Indiana

Big Ten Tournament: Predictions & Preview

Paul Elkins — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:14:02 -0500

With four clear-cut big-dancers, the Big Ten oozes front-end quality. But with lower-seeded teams providing late season scares to perennial powers – see Michigan State barely escaping Penn State in East Lansing last week - look for some drama to unfold this Thursday thru Sunday in Indianapolis.

Round 1

#8 Michigan vs. #9 Iowa: Coming off a spanking from Michigan State, look for the Wolverines to bounce back and rally around their two stars, Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims. Too much talent for the Hawkeyes, as Michigan triumphs.

PICK: Michigan.

#7 Northwestern vs. #10 Indiana: After falling in overtime to a team that had not won in 11 games, look for the Wildcats to avenge their recent road loss to Indiana, and win their 20^th game of the season for the first time in school history.

PICK: Northwestern.

#6 Minnesota vs. #11 Penn State: After losing by 2 at Michigan State and by 4 to Purdue in the same week, Penn State is ripe for a big game to fall their way. Look for Chris Babb, who scored 16 against Michigan State and 17 against Purdue, to combine with Talor Battle to spearhead the upset of the Gophers.

PICK: Penn State

Round 2

#8 Michigan vs. #1 Ohio State: Unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner and company will be too much to handle for Michigan.

PICK: Ohio State.

#4 Wisconsin vs. #5 Illinois: Wisconsin avenged their only home loss of the season with a convincing win last weekend in Champaign. Look for Wisconsin’s stingy defense and combination of veteran leadership dismantle the Illini, who appear ready to implode on their own.

PICK: Wisconsin.

#2 Purdue vs. #7 Northwestern: The Wildcats are fighting for their tournament lives, and have a good opportunity for an upset in a second-round game with Robbie-Hummel-less Purdue. Look for the ‘Cats, who have already beaten Purdue once, to rally behind senior Jeremy Nash for the win.

PICK: Northwestern.

#3 Michigan State vs. #11 Penn State: The Spartans got a scare from Penn State last week – you can bet they will be ready for the Nittany Lions this time around. Look for Kalin Lucas to point the way to victory for Izzo’s crew.

PICK: Michigan State.

Semi-Finals

#1 Ohio State vs. #4 Wisconsin: Look for Turner to help the Buckeyes avenge a thrashing the Badgers applied to them when they were without their then-injured star. Look for Jon Diebler, William Buford, and David Lighty to pull their weight in the Buckeyes victory.

PICK: Ohio State.

#7 Northwestern vs. #3 Michigan State: The Wildcats luck runs out as the Spartans frontline proves too deep and tough to overcome.

PICK: Michigan State

Finals

#1 Ohio State vs. #3 Michigan State: While the Spartans don’t have one player who matches up with Turner (who does), look for them to come together at the right time in typical Michigan State fashion. Izzo’s tactics – publicly criticizing his captain Lucas in the middle of the season – always have a purpose, and his latest move – benching guard Chris Allen for undisclosed reasons – will likely spur the team forward. Look for the Spartans to beat the only team they failed to in the regular season, and build momentum heading into the Big Dance.

PICK: Michigan State.

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big Ten Tournament?

Paul's Predictions:

Round 1, Thu Round 2, Fri Round 3, Sat Round 4, Sun

	#1 Ohio State

	VS	#1 Ohio State
#8 Michigan
VS	#8 Michigan
#9 Iowa
		VS	#1 Ohio State

	#4 Wisconsin

	VS	#4 Wisconsin

	#5 Illinois

			CHAMPION!	#3 Michigan State

	#2 Purdue

	VS	#7 Northwestern
#7 Northwestern
VS	#7 Northwestern
#10 Indiana
		VS	#3 Michigan State

	#3 Michigan State

	VS	#3 Michigan State
#6 Minnesota
VS	#11 Penn State
#11 Penn State

Poll: Who Will Win the Big Ten Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:14:18 -0500

