Oct. 2
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has to be excited about the upcoming basketball season. His conference will be wide open and will feature excitement galore. What a race it'll be, since there are no clear-cut favorites.

I know some people feel Michigan State is the team to beat, with the addition of diaper dandy Paul Davis. The Spartans should have a solid team, and if Marcus Taylor had stayed, coach Tom Izzo's Spartans would have been the clear-cut choice.

	Wisconsin sharpshooter Kirk Penney averaged 16.9 ppg for New Zealand at the 2002 World Championship.

Indiana lost Jared Jeffries to the NBA but returns several outstanding perimeter players -- including senior Tom Coverdale and junior A.J. Moye -- from its Final Four team. Coach Mike Davis will have the Hoosiers ready for another strong campaign.

Ohio State has to be considered. Talk about a coach who has done a phenomenal job but hasn't received the national publicity he deserves -- Jim O'Brien is the guy. All he did was tie for the Big Ten regular-season title and win the postseason conference tournament. He did it with strong perimeter play, and that should be the case again this season. The Buckeyes also can do damage on the interior with 6-foot-9 sophomore Terence Dials.

Minnesota should be a solid team, with 6-10 forward Rick Rickert ready to star as a super soph. If coach Dan Monson gets quality guard play, watch out. Michigan will be improved under coach Tommy Amaker, as 6-7 senior forward LaVell Blanchard and 6-6 junior Bernard Robinson Jr. return.

Purdue will bounce back, with senior guard Willie Deane returning to West Lafayette after pulling out of the NBA draft. The Boilermakers don't want to finish below .500 again. Illinois has plenty of young talent, and 6-10 senior forward Brian Cook can be tough to stop inside. Don't count coach Bill Self's Illini out. And coach Steve Alford's Iowa Hawkeyes are always competitive.

Now let's look at the dangerous team: underrated Wisconsin. Coach Bo Ryan's Badgers return a nucleus that tied for the Big Ten regular-season crown (with Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State -- all were 11-5 in conference last season).

The Badgers play with great discipline and demonstrate excellent shot selection. Six-foot-5 senior guard Kirk Penney has added experience after playing for New Zealand in the World Championship in Indianapolis. Penney can flat-out shoot the rock. By the way, New Zealand finished fourth in the World Championship, while the United States finished sixth (its worst finish ever).

Watch out for super soph guard Devin Harris, who started every game as a diaper dandy and averaged more than 12 points per game. Another guard, junior Freddie Owens, stepped up last season, averaging better than eight points per game off the bench. Expect more from him this season. The Badgers also enjoyed a solid recruiting class.

Ryan has done a great job with the Wisconsin program. The Badgers play solid defense and will be tough to beat, especially at home. It's going to be a big, big year in the Big Ten, baby!