Jon Malavolti
The Big Ten is loaded with talented teams and super sophomores. Seven to eight teams should be dancing come March but might not fare well after a bruising conference schedule in January and February. The Spartans' plethora of talent will nearly overload them, but they still should manage to grab the conference crown. The Hoosiers' second-year guard Wright can score in bunches, yet head coach Mike Davis doesn't have anyone else to rely on. Because of his team's lack of talent, Wright will be putting up sick numbers, but the Hoosiers record might not be so healthy.
Brown is, to steal the immortal words out of the incredible mouth of Dick Vitale, "a diaper dandy, baby!" The McDonald's All-American is making a name for himself in East Lansing by way of the slam dunk. This popular fan-appeasing technique also was applied by former Spartans great Jason Richardson.
J. Ryan Mulcrone
The Big Ten just became a little more interesting after the first week and a half of play. MSU lost at Kansas, Ohio State lost to San Diego State in Maui and Purdue beat Duke in Alaska. The Spartans and Illinois are the class of the conference and the other teams will need to beat them to be conference champs. Last year's Big Ten winner, Wisconsin, along with Purdue and Michigan could challenge for the title. Minnesota will be counting on its sensational freshman Kris Humphries and that will land the team at the bottom of the conference with Penn State and Northwestern. Ohio State, Iowa and Indiana are the three unknown teams that get put in the middle of the pack, but any of the three could find itself in the top half of the conference at season's end. The Big Ten championship is up for grabs and MSU or Illinois should be the winner.
Paul Day
No doubt the Big Ten will be a tug of war - it always is. Push the national rankings aside, 40 minutes of all-out play is needed in this conference. Picking the Big Ten winner is a tough task, but the Spartans are arguably the most talented team in the league and have the chance to retain what used to be their annual crown. But there are many teams that lie in the Spartans' way, as Illinois and Wisconsin seem solid choices, and even Michigan and Purdue are on the verge of a conference surprise. The Wolverines - led by sophomore guard Daniel Horton - have X-factor qualities and could find themselves among the Big Ten's top three. The Spartans are one Tom Izzo motivational speech away from curing the turnover bug and junior forward Alan Anderson from adopting the team as his own en route to the Big Ten Player of the Year Award and reservations for a weekend in San Antonio.
Joe Guillen
Two weeks ago, I would have put MSU on top of my list. But the Spartans' first two games have me doubting their conference championship chances. Even though they traditionally are slow starters, the Spartans displayed an inconsistent offense and thin front line in their narrow victory against Bucknell and loss at Kansas.
Illinois guard Dee Brown is super quick and makes good decisions on offense, making him tough to stop. Along with forward James Augustine and center Nick Smith, the Fighting Illini have the talent to make a push for the Big Ten title.
Freshman Michigan guard Dion Harris is one in-state recruit MSU missed out on. The Detroit native should see significant time alongside sophomore Daniel Horton, giving the Wolverines a dangerous backcourt. MSU freshman guard Shannon Brown would give Harris a run for the conference's top freshman, but I don't see him playing enough minutes.
Patrick Walters
In a conference known for its logjammed leader board at season's end, it's surprising to see one team - MSU - as a clear favorite to take the belt outright. But what's even more surprising is that the Spartans will probably not get their title.
Most conference predictions are made before the season begins, and rightfully so. Early games against Bucknell and DePaul, though, show MSU as the same team that lowers itself to the level of its competition. Factor in a performance at Kansas that looked downright casual at times, and it equates to a team that might not have the focus to find itself with a Big Ten championship this March.
That's not to say this isn't a team capable of making a serious run in the NCAA Tournament. But until Paul Davis begins playing like MSU's most talented big man ever and Maurice Ager earns more minutes, it will take MSU a little while to warm up.
Tara Miller
MSU faces the most challenging schedule of the season, which will prepare the Spartans when the Big Ten Tournament approaches in early March. MSU faces nationally ranked Duke, Oklahoma and Syracuse and has seen the effects of a nonconference battle with the loss to Kansas.
Illinois' biggest challenge comes tonight against Maryland. Other than the Terrapins, the Fighting Illini's toughest competitor might be the Spartans. Defending Big Ten Champions Wisconsin should see its toughest competition against MSU and Maryland, while Michigan has no nonconference teams that pose a threat.
Freshman of the Year goes to Shannon Brown (MSU) and Player of the Year to Dee Brown (Illinois). Dee Brown rocked the Illini last year, earning second team All-Big Ten.
