The Big Ten conference is again wide open. Defending national champion Michigan State lost their two top players to the NBA. Ohio State also lost its one-two punch. Illinois returns their entire team, but lost its head coach to the professional ranks. Wisconsin made the Final Four a year ago and expects another NCAA run. The Big Ten race is should close throughout the season, as parity in the conference has resurfaced.
Illinois Fighting Illini:\nHead coach: Bill Self, first season \nLast year: 22-10; 11-5 (fourth) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 13 (1998)\nKey returnees: Junior Cory Bradford, g; sophomore Brian Cook, f; senior Sergio McClain, f\nKey losses: None\nWith all five of last years starters returning, the Illini have been picked by many publications to win the Big Ten Title. That's what Self is expecting. He takes over the Illini program filled with talent.\n"We have good balance inside and outside and we will have strong competition for playing time," Self said. "That is very healthy because it will make all the players push each other to become better. \n"Our depth really allows and encourages us to push the ball up the floor offensively and play pressure defense. Our depth and level of athleticism will dictate what we are able to do." \nIowa Hawkeyes:\nHead coach: Steve Alford, second season\nLast year: 14-16; 6-10 (tie, seventh) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 8 (1979, tie)\nKey returnees: Senior Dean Oliver, g; junior Duez Henderson, f \nKey losses: Jacob Jaacks, c; Rob Griffin, f; Ryan Luehrsmann, f\nAlford said he laid a good foundation for the program last season and he plans on building upon that foundation this season. The Hawkeyes have eight new faces on the roster, including former IU player Luke Recker who said he is an improved player after sitting out one year. With Recker and Dean Oliver in the backcourt, the Hawkeyes have a pair of all-Big Ten players handling the ball. \n"We didn't have the talent that we have this year," Alford said. "We're a little more versatile. I hope we can be a little more competitive in win-loss column this year."\nMichigan Wolverines:\nHead coach: Brian Ellerbe, fourth season\nLast year: 15-14; 6-10 (tie, seventh) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 12 (1986)\nKey returnees: Senior Josh Asselin, f/c; sophomore Lavell Blanchard, f; sophomore Gavin Groninger, g\nKey losses: Jamal Crawford, g; Kevin Gaines g\nWith five freshmen on the roster, the Wolverines are a young team on the rise. Recruits Josh Moore, Avery Queen and Bernard Robinson Jr. will bring depth and talent to the team. Asselin has improved since he moved back to the power forward position and will look to increase his 8.6 points per game from last year. The main problem for the Wolverines was defense last season, as they ranked last in the conference.\n"It's no secret that we were last in the league, but that only becomes an issue when you're not winning," Ellerbe said. "That stat doesn't bother me as much because I knew we were so young and inexperienced. We've spent more time on defense and we expect to improve in that area. \n"What goes with being able to defend is one huge fundamental trait and that's to finish the play with rebounds. We weren't able to complete a lot of situations with a rebound and that's strength, that's experience and that's endurance."\nMichigan State Spartans:\nHead coach: Tom Izzo, sixth season\nLast year: 32-7; 13-3 (tie, first) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 9 (2000)\nKey returnees: Senior Charlie Bell, g; senior Andre Hutson, f; sophomore Jason Richardson,g/ f\nKey losses: Mateen Cleaves, g; Morris Peterson, f; A.J. Granger, f\nAll eyes are on the Spartans this year as they attempt to defend their NCAA title and shoot for a fourth consecutive Big Ten crown. The loss of All-American Cleaves could be difficult to overcome, considering the Spartans' new point guard is a freshman. But Marcus Taylor has impressed Izzo early in the season.\n"He's not Mateen on defense but he's getting better and he's even a better passer than I thought," Izzo said. "I would like to see him improve upon his leadership.\n"If your point guard is not your leader, it's hard not to get it from elsewhere because he has his hand is on the ball all the time."\nMinnesota Golden Gophers:\nHead coach: Dan Monson, second season\nLast year: 12-16; 4-12 (10th) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): None\nKey returnees: Senior Terrance Simmons, g; senior J.B. Bickerstaff, f; junior Dusty Rychart, f\nKey loss: Joel Przybilla, c\nThe NCAA slapped the Gophers with stiff penalties earlier this semester for the academic fraud scandal under former head coach Clem Haskins, leaving them with only nine scholarship players and an entire program to rebuild. Head coach Dan Monson said he is up to the challenge.\n"Did the NCAA leave this program unscathed? No," Monson said. "This program has a long road to get back to national prominence and battle for a Big Ten title. We've had a dark cloud over us, and it's not like it's gone away, but it's broken up and you can see the sunlight peeking through."