Basketball critics everywhere have been criticizing the Big Ten this season. No team can consistently win on the road, there is no powerhouse squad who looks to contend for the national championship, and in all, the Big Ten is an uninteresting, lackluster conference.
But everyone can agree on one thing, that the Big Ten holds some of the most talented freshmen ballers in the nation. Almost half of the schools in the conference have a freshman player who looks to be a superstar in the league for years to come. From the lowly Northwestern Wildcats to the Wisconsin Badgers, the freshmen on these squads have thus far had no trouble making the grade.
The Badgers feature promising freshman guard Alando Tucker.?? Tucker broke into the starting line-up on the Badgers squad and is averaging 12.5 points per game with 5.9 rebounds off the glass. His emergence at forward is a key reason to the Badgers' success this season.
Not to be outdone, though, is Illinois' freshman point guard Dee Brown. Labeled a rebuilding year for the Illini because of the lack of senior leadership, Brown has matured and adapted to the college game with significant ease and has the Illini in the hunt for consecutive Big Ten titles. Who needs to rebuild, when Brown is averaging 11.2 points per game with 4.8 assists per game to complement his scoring'
While the Illini were supposed to rebuild because of their youth, Indiana was only supposed to get better. Last year's Final Four Hoosiers added freshman phenom guard Bracey Wright to their arsenal this season, and what a weapon he has been. Averaging 17.0 points per game, Wright could easily be mistaken for a junior because of his court presence and composure.??As of late, a back injury has sidelined Wright, and as Wright's back suffers, so has Indiana's record.
One of the bigger stories in the Big Ten this season is Michigan's surprising emergence as a top team in the Big Ten. Perhaps the key reason for the Wolverines' achievements this season is the consistent play of freshman guard Daniel Horton. Horton has averaged 15.9 points per game and 4.4 assists.??
Also with much promise are freshman guards Iowa Jeff Horner of Iowa and T.J. Parker from Northwestern. Although the Hawkeyes have played haphazard, mediocre basketball for much of the year, Horner's play still stands out.?? This sensational guard is second in assists in the Big Ten, averaging 4.9 per game. Horner will play a big role in solving the Hawkeye woes for the next few years.??
Just as important will be the play of Northwestern's T.J. Parker. For once the traditionally lousy, pathetic Wildcats appear to have something to cheer about as Parker has averaged 11.5 points per game and has led the Wildcats to upset victories over Indiana and Purdue this season.
Former Marquette coach Al McGuire once said, \The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.""
Keeping McGuire's wisdom in mind, one can only imagine how well these freshman phenoms will play as experienced sophomores next year.
