Big Ten Tournament Preview
By Great Lakes Sports
Welcome t o another exciting Conference Tournament this year. We here at Great Lakes Sports will give you a preview of the contenders in the Big Ten Conference Tournament and Great Lakes Sports would like to wish you good luck this upcoming conference tournament season.
Big Ten Contenders:
Ohio State - Going into the Big Ten Tournament the Ohio State Buckeyes are heating up at just the right time as they have won ten out of their last eleven games. The Buckeyes are the number one seed, even though the have to share the Big Ten Title with Purdue, and Michigan State. All three teams were 14-4 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes are led by 6 ' 7 Senior Guard Evan Turner 19.5ppg and many experts, including Great Lakes Sports, look for Evan Turner to become this season's College basketball Player of the Year. We look for the leadership of Turner and the production by Lighty, Buford and Diebler to carry the Big Ten tournament Championship.
Wisconsin - The Wisconsin Badgers are on a nice run, winning four straight, including a very impressive 72-57 win at Illinois in the Badgers ' last game of the regular season. The Badgers are loaded with experience as they have eight upperclassmen on this year ' s squad. They are led by 6 ' 0 sharp-shooting Senior Guard Trevon Hughes (15.4ppg). A big part of Wisconsin ' s success has been their tenuous defense, holding their opponents to only 56.1 points per game. We look for the Badgers to go deep into the Big Ten tournament, as we see the Wisconsin Badgers the number two team in the Big Ten tournament this year.
Purdue - The Purdue Boilermakers took a big hit last week when they lost a huge part of their offense as 6 ' 8 Junior Forward Robbie Hummel 15.7ppg was lost for the rest of the season with a knee Injury. The Boilermakers also won a share of the Big Ten Title and will need other players to step up in Hummel ' s absent. We look for the lack of depth to be too much for the Purdue Boilermakers to handle in this rugged Big Ten tournament. We here at Great Lakes Sports look for the Purdue Boilermakers to make it to the Big Ten semifinals and we will call for the Purdue Boilermakers to be the third best team in the Big Ten tournament this season.
Michigan State. - The Michigan State Spartans also won a share of the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans are 5-1 in their last six Big Ten encounters, after snapping a three game losing streak for Head Coach Tom Izzo's squad. The Michigan State Spartans are led by 6 ' 0 Junior Guard Kalin Lucas (14.3ppg). Experience will not be a factor for the Spartans in the Big Ten tournament as they have nine upperclassmen. We look for inconsistency in the paint to be the Spartans Achilles Heel and we will call for the Michigan State Spartans to be the fourth best team in this year Big Ten tournament.
BIG 10 Tournament Preview
By Marc Lawrence
PROJECTED FINAL FOUR:
Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue
THE WAY WE SEE IT:
With five returning starters and conference MVP Evan Turner hitting on cylinders, OHIO STATE appears poised to improve on last year's runner-up finish. Led by a smothering defense that has allowed an average of 60.5 PPG in this tourney over the last five years, the Buckeyes have brought home in the cash in six of their last seven tourney appearances. Thad Matta's bunch also comes armed with the nation's 5th-rated Offensive Field Goal Percentage (49.5). Keep in mind that the No. 1 seed has made it to the finals (3-2 SU and ATS) in five of the last six years. When you talk about defense, usually the conversation starts with MICHIGAN STATE. And Tom Izzo's Spartans haven't disappointed, allowing a meager 59.9 PPG in the 12-year history of this event. The nation's third-rated team on the boards (+9.7 RPG) will once again bring the ‘D' as they look to "rebound" from a 2nd-round KO last year as the top-seed. Don't' forget about their stellar 8-1 ATS mark as dogs of more than 2 points in this tourney (see more below). WISCONSIN will also be looking to make amends for their quick cameo last year but this quirky stat keeps us at bay: the Badgers have been favored in 12 of their last 18 conference tourney games. The six times they were taking points? How about 1-5 ATS? Last year's champ, PURDUE, appeared ready to defend their crown behind five returning starters but the loss of leading scorer Robbie Hummel may be too much to overcome. Until they beat the Buckeyes in last year's title game, the Boilermakers were just 2-11 SU and 3-10 ATS in their previous 13 tourney tilts.
THE SLEEPER: Illinois
The Illini bring strong Big 10 tourney history (22-10 SU) and solid current form to the table, thus making them a desirable commodity. One the few teams in college basketball to have performed equally or better in conference competition than outside this season, Illinois was 5-4 SU and 6-3 ATS in Big 10 games away from Champaign this season.
KEY TOURNAMENT BEST BET: Play On Michigan State (+) vs Ohio State
Tom Izzo needs no pat on the back when it comes to the postseason, where he is 46-23 SU and 40-28-1 ATS in his career. Inside those numbers, the Izz is 31-11-1 ATS when facing a foe off a SU and ATS win and 7-2 ATS when seeking revenge. The Buckeyes sent him packing from this event last year and beat them in the only regular season meeting this year. Remember this: the Spartans are 20-5 SU and ATS this decade when playing with same-season conference revenge!