The Big Ten is one of the most exciting and toughest conferences year in and year out in college basketball. Although Illinois came very close two years ago the strong balanced level of play makes it very difficult for teams to get through the regular season without at least a few losses in the conference. When tournament time comes the Big Ten has a great track record with many final four teams in the past decade. Here is a quick look at each of the eleven teams in the conference and a possible spot to play on or against each team.

ILLINOIS

The Illini may have the most favorable conference schedule not having to go to Columbus or Madison to face either of the consensus conference favorites. Losing PG Brown will be difficult to replace and G McBride is the only returning player to average double-figures last season. Forwards Randle and Pruitt are also returning starters and sophomore G Smith will be expected to carry much of the scoring load this year and likely will play the point unless sophomore Frazier emerges after being a defensive spark last season. The Illini should enter conference play with a strong record although Illinois does face a couple of difficult non-conference games (at Arizona, at Missouri, at Xavier and hosting Maryland in the Big Ten/ACC challenge). The toughest Big Ten games show up early on the schedule and Illinois could put together a second half run to climb up the standings.

PLAY ON: January 6 vs. Ohio State. Depending on how Ohio State fares in the non-conference season this could be a spot where Illinois, a dominant home team plays as a home underdog. The status of projected super Freshman Oden will play a big role in the line but Illinois has more experience and could catch the Buckeyes in a tough early Big Ten game in a very tough environment.

INDIANA

The coaching change finally happened and former Oklahoma coach Sampson enters amidst more controversy. IU was able to F White despite losing good friend F Vaden who followed former coach Davis to UAB. White had an injury plagued sophomore season but can be one of the top players in the conference. Guards Wilmont and Calloway provide stability for the Hoosiers in the backcourt but are not prolific scorers. The Hoosiers have some difficult non-conference games (at Butler, at Duke, at Kentucky) and host some quality games as well. The finish to the season could lead to another slide as Indiana plays four of the final six Big Ten games on the road. The Hoosiers do not have to play at Wisconsin which is a break relative to most Big Ten opponents.

PLAY AGAINST: January 23 at Illinois. The Hoosiers play a big non-conference game at Connecticut tucked in the middle of the Big Ten schedule. After playing out East in that national game the Hoosiers must play at Illinois. Should IU play well in Storrs this could be an inflated line and a clear let-down spot.

IOWA

Although his scoring dropped slightly last G Haluska will be the key player for the Hawkeyes and he will need to carry the team as it brings in several new players in a guard heavy lineup. The frontcourt is very thin on experience and unless one of the new-comers can step and emerge as a legitimate threat Iowa will be overmatched against most Big Ten teams and will need hot shooting to win games. Iowa has been a tough place to play and Iowa can be a competitive team if they can maintain a home court edge. Iowa plays a very light non-conference schedule and every road game will fall into the winnable variety. Iowa could be over-valued in the conference season and will have problems against teams with athletic front-court players.

PLAY ON: January 28 vs. Wisconsin. The Badgers face a tough stretch of games playing at Illinois and then home against Michigan before heading to Iowa City. With a manageable early schedule it is conceivable that Wisconsin could be on top of the Big Ten at this point while Iowa will likely suffer some early conference losses. The Badges have struggled in Iowa with a few narrow wins in several close games.

MICHIGAN

For the last several years Michigan has been a team projected to take the next step and get back to the NCAA tournament. Michigan was an NIT finalist last season but injuries prevented a better overall resume. Michigan beat good teams last season including Wisconsin and Illinois but failed in a couple of big spots including blowing a lead at home against Indiana in a late season game that might have earned an NCAA invite. Leading returnee G Harris will take over the point and forwards Abram and Sims lead a viable frontcourt. Facing UCLA and Georgetown in non-conference games will provide an early measuring point before embarking one of the tougher Big Ten schedules (road byes are Penn State & Iowa).

PLAY AGAINST: January 6 at Northwestern. These are the types of games Michigan has lost the past few years and the first Big Ten road game is always difficult. Michigan faces Georgetown, UCLA, and Illinois the previous week and a half and could be out of gas for this game especially if they can upset Illinois in the conference opener.

MICHIGAN STATE

The Spartans are very young and PG Neitzel is the only returning player to log significant contributions last season. The Spartans also face arguably the toughest Big Ten schedule as the teams they face once were all towards the bottom of the standings last season. The roster is filled with talent but several players missed the chance to play much last season due to injuries and freshman will need to contribute. The schedule features only two games away from home in the non-conference season and the Spartans could produce a strong record while getting some valuable experience for the many unproven players.

PLAY ON: January 7 at Indiana. The Hoosiers will be coming off a hyped opener against Ohio State while Michigan State plays at Iowa in the opener. Although it will be a second straight road game MSU will likely gain a lot from the first road game and player better in the second game catching Indiana in a tough spot after a big game.

MINNESOTA

The Gophers were expected be very competitive last season after a breakthrough 2004 campaign but injuries and close losses made for a long season. Minnesota lost four seniors and must replace leading scorer Grier. Tollackson and Coleman give the Gophers some frontcourt experience. Several transfer players will have the chance to be key contributors, notable Oklahoma transfer guard McKenzie. The Gophers have a chance to be a surprise team much in part to extremely low projections. Minnesota started the Big Ten season 0-6 losing several close games but did beat Michigan State and Indiana last season and will be capable of upsets.

