Big Ten Tournament 2012: Top Candidates for Tourney's Most Outstanding Player

The Big Ten has been one of the most closely contested conferences all season long in college basketball, and that is likely to continue in the Big Ten tournament, as there are at least six or seven teams with a great shot at winning the title.

There are a few teams, though, that have an advantage, thanks to their superstar players.

When it comes to single-elimination tournaments such as this one, studs tend to take over games and will their respective teams to victory. While many of the Big Ten squads play an overall team game, there are also some teams that have players who can dominate at the drop of a dime.

Here are the three top candidates to with the Most Outstanding Player award in the 2012 Big Ten tournament.

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

As perhaps the most dominant player in college basketball, it should come as no surprise that Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger is among the favorites to dominate the Big Ten tournament.

Sullinger had an excellent regular season, as he led the team in scoring (16.9 PPG), rebounding (9.3 RPG) and shot blocking (0.8 BPG). On top of that, Sullinger converted 53.5 percent of his attempts from the field, so he is an extremely efficient offensive player as well.

Not only does Sullinger have good height at 6'9", but he is an absolute load in the paint at 265 pounds. There are very few players in the nation that have the size and strength to handle Sullinger on the defensive end—that much was apparent all season long.

As important as guard play is in tournaments, a dominant big man is even more important. There aren't a ton of great bigs in college basketball, but Sullinger is the best, and that gives the Buckeyes a huge advantage.

Draymond Green, Michigan State

There may be flashier and more exciting players in college basketball currently, but there is no more versatile player than Michigan State forward Draymond Green.

For the past few seasons, Green has meant everything to the Spartans, and that has been especially true this year. Green leads the team with 16.2 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game and 1.5 steals per game, and he is second with 3.5 assists per game.

Green is a rare talent because he can do a little bit of everything. At 6'7" and 240 pounds, he is a force in the painted area, and he hits the glass hard. At the same time, though, he is able to play away from the rim and is even the team's leading three-point shooter with 45 makes from long range.

On top of that, he is almost like a point forward due to his ability to find open players in advantageous scoring positions. Green is a stat-sheet stuffer if there ever was one, and if Sparty is going to add a Big Ten tournament title to its regular-season championship, then he will need to be great.

Trey Burke, Michigan

In today's version of college basketball, freshmen often are able to step in and become major contributors right away. That has been the case with Michigan point guard Trey Burke.

The diminutive, 5'11" spark plug has been a key player for the Wolverines since day one, and he will have to continue to be just that moving forward. Essentially everything on the offensive end runs through Burke, as he leads the team in scoring (14.6 PPG) as well as assists (4.6 APG). 

Burke is only one half of Michigan's dynamic backcourt, as he teams with Tim Hardaway Jr. While Hardaway is more of a pure scorer than Burke, Burke is the one who sets up the offense and makes everything happen, so while the Wolverines may be able to afford some off-games from Hardaway, that isn't the case with Burke.

Despite the fact that Burke is a freshman, he hasn't shown any signs of backing down from big moments, so he should have a great tournament.