Northwestern

Wednesday night doesn't lack for appealing matchups on the hardwood, with one of the best rivalries in the Big East last decade sharing the stage with key games in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 ad Mountain West. Connecticut, who can use a "big" win this season, hosts a resurgent Pittsburgh squad that is one of two Big East teams still undefeated in conference play. Ashton Gibbs has stepped up in recent weeks and the return of Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon has given Jamie Dixon's team more depth on the perimeter.

Another year in the books, and thankfully conference play is finally here.  After all the preseason tournaments, marquee matchups, and guarantee games played in the last two months, these teams have seemingly come out of nowhere to become the early season surprises so far.

 

 

William & Mary

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern head men's basketball coach Bill Carmody announced the signing of JerShon Cobb (Decatur, Ga./Columbia) to a National Letter of Intent.

"JerShon will be a welcome addition to our program," Carmody said. "With his versatility and ability to score, I think JerShon is capable of stepping in and helping us right away. He is a highly ranked recruit who comes from a region that produces some of the top basketball talent in the country."

With six teams in CHN's preseason Top 25, and 3 more teams with NCAA Tournament hopes, no league has more depth than the Big Ten. And an improving Indiana into the mix, and this should be quite a season for Big Ten fans.

 

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern senior guard/forward Jeff Ryan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Wildcats' season-opening contest against Northern Illinois Friday night and will miss the remainder of the 2009-10 season.

Ryan is expected to undergo surgery to repair the knee in the coming weeks.

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

 

BIG TEN 5-YEAR STANDINGS

 

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Big Ten over the last five years?

 

 

Illinois

Michigan

Michigan State

Minnesota

Ohio State

Purdue

Wisconsin

Other (Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State)