Ohio State Basketball: 12 Reasons the Buckeyes Should Win the Big Ten

It was a long, exhausting football season for Ohio State fans. Turmoil plagued the program as the both the coaching staff and roster suffered significant departures (Jim Tressel, Terrelle Pryor).

Well, I bear good news. It's basketball season, and the Buckeyes are good.

No. 2 Ohio State (8-0, 0-0 Big Ten) already has huge, decisive wins over then-No. 8 Florida and then-No. 4 Duke, by a combined 29 points. It is dominating all other opponents by an average score of 82-54.

Thad Matta's Buckeyes began the 2010 campaign with similar success, winning their first 24 games. However, they fell short of a national title, losing in the Sweet 16 to the Kentucky Wildcats.

You can't help but feel a different vibe this year, one that leans towards an appearance in New Orleans for a chance to win a championship.

But for now, focus stays on the Big Ten. Here's why the Bucks should be able to win their third conference title in a row.

Rocky Start Leads to Even Worse of a Finish for Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3) haven't gotten the start they'd like so far in 2011.

Although their five wins have been conclusive, it's been against teams with a combined record of 7-27. Iowa's three losses are at the hands of Creighton, Campbell and Clemson, by an average margin of 18.3 points.

Iowa's conference schedule features road trips to face No. 7 Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois. 

The Hawkeyes just don't have what it takes to hang with the best of the Big Ten, especially Ohio State. They'll take on the Buckeyes at home on January 7.

Welcome to Big Ten Basketball, Nebraska

Nebraska (4-3) struggled in the Big 12 Conference, as it finished no better than seventh place since the 2005-06 season.

Now the Cornhuskers are in their first year as a member of the Big Ten, where it gets no easier, just more difficult.

It hasn't been an easy start to the year, either. Nebraska has lost its last three of four, including a 10-point defeat to No. 22 Creighton on Sunday.

The Huskers will inevitably fall to the bottom quartile of the Big Ten standings rather quickly, as they begin conference play with tough matchups against the Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois in the first four games.

They play the Buckeyes in a home-and-home series on January 3 and 21.

Tim Frazier. That Is All (Literally).

It's safe to say that Penn State (6-3) will not be contesting Ohio State for a conference title this season.

The Nittany Lions' six wins include the following: Hartford (not to be confused with Harvard), Radford, Long Island, South Florida, Youngstown State and Boston College.

Not great, but not bad, either.

However, their three losses include a 38-point shellacking by Kentucky, an 18-point embarrassment to Saint Joseph's and a two-point heartbreaker to Ole Miss.

Tim Frazier, the junior guard out of Houston, leads the team in points per game (19.5) and has been knocking down 46.5 percent of his shots. The next person in line is freshman Trey Lewis, who is averaging a mere 7.4 points per game.

That makes Penn State a one-dimensional team, something that won't get them very far.

It'll meet the Buckeyes in just one meeting this year; on the road, January 25.

Northwestern Plays Cupcakes, Will Be Downfall

Northwestern (7-1) suffered its first loss of the season Sunday, proving my main point. The Wildcats had not played a quality team until their 69-41 humiliation to No. 8 Baylor, having faced teams with a combined record of 24-31.

The 'Cats are currently ranked 308th in the nation when it comes to rebounding (31.4 per game), and it was exploited against the Bears; Northwestern was outrebounded 35-26.

This won't fly against Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes, who thrive upon offensive second-chances. The Wildcats travel to Columbus on December 28 and will defend their home court on February 29.

No Mwakwe, No Way

This looks like the same old Minnesota basketball team.

The Golden Gophers (8-1) have gotten off to a hot start, but it hasn't been pretty. Five of their eight wins have come by 10 points or less, and the majority of them were against subpar teams.

They've lost their star player—Trevor Mwakwe—in the process. The senior forward was averaging 14.0 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds before tearing his ACL, taking him out for the rest of the season.

In the two games following the devastating injury, Minnesota has scored just 113 points (56.5 ppg). If this lack of production continues, you can expect another disappointing season by Tubby Smith's squad.

The Gophers go on the face OSU once at home on February 14.

Michigan State No Longer a Threat

We're used to Michigan State being a contender for the Big Ten year in and year out, especially with a prolific coach like Tom Izzo leading the way.

However, this season has a different feel to it, with new names and young, inexperienced talent on the court.

The Spartans (6-2) are winners of six straight, but still have a nasty taste in their mouths after starting the 2011-12 campaign off 0-2.