College Hoops Thursday/Friday Recap: Purdue Blasts West Virginia

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:46:50 -0500

It was billed as the college basketball game that would drag people away from college football on New Year's Day, and the matchup between West Virginia and Purdue had the look of a stellar contest on paper. But in the flesh the Boilermakers put together a virtuoso performance in whipping the Mountaineers in West Lafayette 77-62. And to be fair the game really wasn't that close despite WVU going into the locker room down by just five (37-32) at the half. JaJuan Johnson led all scorers with 25 points and added ten rebounds in the win while West Virginia was led by Da'Sean Butler, who finished with seventeen points.

How did Purdue get the job done? Matt Painter's team plays defense as if their lives depended on it and they forced seventeen Mountaineer turnovers while also limiting Devin Ebanks to eleven points on 3-8 shooting from the field. The primary culprit for Ebanks' performance? None other than Chris Kramer, who has to be considered one of the best (I say he is the best) defensive players in the nation. He and his teammates were able to exploit West Virginia's lack of a point guard that they can rely on for long stretches of time.

Joe Mazzulla (shoulder) and Truck Bryant (ankle) are both banged up right now and of the two Bryant would be the more likely choice when it comes to which one can be that guy at the point. But West Virginia will need someone to step up in that role; whether it be struggles against pressure defense in wins over Cleveland State and Seton Hall or Friday's beating at Purdue the Mountaineers have found out that they need someone to rely on as a point guard. Purdue's had no such problems and this wins cements them as a candidate to get to the Final Four come March.

Three Key Happenings

1. Tennessee beats Memphis...then four players shred the gained momentum the following morning. Led by Wayne Chism's 15 points and nine rebounds the Volunteers were able to take advantage of a Memphis squad that it's particularly deep inside and suited up just eight scholarship players total in their 66-59 win at the FedEx Forum. The Volunteers won the rebounding battle 42-26 and also held the Tigers to 31.4% shooting from the field in the win. Tennessee didn't shoot much better but the rebounding and their ability to get to the foul line (26-36) carried the day. But less than 24 hours after that win head coach Bruce Pearl had to suspend four players.

Melvin Goins, Tyler Smith, Cameron Tatum and Brian Williams were hit with gun and drug possession charges following a traffic stop for speeding near the Knoxville campus. While all of the counts that the players face are misdemeanors Coach Pearl has suspended them indefinitely until he gets enough information on the situation. But when you lose four players who rank among the top eight on the team in minutes and scoring there's the potential for things to head downhill if the suspensions are for an extended period of time. The Volunteers don't play again until Wednesday so there should be more answers in regards to what happened and possible punishments.

2. Indiana picks up a huge win in their Big Ten opener. When Maurice Creek was lost for the season with a knee injury many expected an immediate fall to the depths of the Big Ten standings. You don't just replace a player the caliber of Creek and move on as if nothing happened. But if there was anything to be learned from last year's shorthanded squad it was that Tom Crean's team will compete for forty minutes. And that's exactly what they did on Thursday, knocking off Michigan 71-65 in the Big Ten opener for both.

Verdell Jones (20 points, 8 rebounds) and Christian Watford (19 points), two youngsters who have to step up with Creek out, got the job done and defensively the Hoosiers limited Michigan to 39.3% from the field (9-28 3PT). Not to say that Indiana is a contender in the Big Ten; they're far from that due to their youth. But to expect them to fall straight to the bottom of the Big Ten may have been a bit premature. This is a dangerous team that won't roll over for anyone.

3. Missouri State defeats Illinois State to move to 2-0 in the Valley. The Bears are tied with Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois atop the Missouri Valley standings as a result of the 68-64 win. Cuonzo Martin's squad wasn't expected to be a contender in the preseason but they've set themselves up for a showdown with preseason favorite UNI on Sunday afternoon. Adam Leonard led the Bears with 20 points and five assists while Kyle Weems (19 points) and Jermaine Mallett (15 points, 11 rebounds) chipped in.

