CBB Previews Big Ten

Note: This Preview was done for Score Atl. Be sure to check it out!
The Big Ten this season is looking to regain some footing lost in previous years and get back to being one of the dominant conferences in the land. Several new coaches should help boost the conference back into the average college fan’s consciousness.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS Coach Tom Izzo 2007-08 Record: 27-9
Michigan State is clearly the class of the conference once again. Head coach Tom Izzo has a national championship on his resume, but he is without Drew Neitzel for the first time in four years. This season all of the pressure falls on Raymar Morgan a senior SF who is seeking consistency this season. He averaged 14.0 points per game last year. Sophomore PG Kalin Lucas netted 10.2 ppg last year and 3.8 apg and will look to set up freshman phenom Delvon Roe, who should be a force in the front court.

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS Coach Matt Painter 2007-08 Record: 25-9
Purdue has a leg up on the rest of the conference entering the season as Big 10 preseason Player of the Year Robbie Hummel suits up for the Boilermakers. As a freshman last season, Hummel averaged 11.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 2.5 apg. He can also fill up the rim from downtown as he averages 44% from 3pt range. His teammate Chris Kramer has been named a captain for the third straight year and his team-first attitude has rubbed off on E-Twuan Moore and Keaton Grant in the backcourt. Moore led the team with 12.9 ppg as a freshman.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Coach Thad Matta 2007-08 Record: 24-13
Ohio State has seemed to embrace the one-and-dones recently with Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr and Kosta Koufos and incoming freshman center BJ Mullens might be the next. Mullens stands 7’0 and can run the floor to finish on a fastbreak. Juco transfer Nikola Kecman will join Mullens and offer a complementary outside presence. Head coach Thad Matta has proven when given talent, he can take his team to the promised land. He was on the doorstep two seasons ago and missed the NCAA tournament last season. Matta should be fired up to show he wasn’t a one-and-done.

WISCONSIN BADGERS Coach Bo Ryan 2007-08 Record: 31-5
Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan is not flashy and neither are his teams. They do however find a way to win and this season shouldn’t be any different. Trevon Hughes will man the point guard position and his 11.2 ppg should spark the team, but Hughes will also be called upon to get others, such as seniors Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft, involved in the offense. Jason Bohannon showed last season he could light it up off the bench; this season he will need to light it up from the tip as he moves into the starting lineup.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES Coach John Beilein 2007-08 Record: 10-22
Michigan’s glory days of the Fab Five are long gone, but second year coach John Beilein is hoping to build success that can sustain. If Manny Harris can improve his 3pt shooting, look for his 16.1 ppg average from last season to shoot into the 20s. Sophomore PG Kelvin Grady will look to feed DeShawn Sims in the front court to increase Sims’ 12.3 ppg average. The biggest loss that hurts Michigan the most might be Ekpe Udoh’s transfer as he will leave a big hole on the defensive end. This team will hope for an NIT bid.

INDIANA HOOSIERS Coach Tom Crean 2007-08 Record: 25-8
Indiana fans may finally have the coach to lead them back to the NCAA title. Following the turbulent reign of Mike Davis and the brief tenure of Kelvin Sampson, Tom Crean brings his intensity to a team that needs one after a huge player exodus. Sweet-shooting freshman Eric Gordon took his game to the NBA and DJ White is no longer on the squad, forcing Crean to give significant minutes to his talented recruiting class. SG Nick Williams, Matt Roth, PG Verdell Jones III, and Tom Pritchard will team with junior Devan Dumes to score the points for the Hoosiers this season.

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS Coach Tubby Smith 2007-08 Record: 20-14
Minnesota won 20 games last season in coach Tubby Smith’s first year on the bench and while the NIT might be nice, the goal is clearly the NCAA. Freshman Ralph Sampson, the son of the former NBA star with the same name, will look to contribute early and often and Smith will need more from junior guard Lawrence Westbrook, who averaged 8.5 ppg last season. With several other 2007-08 bench players moving into the starting lineup, including PG Al Nolen and Damien Johnson, Smith might need a little magic to pull off his second straight improvement in Minnesota.

IOWA HAWKEYES Coach Todd Lickliter 2007-08 Record: 13-18
Iowa head man Todd Lickliter wants to put his stamp on the Hawkeye program and his newest freshman class will look to play a huge part this season in a run to the NIT. Guard Matt Gatens will look to pass first but score if necessary and Anthony Tucker’s job will be to fill the basket. Senior Cyrus Tate must bring leadership for Lickliter’s team to have a shot at .500. A weak non-conference slate may allow the Hawkeyes to sneak into the NIT if it can steal a few conference wins against the other bottomfeeder in Indiana.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI Coach Bruce Weber 2007-08 Record: 16-19
Illinois has a tremendous recent history of outstanding point guards. Deron Williams and Dee Brown led the Illini to the brink of a national title with stellar play and Demetri McCamey looks to carry on that tradition. Coach Bruce Weber will need McCamey’s scoring to increase and the two senior starters (Calvin Brock and Trent Meacham) to shake last year’s struggles. Illinois fans will finally get Alex Legion in uniform as the former Kentucky-transfer will be eligible come December. Legion can score from anywhere and Weber’s offense might flow through him by tourney time.

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS Coach Bill Carmody 2007-08 Record: 8-22
Northwestern has grown up since last season and should get a full season out of uber-talented Kevin Coble, but can one year really make that much of a difference for a 1-17 Big Ten team? Head coach Bill Carmody hopes so. The Wildcats will look for sophomore point guard Michael Thompson to decrease his turnovers and increase his scoring and assists. Craig Moore dumped in 13.4 ppg last season and the senior will need to take a leap in his final season for the Cats to make a serious run at any postseason action.

PENN STATE NITANY LIONS Coach Ed DeChellis 2007-08 Record: 15-16
Penn State has traditionally been a football school, but coach Ed DeChellis is hoping to change that. Sophomore Talor Battle will once again run point and should increase his 3.2 apg and 10.3 ppg averages of a year ago. Battle will look to dish to a pair of seniors in guard Stanley Pringle and forward Jamelle Cornley. While most of the team is undersized, the team will get a bit of a boost from 6’8 freshman Billy Oliver. The rookie should be able to stretch the defenses out to the perimeter and allow Battle to charge the lane.