Sunday’s episode of The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2012 was BTN’s highest-rated original program, according to Nielsen metered market data. The Emmy-nominated series following the Purdue – Indiana men’s basketball game earned a 1.16 household rating in the network’s eight metered markets.*

In another edition of my daily links, I suggest five top stories worth a read plus a handful of others, too. But before I get to my usual breakdown, Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News and a frequent guest on BTN TV rolled out his publication’s All-American team and there are two familiar names on the first team and another one on the All-Freshman team. Read his piece here and see the list of teams here.

BTN analyst Gerry DiNardo sits down with new Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien on tonight’s “Big Ten Football Report” at 7:30 p.m. ET. Watch a preview of the interview now and catch part one of their conversation about being the head coach of the Nittany Lions. Also, look back at the day O’Brien was hired and see the video of his first press conference as Penn State’s new head coach. Previously, DiNardo has interviewed Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Michigan’s Al Borges, and Illinois’ Tim Beckman.

BTN announced the 2011-12 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Teams live on Monday night. Michigan State star Draymond Green was the only unanimous first-team player and also won Player of the Year from the coaches and the media, while Green’s coach, Tom Izzo, claimed both Coach of the Year honors. As for the highly debated Freshman of the Year laurel, Trey Burke (media) and Cody Zeller (coaches) were both selected. Let the debate continue!

Now that the Big Ten regular season has come to a close, it’s time to release my latest Big Ten men’s hoops power rankings. The rankings are not meant to mimic the Big Ten standings. What fun would that be? They aren’t scientific, either. They’re simply my thoughts on where each Big Ten team stands right now and who would win on a neutral court. Agree? Disagree? Tweet @BTNBrentYarina or leave your comments below. Also, did you see my top 10 Big Ten plays from the past week? Watch them and vote for your top play. The latest national polls are out, as well.