The last time Missouri State (12-1) got off to a start like this was in 1996-97, when they were known as Southwest Missouri State and Steve Alford was the head coach. Now they've got a lead guard in Adam Leonard who is simply a playmaker; he made many plays down the stretch and while all of them didn't make the box score there's no ignoring their importance. Coach Martin preaches defense and rebounding, and they limited Illinois State to 7-22 from behind the arc. Can the Bears keep this going? If they continue to defend why not?

Top Three Games

1. Oregon 91, Washington St 89 (2OT) The Ducks won a wild one in Pullman on Thursday, with Malcolm Armstead's shot with three seconds left in the second overtime providing the winning points. Tajuan Porter led the Ducks with 31 points while the Cougars were led by Klay Thompson, who scored a game-high 33.

2. Texas Tech 76, McNeese St 75 The Red Raiders needed a pair of Mike Singletary free throws with 18.4 seconds remaining to beat the Cowboys in Lubbock. Singletary led all scorers with 27 points while Diego Kapelan led the Cowboys with twenty.

3. Texas-San Antonio 83, Houston 82 The Cougars dropped another one, this time falling to the Roadrunners at home despite forcing 22 turnovers. UTSA enjoyed a +9 points edge from the foul line and was led by Demarco Stepter's 18 points and 11 rebounds. Houston's Zamal Nixon led all scorers with 29.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi St) Jarvis scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 77-68 win at San Diego on Thursday.

2. F/C JaJuan Johnson (Purdue) Johnson scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots in the Boilermakers' 77-62 win over West Virginia on Friday.

3. G Tony Freeman (Southern Illinois) For the second straight game Freeman knocked down five three pointers, this time scoring 23 points in the Salukis' 86-81 win at Bradley.

College Hoops Monday Recap: Another Personnel Blow for the Big Ten

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:37:11 -0500

For the second time this season a Big Ten team had a victory tempered by the loss of their best player. First it was Ohio State's Evan Turner, who broke two vertebra in his lower back in a blowout win over Eastern Michigan. The Buckeyes have been able to navigate the waters following his loss outside of a close defeat to Butler due to the many other options at Thad Matta's disposal. But the loss of Maurice Creek could loom even larger for Indiana, who beat winless Bryant 90-42 at Assembly Hall.

Creek, who is the conference's leading scorer among freshmen with an average of 17.6 points per game, was lost to a knee injury early in the second half and is likely out for the season. The freshman from Oxon Hill, MD has a fractured knee according to head coach Tom Crean, who delivered the bad news during his postgame radio show. The loss of a freshman the caliber of Creek, one who was expected to (and had to this point) shoulder a considerable amount of the offensive responsibilities, is a blow that could prove to be a crushing one.

"He'll have surgery tomorrow and I would say that's probably going to be the year for him," said Coach Crean after the game (courtesy of audio provided by the Bloomington Herald Times). Where do the Hoosiers go from here? Simply put more of the scoring load will fall to the likes of Christian Watford, Verdell Jones III and Jeremiah Rivers. Indiana will also need some other options to step up as they enter conference play. Once again the Hoosiers will be shorthanded, and if anything could be learned from last year's undermanned outfit it was that they'd compete for fourty minutes. But in a Big Ten that's tougher to navigate this season that may not be enough.

Three Key Happenings

1. The "Jimmer Fredette Show" takes over Tucson. Going into their game at Arizona the BYU Cougars were expected by many to pick up their thirteenth win of the season. But the way in which they accomplished that task made a few jaws drop at McKale Center thanks in large part to their point guard. Fredette, who actually played in the same AAU backcourt as Penn State's Talor Battle, went off in BYU's 99-69 win, setting both school and arena records for points scored in one game with 49. Jimmer shot 16-23 from the field (9-13 3PT) for the night and added nine assists and seven rebounds.

