Big Ten Tournament 2012: Jared Sullinger and More Players Who Must Dominate

After an exciting first round in the Big Ten tournament, it's now time for the favorites to get involved. The four top seeds will be in action today against the winners of yesterday's games, as everybody continues to chase the conference championship.

Here are three marquee players who will need to be at their best over the next three days if their team is going to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.

Jared Sullinger

Despite strong play from Deshaun Thomas and William Buford, Sullinger remains the most important player in an Ohio State uniform. He averaged 17 points and nine rebounds during the regular season to lead the team in both categories.

When he's attracting all of the defensive attention in the paint, it opens up everybody else for clean looks at the hoop—the Buckeyes must make a concerted effort in the early going to get him involved. Everything else will fall into place after that.

On defense, his stats don't really tell the whole story. Even though he blocks less than one shot per game, he alters several more. His all-around game is a lot more polished than it was at this time last year.

Jordan Taylor

To understand Taylor's importance, fans need to first understand how Wisconsin plays. The Badgers play at an incredibly slow pace, which limits possessions and forces opponents to show patience a lot of teams simply don't have at the college level.

So, even though Taylor is only averaging 15 points, it could easily be well over 20 if he played in a more up-tempo system. He also contributes four rebounds and four assists as well, showing he's more than a simple scoring guard.

There are few players in the country more important to their respective teams. If Taylor has an off night, the Badgers are limited in terms of other options, making it difficult to win.

Draymond Green

Green is a perfect example of what college coaches love to see in their players. He improved every season during his stay at Michigan State, transforming himself from a minor role-player into the team's most crucial piece in four years.

He was a double-double machine throughout his senior campaign. More impressively, his outside shot improved markedly, which made him into an even bigger nightmare for defenses. Not many guys with his size stretch the floor so well.

The Spartans need him to control the game if they are going to make a deep run not only in the Big Ten tournament, but starting next week in the NCAA tourney as well.