Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: The Top Players from each team (2000-2018)

By Logan Butts

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 20: Keita Bates-Diop
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 20: Keita Bates-Diop /
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MILWAUKEE – MARCH 21: Evan Turner #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes moves the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the second round of the 2010 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Bradley Center on March 21, 2010 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE – MARCH 21: Evan Turner #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes moves the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the second round of the 2010 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Bradley Center on March 21, 2010 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Minnesota  

Starting Five: Kris Humphries, Rick Rickert, Vincent Grier, Nate Mason, Trevor Mbakwe

Bench: Reggie Lynch, Jordan Murphy, Travarus Bennett, Blake Hoffarber, Lawrence McKenzie, Andre Hollins

MVP: Probably Grier, by default.

The starting lineup was a little better than I remembered, but this is still in contention for worst group in the conference so far. But, we are about to be on a run of mostly bad programs that will make Minnesota look like a powerhouse.

Nebraska  

Starting Five: Aleks Maric, Terran Petteway, James Palmer Jr, Shavon Shields, Taj Webster

Bench: Lance Jeter, Brandon Ubell, Andrew White

MVP: In 2013-14 Pettewat led the Big Ten in scoring and Nebraska to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998.

The new clubhouse leader for worst squad. It will be tough to beat this.

Northwestern

Starting Five: John Shurna, Bryant McIntosh, Jitim Young, Kevin Coble, Vedran Vukusic

Bench: Craig Moore, Michael Thompson, Drew Crawford, Scottie Lindsey, Vic Law

MVP: Shurna is the school’s all-time leading scorer and is the only Wildcat ever to score over 2,000 points.

They are somehow deeper than Nebraska, giving them a slight edge in the worst squad rankings.

Ohio State  

Starting Five: Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner, Terence Dials, Keita Bates-Diop, Aaron Craft

Bench: Greg Oden, D’Angelo Russell, Scoonie Penn, Mike Conley, Michael Redd, Ken Johnson, Deshaun Thomas, Jamar Butler, William Buford, David Lighty, Jon Diebler, Brian Brown

MVP: There’s an argument to be made that Craft is the most college basketball player of all time, but this one has to go to the other villain, Evan Turner, who was the National Player of the Year as a junior.

I was surprised that both Oden and Russell, two players with outstanding single-year runs at Ohio State, ended up on the second team, but how do they displace anyone on that first team? Sullinger, Turner, and Craft have to be there, and Bates-Diop and Dials were conference players of the year that played more than one season in Columbus. Penn is also a college basketball legend, but he was mostly a 90s player. This team can compete with Michigan State for best in the Big Ten.

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