But he's got ample help as well, with Jackson Emery (13 points) and Tyler Haws (12 points) also reaching double digits on Monday. The scary thing about Dave Rose's team is this: those three have been consistent while Jonathan Tavernari (1-2, 2 pts in 22 minutes) still hasn't approached his scoring numbers of a season ago. And if he gets it going, keep an eye on the Cougars. This is a team that can do some serious damage come March (provided they avoid Texas A&M).

2. Two Atlantic 10 squads avoid damaging losses. George Washington isn't expected to be a title contender this year but it would have been a serious hit for the league had they fallen to a Holy Cross team with just two wins on the season. The Colonials started the game on a 20-4 run and led at the half 36-22 yet still needed fourteen second-half points from Damian Hollis to hang on. The Crusaders used the three pointer to shoot themselves back into the game, making 50% of their shots from behind the arc. No matter how young Karl Hobbs' team is this was a game they could ill-afford to lose.

Richmond nearly fell at home to UNC Wilmington, surviving 66-64 on a pair of Kevin Anderson free throws with 30.4 seconds left in the game. In fact, the Spiders needed a 10-0 run to regain the lead with less than two minutes remaining in a game that was essentially a tale of two halves. Richmond and UNCW, who combined for thirty-one points in the first half, managed to score 99 points in the final stanza. The Seahawks had a shot at the win despite twenty turnovers, and the reason for that was their 45-25 rebounding advantage. If Richmond is to be a contender in the A-10 they've got to rebound consistently.

3. Rutgers may be on the road to improvement. When the score hit 61-44 North Carolina you could hear much of the nation say the same thing in regards to the Scarlet Knights: here we go again. But an interesting thing happened with Fred Hill's team at that point: instead of reverting to old habits Rutgers fought back, whittling that lead down to two points before finally falling to the Tar Heels 81-67 in Chapel Hill. Dexter Strickland led the victors with a career-high 18 points but North Carolina struggled to find an answer for Mike Rosario.

The sophomore from Jersey City led all scorers with 22 points (I'm wondering why Mike Patrick sounded so shocked in regards to his ability), and freshman Dane Miller added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Hamady Ndiaye's foul trouble and cold shooting from the perimeter (3-23 3PT) got Rutgers in trouble, as did the amazing disparity in free throws (RU: 4-9; UNC: 24-35). But despite the refusal to accept "moral victories" there were things that Coach Hill and his staff can build upon as they enter Big East play.

Top Three Games

1. Morehead St 66, South Dakota 64 A Maze Stallworth three-pointer with 1:45 to go put the Eagles ahead for good on the road. Senior forward Kenneth Faried added 15 points and 15 rebounds to Stallworth's team-leading 21 points.

2. Marshall 78, Troy 75 A Shaquille Johnson layup with sixteen seconds left in the game gave the Thundering Herd the lead for good at Troy. Hassan Whiteside continued his march towards Conference USA Rookie of the Year honors with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

3. Richmond 66, UNC Wilmington 64 See above.

Three Notable Perfomances

1. G Jimmer Fredette (BYU) Fredette scored forty-nine points (16-23 FG, 9-13 3PT), nine assists and seven rebounds in the Cougars' 99-69 win at Arizona.

2. F Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest) Farouq led the Demon Deacons to a 75-60 win at UNC Greensboro with 23 points, 17 rebounds and three assists.

3. F Tyler Cain (South Dakota) Cain posted the following line in South Dakota's loss to Morehead State: 17 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and four blocks.

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Georgetown Passes First Test

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:50:43 -0500

The Jimmy V Classic annually brings together four programs for a night of basketball and a great cause: to raise money for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. But one couldn't help but to notice the importance of Tuesday night's game against Butler (and their game against Washington on Saturday in the Wooden Classic) to a Georgetown squad whose biggest test came against Temple. In the first of two games billed as opportunities for John Thompson III's team to show whether or not they'd be a Big East title contender the Hoyas knocked off the Bulldogs 72-65 at Madison Square Garden.

