MEN'S BIG TEN

It seems as if every year the predicted finish for the Big Ten season comes out, the Michigan State Spartans are near the top. This year is no different as the Spartans were picked by the coaches and the media to be champions this year.\nSome teams would feel the additional pressure that comes with the preseason distinction. But not MSU and junior guard Chris Hill. He said the Spartans are used to this by now.\n"We are honored to be in that position, but at the same time, we've been there before," Hill said. "We understand that if the media and coaches pick us preseason to win a Big Ten title, it has nothing to do with how you do on the court."\nHill was the Spartans leading scorer last year at 13.7 points per game. In addition to Hill on the perimeter, MSU will have a strong presence in the post.\nSophomore center Paul Davis returns to the Spartans after an impressive summer. He played on the USA Basketball Junior Wolrd Champion Team. He led that team in scoring with 17.1 ppg and had 8.7 rebounds per game.\nWhile Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said he was happy to be in the position, he doesn't think the road will be an easy one. He said that any team could finish near the top.\nOne of those teams could be Illinois, who is loaded with young talent. The Fighting Illini have just one senior and three juniors. Illinois will be lead by the backcourt duo of sophomores Dee Brown and Deron Williams. \nAt the helm will be first-year coach Bruce Weber, who was an assistant at Purdue for 18 years under Gene Keady. Weber said he is amazed at the attention that is given to Illinois basketball.\n"I saw coach Keady have great success and become an ambassador for the university," Weber said. "But in (Indiana), you have to share it with the Hoosiers of course and even Notre Dame in the top of the state.\n"But in Illinois, everything is based on Illinois basketball, and I'm just amazed from the number of beat writers that cover us, to the Internet, to the fans. It's been overwhelming at times."\nAnd while it seems as if the Spartans are always picked at the top of the conference, Wisconsin is usually picked in the middle. But for the past two seasons, coach Bo Ryan's Badgers have won at least a share of the regular season title.\nLast year, the team won it outright with a 12-4 record. Junior guard Devin Harris was named the preseason player of the year by the coaches. He will look to lead the team now that Kirk Penny is gone. And with three additional returning starters, the Badgers are looking to defend their title.\n"What it says is that (the media and coaches) feel there's enough experience to make a run," Ryan said. "This is my third year. In the past two years, I've seen the teams they've picked to win the conference championship, and I've seen the teams that were left out. So I never get too excited one way or too dejected in the other way because it still has to be played on the courts."\n-- Contact sports editor Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.