spite of the injury. They just might struggle to put points on the board for long stretches.

Williams has tantalized the Big Ten with his athleticism and potential for years now, but has never quite put it all together. Now, in the wake of losing their best player, Minnesota needs him to be their leader and live up to the promise that he has shown.

Northwestern: Luka Mirkovic

The mercurial 6'11' center from Belgrade is Northwestern's third-best scoring option behind stars Jon Shurna and Drew Crawford. He needs to be able to carry the load for stretches where those two are taken out of the game via double teams.

More than that though, he needs to help an undersized Wildcat squad at least be competitive on the glass. They got ripped apart inside by Ohio State in one of Mirkovic's worst performances to date.

Mirkovic is the difference-maker on a Northwestern team that's capable of pulling a mid-season upset and sustaining long success.

Ohio State: DeShaun Thomas

It doesn't seem fair for Jared Sullinger to have an equally-talented partner in crime, but that is exactly what Thomas has morphed into this season. Thomas has averaged 16 points per night, including a 30-point explosion against South Carolina where he shot 13-16 from the field.

If Thomas keeps playing at this level, no team will dare to double Jared Sullinger in the post. And if that's the case, it could be a long season for the rest of the Big Ten—and maybe the rest of the country as well.

Purdue: Kelsey Barlow

It's unfair to expect Barlow to transform into E'Twaun Moore overnight, but the Boilermakers need him to at least turn into a reasonable facsimile.

The 6'5'' junior is built similarly to Moore, and has shown flashes of becoming the slashing scorer that Purdue is in desperate need of.

It's going to be tough for Robbie Hummel to continue carrying the world on his shoulders, especially when those shoulders are held up by surgically reconstructed knees. 

Purdue will always be able to defend well enough to get into the NCAA tournament, but if Barlow doesn't start giving them another option who can create his own offense, they won't be around for very long.

Wisconsin: Josh Gasser

The shifty 6'3'' shooting guard might not always be pretty to watch, but he's usually productive. As the rigors of the Big Ten season go on however, he may have to revert to his early-season shooting form.

Gasser averaged roughly four three-point attempts per game at the start of the season, and shot them very well. For the past month however, that average has dropped down to two attempts per game, with the percentage of those made slightly dipping.

After Jordan Taylor, this team is offensively deficient—and they are going to need Gasser to hit some big shots when the defense rolls to Taylor. If he can do that, Wisconsin should be able to win a lot of low-scoring conference games.