Greg Monroe posted a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds and Austin Freeman added eighteen in the win. Gordon Hayward (24 points) was the most productive Bulldog but made just seven of nineteen shots. As a team Butler shot just 31.1% from the field, getting outrebounded by fourteen (40-26) and thus failing to take advantage of twenty Hoya turnovers and twelve more field goal attempts. As a matter of fact neither of the games at the Garden would be considered masterpieces but with the goal being to win the game the Hoyas had a good night.

Washington's going to offer an entirely different challenge, playing at a faster pace than Butler on both ends of the floor. If the Hoyas can cut down on the turnovers and as a result win in Anaheim they'd have to be considered a serious contender in the Big East. They're more mature than the club that wasted the momentum gained from their win at Connecticut to open conference play last season, meaning that they're more likely to be factor than not.

Three Key Happenings

1. Indiana wins the nightcap. Will either Indiana or Pittsburgh end up in the NCAA Tournament? That's up for debate but the 74-64 win still qualifies as a solid win for Tom Crean's program. The Hoosiers lost a school-record 25 games last season so despite the issues that the Panthers clearly have offensively this is a good step for IU. Pitt took sixteen more shots yet shot just 31.9% from the field due to the combination of poor offensive execution and good Indiana defense.

The Hoosiers played man as well as zone, confusing the Panthers following a hot start from Ashton Gibbs. Verdell Jones III led the Hoosiers with 22 points and Jeremiah Rivers showed glimpses of possibly emerging as the leader the young team needs. While not a win that will stand out on a resume beating the Panthers is a nice building block for Coach Crean's program.

2. BYU conquers the pace and the Sun Devils. Arizona State has the ability to take a team that wants to play with some pace and slow them to a crawl due to their matchup zone (see: Duke in the NIT Seaon Tip-Off). But while the Cougars weren't able to get the game to the pace that they prefer they were more than effective in the Marriott Center, turning the ball over jsut six times to nineteen assists in their 81-68 victory.

Four players reached double figures for Dave Rose's team with Jackson Emery and Tyler Haws leading the way with seventeen points apiece. Haws also led the way with eleven rebounds on a night in which Jimmer Fredette was 1-for-13 from the field and Jonathan Tavernari just 2-for-8 off the bench. BYU showed off their versatility and ability to adapt, two qualities that should help them in Mountain West play.

3. Kansas State gets payback in Manhattan. The last time the Wildcats played Xavier things got out of hand, with the Musketeers ripping KSU to the tune of 103-77 in Cincinnati. And that was a team that included Michael Beasley, but it was also a harbinger of things to come for an Xavier squad that eventually made it to the Elite 8. But sometimes you're the hammer and others the nail, and that was the case on Tuesday night as the Wildcats beat Xavier 71-56.

Jacob Pullen scoerd fourteen second-half points in leading Kansas State with sixteen while Curtis Kelly added 15 points and nine rebounds, but the K-State defense was the story in holding the Musketeers to 29.4% from both the field and from three. The Wildcats have challenged themselves in the non-conference, also playing in Puerto Rico, games that should pay off within the Big 12 as well as a possible NCAA Tournament selection.

Top Three Games

1. Tennessee State 70, Detroit 69 A Hamilton Nash blocked shot saved the victory for the Tigers, who pulled ahead with 25 seconds to go on a Jeremiah Crutcher hoop. Josh Sain led the victors with 25 points and six rebounds.

2. Dayton 56, George Mason 55 Mason nearly stormed back from a brutal first half in which they scored just nineteen points. But thanks to Chris Johnson (14 points) and some timely rebounding the Flyers were able to hang on for dear life.

3. Illinois 79, Vanderbilt 68 Demetri McCamey led the Fighting Illini with 23 points as Illinois held off a Vanderbilt team that had four player score in double figures. Mike Tisdale and D.J. Richardson combined to add thirty points to the winning effort.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Justin Rutty (Quinnipiac) Rutty accounted for 30 points and 15 rebounds in the Bobcats' 83-74 loss at Rhode Island.

