A big part of the league's success has been its ability to keep upperclassmen in college, such as Mateen Cleaves and Scoonie Penn.

But there has also been a remarkable influx of young talent this season, led by a foursome at Michigan which has energized the Wolverine program. Jamal Crawford is fourth in the league in scoring, LaVell Blanchard is in the top 10 in four major categories -- and both have a grand total of 32 college games under their belts.

At Michigan State, ultra-athletic Jason Richardson is learning from one of the best swingmen in the country, Morris Peterson, and should step into his shoes next season.

Frank Williams teams with Cory Bradford, last year's Big Ten freshman of the year, to form one of the most dynamic backcourts in the country. But it's not all about the perimeter for Illinois -- center Brian Cook has looked good in his time as a backup, but now he'll need to step up with Marcus Griffin out 3-6 weeks due to a knee injury.

And that's just scratching the surface. With talent like this, expect the Big Ten to retain its place in college basketball's elite.

Statistics through Monday, Jan. 25.

Player	School	Comment
LaVell Blanchard	Michigan	Mr. Steady: 15.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 52% FG
Kevin Burleson	Minnesota	9.3 ppg, 25.0 mpg
Brian Cook	Illinois	Stepping in for injured Marcus Griffin
Jamal Crawford	Michigan	Leads team at 16.9 ppg
Kevin Gaines	Michigan	Averages 4.6 rpg and 4.5 apg
Gavin Groninger	Michigan	Shooting 41 percent on 3s
Ben Johnson	Northwestern	Leads team at 12.2 ppg, 81.8% FT
Kirk Penney	Wisconsin	Started last three conference games
Jason Richardson	Michigan St.	Best dunker in college basketball
Frank Williams	Illinois	Not afraid to take the big shots