Photo. Michigan State University

Last year (Dime #28) we debuted the “Player’s Ball” college hoops preview, where we went to some of the NCAA’s best players and had them preview their own conferences. This year we did it again (Dime #37), but since we didn’t have room in the mag for some of the mid-majors, we’re dropping them on DimeMag.com along with the big boys. Today, Michigan State PG Drew Neitzel breaks down the Big Ten:

THE EXPERT: Drew Neitzel, Michigan State, Sr., PG
Anyone who watched the Spartans last year saw Neitzel carrying the team on his back. Even though he was often the smallest guy on the court, the 6-0 lefty put up 18.1 points and 4.3 assists per game and hit more than a few clutch shots, leading MSU to a surprise NCAA Tournament berth. This year Neitzel has more talent around him, and with significant personnel losses at Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Wisconsin, Neitzel’s squad is now a favorite to contend in a wide-open conference.

EXPERT OPINION: “Last year we were young and didn’t have any seniors on the team, and we still exceeded people’s expectations. No one thought we were gonna make the Tournament. We laid the groundwork last year — now we’ve got the whole starting five back and everyone else returning, and a great cast of freshmen. Durrell Summers (SG/SF, Fr.), Chris Allen (SG, Fr.) and Kalin Lucas (PG, Fr.) are all gonna see a good amount of time this year. Kalin is super-quick. He’ll do a good job running the point. Chris Allen’s shot is outstanding; he’s one of the best shooters I’ve seen coming out of high school. Durrell is a great athlete who rebounds and runs the court and brings some athleticism to the perimeter. The thing about our team this year is we’re gonna be so deep. Raymar Morgan (SF, 11.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) had a great freshman season. He’s gonna have an impact year. Travis Walton’s (G, 6.4 ppg, 5.5 apg) shot has improved and his ball-handling has gotten better. Really every player on our team has made significant strides, especially our big guys.

“The Big Ten is gonna be interesting. Wisconsin lost Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor, who were big influences on their team. So you wonder who’s gonna be their main guy now, whether it’s Brian Butch (C, 8.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) on the inside or Michael Flowers (SG, 7.2 ppg, 1.6 spg) on the perimeter. Ohio State had that great cast of freshmen come in, but now they’re all gone. I heard their new freshman big man, Kosta Koufos, is a great player. Jamar Butler (PG, 8.5 ppg, 3.6 apg) is coming back, and so are David Lighty (SG, So.) and Othello Hunter (PF, 5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) on the inside. I think Indiana is gonna be right there at the top. They lost a few guys but have the majority of the team coming back. D.J. White (PF, 13.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg) is a great, great inside player who’s gonna give teams a lot of problems. They have the freshman, Eric Gordon (PG/SG), and A.J. Ratliff (SG, 9.3 ppg).

“Illinois is always tough. When you play them you know it’s gonna be a dog fight because that’s how Coach (Bruce) Weber coaches. They play hard and run their stuff well. With Shaun Pruitt (C, 11.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) on the inside, Brian Randle (SF, 7.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) on the wing and Chester Frazier (PG, 7.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.5 spg) on the point, they’re a tough team to play against. Purdue is the same way – they always play hard and it’s always gonna be a dog fight. Penn State has a lot of talent with Geary Claxton (SG/SF, 16.3 ppg, 8 rpg) and Jamelle Cornley (SF, 13.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) so they could be dangerous. Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota all got new coaching staffs, so you don’t really know what to expect. Northwestern is a tough team to prepare for because they run that Princeton offense.

“Some teams in the conference are going to be young and inexperienced, but for the most part, any team that plays hard and plays solid defense has a chance.”

Player’s Ball archive
11/9 – WAC (Jaycee Carroll, Utah State)
11/8 – SEC (Ronald Steele, Alabama)
11/7 – Missouri Valley (Daniel Ruffin & Jeremy Crouch, Bradley)
11/6 – ACC (DeMarcus Nelson, Duke)
11/5 – Mountain West (Brandon Ewing, Wyoming)
11/2 – Big 12 (A.J. Abrams, Texas)