PLAY AGAINST: January 13 at Iowa. This will be the second straight road game for the Gophers and the young backcourt will have a hard time containing Iowa’s play-making guards. Minnesota played Iowa very tough last season including an upset win that knocked Iowa out of the top 25 and Minnesota will have Iowa’s attention this year.

NORTHWESTERN

The Wildcats play a methodical Princeton-style offense which leads to low-scoring games and typically a few upsets along the way. Senior Guard Doyle will be counted on to carry much of the load this season as leading scorer Vuskusic departs. Several talented young Chicago recruits will be expected to make significant contributions and two more European transports could add to the mix as well. It will all depend on the young players but Coach Carmody has built a solid program at Northwestern and the Wildcats will not be a soft spot on the schedule.

PLAY ON: January 13 vs. Wisconsin. The Badgers are a poor free-throw shooting team which could make a big difference in a close low-scoring game. Wisconsin opens the Big Ten against Minnesota and then hosts Ohio State in a huge early season showdown. Next Wisconsin must go to Northwestern where they lost 62-51 last season.

OHIO STATE

There is a ton of talent in Columbus but Ohio State returns just one starter from the Big Ten champion squad a year ago. At least four freshmen figure to log significant minutes in the rotation and the Buckeyes may struggle in some big spots with the lack of experience. Highly touted recruit Oden will likely not play until January and much of the lofty pre-season ranking are based on being all he is hyped to be. His injury must remain a concern as he will take no chances in coming back too soon and jeopardizing a sure lottery pick future. Ohio State will play on the road against North Carolina and Florida in the non-conference season and has a brutal start to the Big Ten schedule with arguably the top three opponents in the first three games.

PLAY AGAINST: January 9 at Wisconsin. The Badgers have one of the toughest home court edges in the nation with a national long win streak snapped last season. If Oden is back and the Buckeyes have played up to expectations at this point they may be favored in what will be many of the players second Big Ten road games. Ohio State must play at Illinois three days prior and this could be a very tough spot against the experienced Badgers.

PENN STATE

The Lions made the NIT last season and made a small step forward in getting the program somewhere in basketball. PSU lost just two players from last season returning nearly 80 percent of its point. With six Big Ten wins last season it was a successful campaign including a huge upset at Illinois, then ranked #6 in the nation and won a game in the Big Ten tournament. Junior swingman Claxton is poised for a big season and was third team all-conference last season and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Cornley gives PSU two strong scoring threats. The Lions have decent size although their big men are unproven and Penn State is not a team to overlook.

PLAY ON: January 20 vs. Michigan State. Penn State has far more experience than MSU and did not get to play the Spartans at home last season, losing a close game on the road last season. Michigan State plays Illinois prior to this game and it will be difficult to get an inexperienced MSU team to take Penn State as seriously as they deserve to be taken.

PURDUE

Purdue has a miserable season last year as the top three scorers were lost to injuries and had several other players miss time as well with injuries or violations. The return of Landry and Teague gives Purdue great experience and two of the better players in the conference in key positions. It may be difficult to find the right combination of players as this team will not have had much time playing together. Purdue’s future is looking up but there may not be enough time to get this team back to the top tier of the conference.

PLAY AGAINST: January 3 at Minnesota. We expect Purdue to have some chemistry problems early in the season and Minnesota can be a tough place to play. Very limited expectations on the Gophers will force a pretty low line here and it may be too much to ask for Purdue to win the Big Ten opener on the road after a home-heavy early season schedule.

WISCONSIN

The Badgers find themselves ranked in the top 10 nationally and getting considerable attention as a Big Ten contender, a situation that Wisconsin is not accustomed to despite recent success. This is an experience rich team led by player of the year candidate Tucker who has help with good size on the roster and a proven point guard in Taylor. Free-throw shooting was very costly last year and will again be a problem this season and finding a reliable second shooter in the back-court will be critical. Highly touted big man Butch has yet to breakthrough and needs to be a big contributor for Wisconsin to be an elite team. Getting back suspended players Landry and Stiemsma will also help. With one of the best home-court edges in the nation Wisconsin has a great shot to win the conference but reaching national expectations will be a new hurdle.

PLAY ON: January 6 vs. Minnesota. Look for the Badgers to open Big Ten play strong as they have more time to prepare for the opener than most teams with an entire week. Minnesota plays a big opening game at home and then must play in one the toughest venues in the nation just a few days later, a tough task for young team going against a very experienced Wisconsin squad.

Joe Nelson is posting picks regularly at Vegas Insider, get on board for a monthly package or try us out for an evening with one of our pick packs. As of Tuesday, November 14, we had winning picks in five of the previous six nights with a 6-1 record for over 85 percent winners. We are also on a great run in college football going 27-9 for 75 percent and +$1,710 in the last month as well as a strong start to the NBA season with an 8-3 start for over 72 percent winners. Be sure to look for a great set of college basketball picks coming up this Saturday, November 18th.