There are 85 players on a team, but let's face it, some are more important than others. Here's a look at the most indispensable player on each team in the Big Ten Leaders Division. Likewise, the most indispensable players in the Legends Division are available here. Illinois: Linebacker Jonathan BrownLast season, Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus was obviously the biggest show in town on defense, racking up 16 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss. He's gone, but that ...

North Carolina basketball fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief—James Michael McAdoo will be back at Chapel Hill for at least another season. After taking time to consider the NBA Draft,  McAdoo announced on Thursday his plans to return.The fear of North Carolina being completely gutted for a season is finally gone.According to Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina, McAdoo had this to say in a statement released to the school: "I've had several discussions about ...

Since Bob Stoops became the head coach of the University of Oklahoma in 1999, the Big 12 conference has basically belonged to the Sooners.Stoops and Company have won seven Big 12 championships in 13 years, and while there was still a real conference championship game being played, Stoops was 7-1 with his only loss coming in 2003 to a talented Kansas State squad. However, the Sooners were still elected to play in the National Championship ...

Will this finally be the year that Florida State takes that next step?The Seminoles are returning a total of 18 starters and have goals of not only winning the ACC, but reaching the BCS National Championship. Last season was a minor disappointment as they finished with a record of 9-4. This year, they plan on taking that next step and once again joining that elite status. The first step to accomplish this will be in the spring, ...

Penn State's offense was dismal last season, for the most part.The Nittany Lions must improve when they have the ball if they want to win games in 2012.Bill O'Brien's new system should provide some fireworks, but a few question marks could prevent that from happening right away.Most people are counting Penn State's offense out right away because of last season's performance. The Nittany Lions will surprise people to a degree, but much will remain status ...

While not completely obvious, Jared Sullinger has improved by leaps and bounds this year.He is shooting 58.8 percent from the field (54.1 percent last year), including 41 percent from three-point range (25 percent last year), and making 75.9 percent from the free-throw line compared to 70.4 percent in 2010-11. As such, Ohio State has become a more complete team with Sullinger rounding out his game. His scoring is more efficient (17.1 points per game in ...

Just how much can we take away from the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys' 30-29 win over the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies? Lots.Just start with how much this game means in the national title picture. Any time two top-10 teams play, one team is going to lose and watch their championship dreams take a massive hit, while the other cements their name in the national title conversation.Obviously, Oklahoma State still has to take on ...

Just a lanky 6'6", 215-pound small forward, Shabazz Muhammad finds himself garnering attention from numerous schools heading into 2012. The nation's top 2012 recruit, Muhammad will have some difficult decisions to make regarding his future and you can be sure none of these programs will make it easy to turn them away. But, what are the realistic odds on each school landing 2012's most coveted prize?Begin Slideshow

The University of Oklahoma announced Thursday that the men's basketball program committed two major rules violations when a former assistant coach failed to report that a player had received improper benefits and lied to the university and the NCAA investigators. While former OU men's basketball coach, now Duke assistant coach, Jeff Capel has never been implicated, the violations occurred with one of his assistants and during his time as head coach. These charges are not new. There has been discussion ...

The upcoming draft is considered weak. In weak drafts a lot of mistakes are made because players do not clearly differentiate themselves from their peers. Hence Kwame Brown being taken first in 2001 because he was an athletic 7-footer fresh out of high school, or Carlos Boozer falling to the second round in the 2002 draft due to injury concerns. It's the little details that causes teams to turn their backs on a potential draftees, ...