2. F Greg Monroe (Georgetown) The sophomore scored 24 points and grabbed fifteen rebounds in the Hoyas' 72065 win over Butler in the Jimmy V Classic.

3. F Chris Gaston (Fordham) The freshman dropped an impressive line in the Rams' 93-77 win over Stony Brook with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Cheerleader of the Day: Indiana

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:40:10 -0500

Each day (just about), CollegeHoops.net features a Cheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day. Today's picture is courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out the archive for more

-- Indiana

More Cheerleaders!
>>		>>		>>			..All

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

Big Ten Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:36:59 -0500

With six teams in CHN's preseason Top 25, and 3 more teams with NCAA Tournament hopes, no league has more depth than the Big Ten. And an improving Indiana into the mix, and this should be quite a season for Big Ten fans.

Conference Rank: 1st

10 year average: 4th

Big Ten Page

All-BIG TEN Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Kalin Lucas	Michigan St	Jr
G	Manny Harris	Michigan	Jr
G	Talor Battle	Penn St	Jr
G/F	Evan Turner	Ohio St	Jr
F	Robbie Hummel	Purdue	Jr
Second Team
G	William Buford	Ohio St	So
G	Trevon Hughes	Wisconsin	Jr
F	Kevin Coble	Northwestern	Sr
F	Mike Davis	Illinois	Jr
C	JaJuan Johnson	Purdue	Sr

Player of the Year - Kalin Lucas Freshman of the Year - Maurice Creek (Indiana)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Kalin Lucas (1st Team) Evan Turner (1st) Manny Harris (3rd) Talor Battle Robbie Hummel JaJuan Johnson All-Freshman Team Maurice Creek (3rd)		Points: Evan Turner 17.3 Rebounds: Mike Davis 8.1 Assists: Talor Battle 5.0 Team: Michigan State 72.0

Big Ten Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

3	Michigan State	Big Ten	1	NCAA
10	Purdue	Big Ten	2	NCAA
13	Ohio State	Big Ten	3	NCAA
14	Michigan	Big Ten	4	NCAA
18	Minnesota	Big Ten	5	NCAA
21	Illinois	Big Ten	6	NCAA
36	Wisconsin	Big Ten	7	NCAA
54	Penn State	Big Ten	8	NIT
71	Northwestern	Big Ten	9	NIT
109	Indiana	Big Ten	10	CBI/CIT
123	Iowa	Big Ten	11	CBI/CIT

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big Ten?

Other Big Ten Content

Other

Big Ten 5-Year Ranking

Big Ten Top 25 Players

Big Ten: Fantasy Stats Preview

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Victor Oladipo Signs With Indiana

Press Release — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:12:05 -0500

Bloomington, Indiana - Indiana University men's basketball coach Tom Crean has announced the signing of Victor Oladipo, a 6-5, 185 guard from DeMatha Catholic High School in Washington D.C., to a national letter of intent to attends the University and play basketball for the Hoosiers.

A resident of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Oladipo is entering his senior year at DeMatha for head coach Mike Jones. He is currently ranked No. 133 in the 2010 recruiting class by Rivals.com and No. 36 among shooting guards. Scout.com lists the 6'5" guard as the No. 49 shooting guard in his class while ESPN.com has him listed at No. 53. He led DeMatha to a 29-3 record last year and a conference and city league title in the Washington, D.C. area. He had 14 points and 7 boards in the city championship game. He played AAU basketball for Team Takeover this past summer under the guidance of head coach Keith Stephens.

Born on May 14, 1991, he is the son of Chris and Joan Oladipo and has three siblings, Kritine, Kendra and Victoria.

Indiana Head Coach Tom Crean on Oladipo
"We targeted Victor as a young man that we wanted to pursue as a part of our restoration of the Indiana program. He comes from two great programs in DeMatha Catholic High School and Team Takeover, and has been well-coached and more importantly well-raised. We feel Victor will provide athleticism and skill, but most importantly a toughness and will to compete that enhances our program from the moment he steps on campus."

