Any way you define it, Ohio State’s Sam Thompson is an athlete. In fact, Ohio State head coach Thad Matta has been quoted as saying the freshman is the most athletic player he’s ever coached. Thompson hasn’t had many opportunities to showcase his talents in the Buckeyes’ first nine games, but he more than made up for it Wednesday night. In an easy win over South Carolina-Upstate, Thompson started things off by coming from behind and swatting a would-be breakaway layup. After that, he put on a dunk contest, prompting Jim Jackson to say: “He’s a highlight package waiting to happen.” Watch the block now and see his dunking ability inside.

Jared Sullinger returned from back spasms Wednesday night, but it was freshman Sam Thompson and other role players who propelled No. 2 Ohio State to a comfortable victory over South Carolina-Upstate (recap) at Value City Arena. Find halftime and final recap stories from the victory in this post. Oh, and watch the highlights from Ohio State’s win now.

Fans love to debate it: What were the best bowl games in my school’s history? Well, with the postseason on our doorstep, here are my picks for the top three postseason efforts for the 10 Big Ten schools in action this season. Let the debate begin. You can bet there are a lot of Rose Bowl games listed in this post. What makes The Grandaddy of Them All so special? Watch now as BTN host Mike Hall gives you a brief history of the popular bowl.

It’s the Holiday season, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a Christmas song or two to get you feeling all festive? A cast of Illinois athletes might change your view on Christmas music. In a recent IlliniProductionHD YouTube video, quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, breakout basketball player Meyers Leonard and a group of other Illini combine to sing Jingle Bells. Watch and hear their rendition in this post. So, what do you think?

It’s another light week for college basketball with many students enduring finals, and the Big Ten is no different. Still, we got a few interesting games last night that are worth discussing, plus the quiet period provides us a nice chance to catch up on some individual player stats. Let’s jump right in.