Mr. Wilson's B1G All Conference Team

 We are coming off of one of the most interesting, intense, and fun B1G regular seasons in recent memory. There were many great individual performers throughout the conference. As we turn our attention to the B1G Conference Tourney in Chicago, and with March Madness fast approaching, here are my picks for the All-B1G Conference 1st team.

Victor Oladipo- Oladipo has been the best player on the regular season champion Indiana Hoosiers. He also is my pick for the B1G Player of the Year. During conference games he averaged 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. On top of that, playing as a guard he led the conference in field goal percentage at 57 percent. He came up huge in all of Indiana's biggest games. Including this road win against Michigan State.. The Hoosiers have a great chance to win the National Championship, and if they do, expect Oladipo to lead them to it. 

Trey Burke- The Michigan Wolverines were a minute away from clinching a share of the B1G title. A lot of people will remember the final free throw that Burke missed, but that does not discount the work that he did all season. Without him, the Wolverines would not have been in that position. He led the conference in scoring and assists with averages of 20.2, and 6.4 respectively. He showed a great command of trying to make others around him better, but being able to take over a game when need be. This was on display at Purdue. Some Wolverine fans do not like to hear this, but the Wolverines will go as far as Burke takes them during the month of March. 

DeShaun Thomas- DeShaun Thomas is the forgotten man on Ohio State. The media loves Aaron Craft, and let them tell it, he's the only player on the court for the Buckeyes. Even searching Youtube for a video with Thomas, all I got was Aaron Craft videos. Despite that fact, Thomas was second in the conference in scoring at 19.7. He also got 5.6 rebounds per game. The Buckeyes are a balanced team, that could cause trouble for teams come tournament time. Even though the name you will hear the most is Craft, beware of Thomas, who is a scorer who can put in buckets from all over the floor. 

Cody Zeller- Coming into the season, Zeller was the odds on favorite to win the B1G Player Of The Year. He played to those expectations, it just happened to be a year where his Hoosier teammate Oladipo, and Burke became the conference poster boys. Zeller was third in the conference in scoring, and second in rebounding with averages of 17.1 and 8.2. He showed up with a monster game in the biggest one of the season at Michigan to win the outright B1G regular season championship. Zeller is another key cog in what could be a special season for the Hoosiers. 

Adreian Payne- This last spot was one that could have went to many players. Trevor Mbawke of Minnesota, the aforementioned Aaron Craft, and Jared Berggren of Wisconsin were all worthy candidates. However, I am giving my last spot to the most consistent Michigan State Spartan, Adreian Payne. Payne finally showed Spartan fans the talent that he has teased them with for two years. With averages of 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1 block, he was a big part in the Spartans having a shot at the conference title. They will need him to stay aggressive, and active as they head into the tournament. 

Well, there you have my All-Conference picks for the B1G. I would also like to salute my pick for Coach of the Year Bo Ryan of Wisconsin. Gary Harris of Michigan State who is my pick for Freshman of the Year, and Victor Oladipo who edged out Aaron Craft as my pick for Defensive Player of the Year. 

Feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you think of my picks. You can also follow me on twitter at @JimmyLWilsonJr and let me know there. 

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr., and I approve this message.

Pre-Game Key Components for Sparty

We are hours away from one of the biggest match-ups in the history of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry in any sport. Both teams are coming in ranked in the Top 10 for the first time that I can remember(or find through research) ever. The closest was the 1999 football game where UofM came in ranked #3 and the Spartans were ranked #11. This game has huge implications in the tight B1G as we head towards the end of the regular season. It is a game chocked full of interesting match-ups on the floor, and should come down to a tight finish. Here are the key components that I feel MSU needs to pull off a win.

1. Keep Appling On The Floor- In some of the Spartans' recent games Appling has spent good amount of time on the bench in foul trouble. The Spartans will have a tough time winning this game with Appling spending more time on the bench, than on the floor. They were able to stay in the game at Indiana with a great effort from Travis Trice. However, there is a possibility that he will still be out with concussion symptoms. Denzel Valentine has done an admirable job when he's filled in, but the offense still tends to bog down with Appling not on the floor. So, Appling has to do a great job of trying to contain Trey Burke without getting into foul trouble. That will be a tall task, but as a junior, and co-captain, he has to figure out how to accomplish that.

2. From the Inside Out- This is a very simple concept that has been around since Dr. James Naismith put that peach basket up for the first time in Kansas. The game of basketball functions a lot easier in the half-court when you can work from the inside out. For MSU, that means early, and heavy doses of Adreian Payne, and Derrick Nix.

Payne is starting to show the game of a guy that could be an NBA player for a long time. He is posting strong, and making aggressive moves around the basket. The Spartans need to look to him early, and try to exploit the Wolverines down low. Nix has been a frustrating player to watch during his time at MSU. However, these last few games, he has been getting buckets at a decent clip. He has an array of post moves that are tough to guard one on one. Looking to him and Payne early will open up things on the perimeter for Appling, and Gary Harris. This will be very key for the Spartans in this game.

3. Defending the Three- The Spartans have been pretty inconsistent defensively against the three-pointer. Teams have been getting a lot of good looks from behind the arc. That can not happen against the Wolverines. They are a team that whether they want to acknowledge or not, live and die by the three. Tim Hardaway is shooting 10-17 in his last three games from there. Nik Stauskas is a shooter that you do not want to leave open, and Trey Burke can bury them as well. The Spartans have to close-out strong on the shooters early, and not let them set. Allowing any of these guys to get going could be a recipe for disaster.

4. Keep The Crowd In It- As stated earlier, this is the biggest game between these two that I can remember. The crowd at the Breslin will be ready to go at around 9 A.M. The Spartans have to capitalize and feed off that energy. A good, aggressive start will do just that. As talented as the Wolverines are, they are still a young team, and have shown that they have difficulty on the road. Quality play by the Spartans should keep the crowd involved, and have the Wolverines on their heels.

So, there you have my key components for a Spartan victory. This game has all the ingredients to be a close affair from start to finish. It is my belief that the home court advantage, and edge in experience will lead the Spartans to victory. For fun, I'll throw out a score of 77-73. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree. Feedback is always welcomed.

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson Jr., and I approve this message. 

Follow me on Twitter @JimmyLWilsonJr