Everybody loves Bracey Wright and Dee Brown. People fawn over the potential of Paul Davi, Greg Brunner and Daniel Horton. Yes, just-out-of-the-oven freshmen are certainly hip in college hoops. It's the case nationally, just as it is in the Big Ten.

But what about the sophomores? They seem to be as popular as that unwanted fruitcake that the dude a couple of desks down is willing to share with anyone who has a pulse.

	Rick Rickert's early numbers may be down, but he's still the only reason Minnesota is a legit NCAA Tournament team.

The thing is those ignored sophomores are going to play a huge role when Big Ten play begins in less than two weeks.

Is Minnesota going to be an upper-division contender? Forward Rick Rickert will determine much of that.

What about Michigan State? Are the Spartans a team that can win the title? If they are, guard Chris Hill will be much of the reason why.

Throw in Brandon Fuss-Cheatham at Ohio State, Spartans Alan Anderson and Kelvin Torbert, and Wisconsin's Devin Harris, and there's reason to believe the forgotten class is pretty important.

No place in the Big Ten is that more the case than at Minnesota.

Rickert's current stat line of 13.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game may not look all that impressive. It's certainly good, but not what might have been expected out of the Big Ten's co-preseason player of the year. After all, his scoring total ranks third on his Gophers team and 18th in the Big Ten.

Cruise the internet long enough and you'll find Gophers fans disappointed in the multi-talented Rickert, claiming that he hasn't shown any improvement. Never mind that Rickert's arrival in Minneapolis instead of Tucson, Ariz., allowed the Gophers to take a big step forward. Had he not chosen to play at Minnesota (6-2), the Gophers wouldn't be a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender.

Judging Rickert's early-season performance by sheer numbers doesn't tell the whole story. After missing the Gophers victory over Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 6) because of flu-like symptoms, Rickert tried to play less than 48 hours later at Nebraska despite still being extremely ill. The result was Rickert going scoreless for the first time in his career in just 17 minutes of action.

In a blowout victory over Fairleigh Dickenson two games later, Rickert played only 20 minutes, took only five shots and scored five points. In a game that Gophers coach Dan Monson went deep into his bench, Rickert simply wasn't needed.

Take those two games out of the equation and Rickert is averaging 17.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He scored 17 points, including the game-winning basket, against Georgia Tech. He saved the Gophers from an upset against Arkansas-Little Rock by scoring 25 points and taking over in the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime.

The only truly poor performance was in Sunday's loss at Oregon. Rickert got himself in early foul trouble and was limited to 16 minutes and eight points.

Rickert certainly attracts more attention than he did a year ago from opposing defenses. Instead of being selectively double-teammed, Rickert is facing doubles from almost the opening tip and teams are focussing their defenses on him. He certainly has the attention of the Big Ten coaches.

"You've got to guard him on every single possession," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "He's got range, he's got length. He's not a good shooter, he's a great shooter. He's got the up-and-under move and the dipsy-doos. I think he's really complete, he's a pro."

While being ineffective against Nebraska and getting in foul trouble against the Ducks has been frustrating for the 6-10 Rickert, he feels more comfortable than as a freshman.

"I'm more relaxed, more poised when I'm trying to get things done," Rickert said. "I wouldn't let the game come to me last year. I feel like I forced things. I've gotten a lot better about that."

He's also added some size and strength to his frame, something that should help him when Big Ten play starts.

Rickert isn't alone in having to do a lot of work this year.

Michigan State's Hill certainly knows how Rickert's feeling.

Last season, Hill was the surprise freshman for Tom Izzo's team. This season he has to be a leader. With the not-so-wise departure for the NBA of point guard Marcus Taylor, Hill has to be both a scorer and a point guard for the Spartans.

For the most part, Hill has taken to the job. Despite not having a point guard to set him up for shots, he is averaging 16.3 points per game and had a key 22-point performance in the Spartans victory over Virginia.

While point guard isn't his natural position, Hill is also averaging 4.6 assists per game. He's also extremely poised and makes good decisions.

Maybe they're not freshmen, but that's all right.

Games of the Week

Texas Tech at Minnesota Saturday The game is first at a Big Ten school for Red Raiders coach Bob Knight since leaving Indiana. That said, the game is also important as both teams could use a quality non-conference victory. Illinois at Memphis Saturday An Illinois victory here means the Illini should enter conference play undefeated -- something that wouldn't have been predicted a month ago. Indiana at Temple Saturday Will Mike Davis be on the sidelines? Will the Hoosiers be able to bounce back from Saturday's loss to Kentucky? Will Temple's matchup zone cause problems? Oklahoma vs. Mississippi St. at New Orleans, Saturday The Bulldogs' Mario Austin ripped apart Xavier and now he has another ranked team to face. The game will be a test for the Sooners young big men.

Speaking of Sophomores
All T.J. Ford did last season was lead the nation in assists as a freshman. That's about as good as it gets for a point guard.

OK, so Ford hasn't dropped quite as many dimes this season -- he's averaging 8.2 assists over nine game after averaging an even 9.0 per game last season. But he's a better player. He's certainly more dangerous.

After being dared to shoot at times last season, Ford is averaging three more points per game while nearly doubling his 3-point shooting percentage. Added strength has made Ford more difficult for opponents to knock around.

He didn't have a dominant performance in the Longhorns' loss at Arizona, but Ford is still as good of a point guard as there is in the country.

At Kansas, meanwhile, point guard Aaron Miles returns for his sophomore season. Like the Jayhawks, the Portland, Ore., native has been up-and-down. Early in the season, he was among the Kansas guards who struggled to defend on the perimeter. He also needed to adjust to the graduation of dead-eye shooter Jeff Boschee.

Miles, however, has been better of late. In the last three games -- victories over Tulsa, Emporia State and UCLA -- Miles has averaged nearly a double-double. He's scored 29 points in that stretch while dishing out 30 assists.

His shooting has also improved. After going a combined 5-for-29 in Kansas' losses to North Carolina, Florida and Oregon, Miles has made 8 of his last 14 field goal attempts while also getting to the free throw line more often.

In the Big 12, there's no sophomore who has improved more than Colorado big man David Harrison. After dropping weight, Harrison runs the floor better and has been a bigger factor this season. The 7-footer is averaging 18 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

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