Amateur Status College Basketball Big Ten Preview

The Big Ten basketball conference takes all types of heat for being boring, sloppy, and a hack fest. The truth is that in a country that is affixed with the high flying exploits of Lebron James and the rest of the NBA, people can't appreciate the type of basketball that is played in the midwest. The scrappy defense, meticulous offensive sets, and the all out wars that take place in the paint may not be fun to watch, but it is beautiful in its own way. Not to mention that it is very successful in the NCAA Tournament. You wouldn't confuse Michigan St. and Purdue with the Showtime Lakers, but they are two of the best teams in the country. Big Ten basketball is ugly, but expect several teams from this conference to get the job done in March. 
 
Big Ten Rankings
1. Michigan St. Spartans
2. Purdue Boilermakers
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Ohio St. Buckeyes
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers
6. Wisconsin Badgers
7. Northwestern Wildcats
8. Illinois Fighting Illini
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
10. Indiana Hoosiers
11. Iowa Hawkeyes

All-Big Ten Team 
G - Manny Harris (Michigan)
F - DeShawn Sims (Michigan)
G - Kalin Lucas (Michigan State)
F - Kevin Coble (Northwestern)
G/F - Evan Turner (Ohio State)
G - Talor Battle (Penn State)
F - Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
C - JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
G - E'Twaun Moore (Purdue)
G - Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin)

All-Big Ten Rookie Team
F - Christian Watford (Indiana)
G - Darius Morris (Michigan)
C - Derrick Nix (Michigan State)
G - Alex Marcotullio (Northwestern)
G - Maurice Creek (Indiana)
G - DJ Richardson (Illinois)