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 Sunday, January 30
Top 10 freshmen in the Big Ten
 
ESPN.com

 Sending two teams to last year's Final Four showed that the Big Ten knows its basketball.

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

 



ALSO SEE
The Weekly Word on college basketball

Midwest: Patience pays off

Freshman Watch

Statistical breakdown of top 20 freshmen

Poll results for top 10 freshmen by conference

Top 10 freshmen in the Big 12

Top 10 freshmen in the SEC

Top 10 freshmen in Conference USA

Top 10 freshmen in the Pac-10

Top 10 freshmen in the Mountain West and WAC

Top 10 freshmen in the ACC

Top 10 freshmen in the Atlantic 10

Top 10 freshmen in the Big East

Top 10 freshmen in the rest of the country



AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Jason Richardson slams home Morris Peterson's missed free throw.
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