Nick Collison and Alando Tucker. Kirk Hinrich and Bracey Wright. T.J. Ford and Dee Brown. Hollis Price and Daniel Horton.
At first glance these combinations may seem like nothing more than jumbled names from two of college basketball's power conferences--the Big 12 and Big Ten. However, upon closer examination, one cannot ignore the resemblance between the two situations that surround these athletes.
Three years ago the names of Collison, Hinrich, Ford and Price were well known throughout Big 12 country as four of the premiere freshmen in the land, but no one (despite Dick Vitale's claims) could have predicted just how dominant the Big 12 freshman class of 2000 would become. Indeed it is astonishing to think that all four of these names will receive votes for player of the year, and if justice is served, one of them will take that award with them to the next level.
Three years ago, the Big 12 also suffered one of their worst performances in NCAA Tournament history when the conference saw only two of its seven representatives advance past the second round, with none of them reaching the Final Four. Meanwhile, another conference (the Big Ten) was enjoying one of its more impressive tournament runs with two teams in the Final Four, including the National Champion Michigan State Spartans.
It was a season in which the talk concerning the Big 12 was that the conference was having a \down"" year far from the top conference in the nation.
It might be me, but this should certainly sound familiar to Big Ten fans around the country.
And yes, this year the Big Ten may experience results in the NCAA Tournament similar to the struggles that the Big 12 endured in 2000. However, just as there was hope for Big 12 fans in 2000 that things would be restored to the way they once were, so too is the situation with the loyal followers of the Big Ten.
The four Big Ten freshmen-- Tucker, Wright, Brown and Horton-- have already made their mark throughout the conference and are eagerly waiting to take the nation by storm, just as the 2000 Big 12 freshman class was able to do.
I know it is difficult to speculate about the possibility that the names of Tucker, Wright, Brown and Horton will become household names throughout the nation the way that Collison, Hinrich, Ford and Price have, but with the way these freshmen have played, it seems as though the possibilities are endless.
Whether a Big Ten representative surprises a few people in the NCAA Tournament, the fact still remains that whether or not these freshmen carry their teams this postseason, the time will come when the Big Ten is standing on top of the basketball world once again.