ACC powers North Carolina and Duke gave Izzo headaches as his team was overwhelmed by physicality. Michigan State does not have the firepower to hang with the big boys this year, nor challenge Ohio State.

These two schools will see each other on February 11 and in the Bucks' season finale on March 4.

Indiana Just Isn't Ready Yet

Indiana is currently ranked eighth in the NCAA in scoring (85.1 points per game) and sixth in team field goal percentage (52.4), which has led the way to its first 8-0 start since 2002.

Coach Tom Crean undoubtedly has done a spectacular job reviving the once-proud program, and I truly believe the Hoosiers are on their way back to relevancy.

Nevertheless, they are an extremely young ballclub and have yet to see a strong opponent that can match their athleticism. December 10 will show all, as Indiana matches up with No. 1 Kentucky in what should be a high-scoring affair.

Indiana plays Ohio State at home December 31 in its second Big Ten game and then will head to Value City Arena January 15.

Illinois Lacks a Go-to-Shooter

Many would argue that having a team that has three or four double-digit scorers but no "star" is a great thing for a team. But this could end up being detrimental for this Fighting Illini squad.

Illinois (8-0) already has nice wins versus Richmond, Maryland and No. 18 Gonzaga and can potentially be a legit contender in the Big Ten.

It has three players scoring over 10 points per game. Still, none have given any reason that they can come up in the clutch, and there's not one player shooting 40 percent or better from behind the arc.

With no go-to guy, Illinois could lose the important close games. And there are bound to be plenty of them.

January 10 and February 21 will feature when OSU and Illinois clash in conference play.

Michigan Has No Depth

They should be OK for now, but at some point Michigan is going to have to get some production from its bench.

The No. 15 Wolverines have played solid defense thus far into the season, allowing under 60 points in four of eight appearances. But that will only last for so long when your starting five begins to get winded, and it showed when facing a quality team in the Duke Blue Devils.

Michigan's starters are averaging 52.3 points per game. That's 77.0 percent of the entire offense, with sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. doing most of the work. The second of games will end up dooming the Wolverines down the stretch.

Ohio State will play its rival from up north on January 9 and February 18.

Robby Hummel Is Just One Man

Hey, remember this guy?

Robbie Hummel, a fifth-year senior, missed the second half of the 2009-10 season and entire 2010-11 season after tearing and then re-tearing his ACL. It was a huge blow to the Boilermakers' tournament aspirations, even though they still found some success through other sources.

Hummel is back and seems healthier than ever, averaging almost 19 points per game through the first nine games. Purdue (7-2) has had close encounters with High Point, Iona and Temple with losses to then-No. 15 Alabama and No. 11 Xavier.

The Boilermakers may have their star player back, but he can't do everything. They lost big factors with JaJuan Johnson and E'Twuan Moore leaving for the NBA, making their offense centered around one player.

That's not good news for Purdue. The last time Ohio State saw Hummel, it held him to just four points and forced others to step up, ultimately winning the game.

The Buckeyes will meet Purdue in Columbus on February 7.

Wisconsin Doesn't Have the Weapons

Wisconsin (6-2) is always a tough team to get by, even for the Ohio State Buckeyes. However, it'll be tough for it to hang with OSU for one reason.

It lacks scoring ability.

In two matchups versus quality opponents this year, the Badgers are 0-2 and are scoring 55.5 points per game, while shooting less than 35 percent from the field.

And the saying "You don't win in Madison" is no longer valid. Marquette just ended Wisconsin's 23-game home winning streak on Saturday.

So what do the Badgers have going for them now that makes them a challenge for Ohio State? How about the fact that they're 5-5 against the Bucks over the last five seasons.

They were also the team that handed OSU its first loss of the season last year after starting 24-0.

Ohio State will make the always-tough appearance in Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, February 4.

Meet Jared Sullinger

Jared Sullinger is a 6-foot-9, 280-pound monster forward that decided to stay for a second year instead of possibly being a high draft pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

The Columbus native is averaging 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game—a double-double—while absolutely dominating every aspect of the game. He's making 62.2 percent of his shots, shooting 83.3 percent from the charity strike (incredible for a big man) and has been able to control his opponents on the defensive side of the ball.

A unanimous All-American selection, Sullinger is just building stock. He very well may be the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.

After putting up 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting in an 85-63 dissection of Duke, legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski stated, "I've had my butt kicked before. We've kicked some butt. Tonight my butt's sore."

Don't worry, Coach K, you won't be the only one this year.