\nNorthwestern Wildcats:\nHead coach: Bill Carmody, first season\nLast year: 5-25; 0-16 (11th) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 2 (1933-tie)\nKey returnees: Junior Tavaras Hardy, f; sophomore Aaron Jennings, c; sophomore Ben Johnson, g\nKey losses: Steve Leport, g/f\nIt can't get any worse for the Wildcats. Carmody, who spent the last 18 seasons at Princeton, takes the helm of a team that has no NCAA appearances.\n"We have to get some players in here so we can compete," Carmody said. "It's hard because there's never been a tradition here. Indiana kids who are 10 years old want to go to IU, but I don't know who wants to go to Northwestern because of that. How do you develop a tradition? By winning. But how do you win if you don't have tradition? Somewhere along the line we're going to have to get a couple of real good players."\nOhio State Buckeyes:\nHead coach: Jim O'Brien, fourth season\nLast year: 23-7; 13-3 (tie, first) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 16 (2000)\nKey returnees: senior Ken Johnson, c; junior Brian Brown, g; sophomore Brent Darby, g\nKey losses: Michael Redd, g; Scoonie Penn, g; George Reese f\nThe Buckeyes dropped in the rankings this year because they lost more than 40 percent of their offense in Reese, Redd and Penn. Brown and Johnson will have to develop their scorer's mentality. \n"Are people counting us out? Obviously," O'Brien said. "They're thinking we're not going to be as good as we were and I understand that. You have to earn the respect and I think that's the goal of our guys. It's up to the guys we have right now to earn that respect because the guys who had their hands in our success the last couple of years are no longer here. I understand where we are. I understand why we're there. It's up to us to do something about it."\nPenn State Nittany Lions:\nHead coach: Jerry Dunn, sixth season\nLast year: 19-16; 5-11 (ninth) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): None\nKey returnees: Senior Joe Crispin, g; senior Titus Ivory, g; senior Cyasi Cline-Heard, f\nKey losses: Jarrett Stephens, f\nCrispin said he is confident this season will be a turning point for the program. There are three seniors to lead the team during a season when the rest of the conference lacks leadership. One of PSU's obstacles will be replacing All-Big Ten forward Stephens, who led the conference in rebounding and was second in scoring. Crispin, who averaged 18.5 points per game last year, could become the first player in Nittany Lion history to reach the 1,000 point mark in regular season games. \n"These guys are ready to be a team of significance," Dunn said. "We want to concentrate more on the process as opposed to looking down the road everyday. I think we have some depth this year and hopefully we won't have to use a lot of depth in terms of guys who haven't played a lot, but we have two guys at every position and we have speed and quickness." \nPurdue Boilermakers:\nHead coach: Gene Keady, 21st season\nLast year: 24-10; 12-4 (third) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 21 (1996)\nKey returnees: Senior Carson Cunningham, g; junior Maynard Lewis, g; junior Rodney Smith, f\nKey losses: Brian Cardinal, f; Jaraan Cornell g\nThe Boilermakers are aiming for their ninth consecutive NCAA bid, but with the loss of four starters, it will not be an easy season. Purdue has strong shooters who can hit from the long range and the team will look to three incoming transfers who have played at other Division I schools. Sophomore guard Kenny Lowe, who averaged only 1.7 points per game last year, could be a starter this season. Keady said Lowe just didn't assert himself last season.\n"He could be our best player this year," Keady said. "The people in the bleachers are going to be very proud of him."\nKeady said he'll miss playing against former coach Bob Knight.\n"I'll miss the challenge of playing him, of preparing for that game," Keady said. "He has good ideas about how to play the game of basketball. Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana will be difficult because you have to start from scratch. But until you go out and win and establish yourself, it's hard to say." \nWisconsin Badgers:\nHead coach: Dick Bennett, sixth season\nLast year: 24-14; 8-8 (sixth) Big Ten\nBig Ten Championships (last): 14 (1947)\nKey returnees: Senior Mike Kelley, g; senior Mark Vershaw, f; senior Andy Kowske, f\nKey losses: Jon Bryant, g; Duany Duany, g\nWisconsin's run to the Final Four last year wasn't luck. It was a product of tough defense and precise offense. The Badgers return four starters from last year's team which finished sixth in the conference. Head coach Dick Bennett would like to improve upon his team's finish in the conference.\n"You obviously have to win close games and you have to avoid losing at home when it appears you have the upper hand," Bennett said. "I think if you do those things you can succeed, but as I look through the rosters, the league will be the best it's been since I've been in the league"