"He made a name for himself with his ability to defend other elite players in the country and we feel that defensive mindset, along with his ever-improving offensive skills, will help him have a very strong career at Indiana. That toughness and will also applies academically, and we feel he will be an asset to IU as well."

- iuhoosiers.com

Preseason All-Freshman Team: 2009-10

CHN — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:12:32 -0500

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason All-Freshman Team is led by Kentucky uber-prospect John Wall. Wall's teammates DeMarcus Cousins & Eric Bledsoe also make the 2nd and 3rd team respectively. The list is dominated by power-conference players, but 3 make it from non-BCS leagues: La Salle's Aaric Murray, San Diego St's Kawhi Leonard, and Greg Smith of Fresno State. Besides Kentucky, other teams with multiple players include Arizona, Duke, Georgia Tech, UNC, Oklahoma, and Texas.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year: John Wall (Kentucky)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman

John Wall	Kentucky	G
Avery Bradley	Texas	G
Kenny Boynton	Florida	G
Xavier Henry	Kansas	G
Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman

Abdul Gaddy	Washington	G
Lance Stephenson	Cincinnati	G
Keith Gallon	Oklahoma	F
DeMarcus Cousins	Kentucky	C
Mouphtaou Yarou	Villanova	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-Freshman

Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	G
Maurice Creek	Indiana	G
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	G
Jordan Hamilton	Texas	F
Dante Taylor	Pittsburgh	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention All-Freshman

John Henson	UNC	F
Tyler Honeycutt	UCLA	F
John Jenkins	Vanderbilt	G
Wally Judge	Kansas State	F
Ryan Kelly	Duke	F
Kawhi Leonard	San Diego St	F
Aaric Murray	La Salle	F
Kyryl Natyazhko	Arizona	F
Alex Oriakhi	UCONN	C
Mason Plumlee	Duke	F/C
Durand Scott	Miami	G
Greg Smith	Fresno State	F
Peyton Siva	Louisville	G
Michael Snaer	Florida State	G
Dexter Strickland	UNC	G
Hollis Thompson	Georgetown	F
Mfon Udofia	Georgia Tech	G
Derrick Williams	Arizona	G

Other CollegeHoops.net Preseason Awards

Big Ten Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:33:46 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG TEN

PG
1. Kalin Lucas - Michigan State
2. Talor Battle - Penn State
3. Demetri McCamey - Illinois
4. Lewis Jackson - Purdue
5. Michael Thompson - Northwestern

SG
1. Evan Turner - Ohio State
2. Manny Harris - Michigan
3. Trevon Hughes - Wisconsin
4. E'Twaun Moore - Purdue
5. William Buford - Ohio State

- The SG position is particularly deep in the Big Ten. Iowa's Matt Gatens, MSU's Chris Allen & Durrell Summers, are also quality players. The Big Ten's crop of freshmen guards is rather weak this year. Indiana's Maurice Creek might be the best in the league.

SF
1. Kevin Coble - Northwestern
2. Raymar Morgan - Michigan State
3. David Lighty - Ohio State
4. Jon Leuer - Wisconsin
5. Royce White - Minnesota

PF
1. DeShawn Sims - Michigan
2. Robbie Hummel - Purdue
3. Mike Davis - Illinois
4. Delvon Roe - Michigan State
5. Derek Elston - Indiana

C
1. JaJuan Johnson - Purdue
2. Mike Tisdale - Illinois
3. Andrew Jones - Penn State
4. Ralph Sampson III - Minnesota
5. Tom Pritchard - Indiana

- You don't see too many future NBA stars here, but there's a lot of depth. Minnesota's White was recently suspended, but I'm leaving him on the list, until his future is decided. The center position is filled with a lot of workman-like players, but nothing terribly exciting beyond Johnson and the improving Tisdale.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews