2011-12 Big Ten Basketball Predictions
Written by James Zerfoss - Google +
Ohio State will return a lot of talent after their sweet 16 appearance a year ago. This year the Buckeyes will have their aim on the Final Four, but first they will have to get through a rugged Big Ten conference schedule and try to earn a number one seed for the NCAA Tournament which could prove a challenge with the likes of Wisconsin and Michigan ready to offer them a run for their money.
1. Ohio State (34-3): With all the talent that Ohio State returns nothing less than a second straight Big Ten championship will be considered a success. Surprisingly Jared Sullinger didn’t opt for the NBA draft and he will be joined by Aaron Craft, William Buford, and sophomore Deshaun Thomas to form a starting group that the rest of the Big Ten just won’t be able to compete with. Thad Matta has also added several freshman recruits to bolster the team’s bench and round out the rotation.
2. Wisconsin (25-9): Wisconsin is surrounded by questions marks but with point guard Jordan Taylor leading the way they should be able to answer those questions with wins. Watch for redshirt freshman center Evan Anderson to have a big first season in the Big Ten but it still won’t be enough to beat an Ohio State team led by Sullinger and Buford.
3. Michigan (21-14): The Wolverines had the chance to be the favorites but Darius Morris left for the NBA draft. Still Michigan will put on the floor an extremely talented team that could challenge Ohio State for the conference title. Tim Hardaway Jr. will create a lot of mismatches and provide the team with the scoring they will need. Jordan Morgan and Zack Novak will provide the team with excellent frontcourt play. The biggest question mark is how freshman Trey Burke will do at center.
4. Michigan State (19-15): Michigan State features a lot of talent that will allow it to compete with Ohio State and Wisconsin. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish second in the Big Ten rather than fourth. To move up the standings the Spartans will need transfer Brandon Wood to excel as well as Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix to reach their potential.
5. Purdue (26-8): Robbie Hummel will be back after being injured last season. He will be the team’s top player after the loss of JaJuan Johnson. Lewis Jackson will join Hummel to lead the Boilermakers and will also create plays for Hummel. The team’s biggest concern is finding a consistent inside presence to play alongside Hummel.
6. Minnesota (17-14): Minnesota looks to make it back to the NCAA tournament after missing it last year for the first time in three seasons. Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson will make up the frontcourt and try to help the Golden Gophers finish at least .500 in the Big Ten. The challenge will be whether guards Chip Armelin and Austin Hollins can get them the ball.
7. Indiana (12-20): The Hoosiers return their top seven scorers from a year ago so there is no reason that they should not do better in the Big Ten this year than a year ago. Maurice Creek and freshman Cody Zeller will be key factors to the team’s success. Look for Indiana to win anywhere from 6 to 10 conference games this season. It should be an exciting year for the Hosiers and their fans with so much to build on.
8. Illinois (20-14): The team lost four major contributors from last year’s team. Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale, and Mike Davis have graduated. Jereme Richmond entered the NBA draft but was not selected. Junior Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson return as well as Meyers Leonard. The team only has one senior so this season will give the young players a great opportunity to grow for next year.
9. Nebraska (20-14): Nebraska will have to adjust to the Big Ten after finishing 7-9 in the Big 12 last year. The team lost its best player in Lance Jeter. Defensively the Cornhuskers were one of the best in the nation though on offense they didn’t rebound well and turned the ball over more than 20 percent of the time. The team will have to improve in a lot of areas to compete for the conference title this year.
10. Northwestern (20-14): The Wildcats will surely miss Michael Thompson. Last year he basically did everything that the team needed. He was the team’s second best three-point shooter, its assist leader, and played the most minutes on the team. John Shurna, Drew Crawford, and JerShon Cobb will need to step up and make up for the loss of Thompson.
11. Penn State (19-15): Yeah, Penn State only has one returning starter in Tim Frazier and lost Talor Battle as well as Jeff Brooks, David Jackson, and Andrew Jones. Despite that I am going to make a bold prediction that freshman Trey Lewis, Frazier, and Billy Oliver who was one of the team’s bench players last year help the team avoid the Big Ten cellar.
12. Iowa (11-20): The Hawkeyes finished 4-14 in the conference last year and should struggle again. The team features Melsahn Basabe who is an excellent player but he alone won’t be enough to avoid the basement of the Big Ten conference.
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