We’re going to try something new this year. Instead of just previewing every team like we usually do, we’ll give the people what they really want—ammunition to win arguments. So for every team, we’ll have both sides of the debate covered. Today, we’ll look at what we can expect from Michigan State after it loses its leader, Draymond Green.

BTN’s Jim Jackson caught up with six Big Ten names working out at the NBA’s pre-draft combine in Chicago. Jackson talked to Jared Sullinger, William Buford, Draymond Green, Jordan Taylor, Meyers Leonard, and Robbie Hummel. If you’re running games down at the gym, that’s a pretty good first six right there.Sullinger talks about getting into NBA shape this spring while Hummel tells Jackson about his numerous workouts  and how his knees are feeling so far. Watch all of the interviews down in this post. Also, The Sporting News has a quick look at the combine here, and the NBA Draft is June 28. The draft order is set with New Orleans holding the No. 1 pick.And if you want to see the official NBA prospect profile with strengths and weakness for  each of these Big Ten players, check them out: Jared Sullinger, William Buford, Draymond Green, Jordan Taylor, Meyers Leonard, and Robbie Hummel.***************

Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor was a late addition to the NBA Combine, but he’ll join Illinois’ Meyers Leonard, Michigan State’s Draymond Green, Ohio State’s William Buford and Jared Sullinger and Purdue’s Robbie Hummel at the event June 6-8 in Chicago (see the full list of players). The combine is a great way for players to make last-minute improvements to their draft stock, and that’s exactly what these guys will try to do. The 2012 NBA Draft is June 28.

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Draymond Green were honored as the best in the nation by the National Association of Basketball Coaches on Sunday night. Green became the third Spartan to earn National Player of the Year honors as he was named NABC Division I Player of the Year, while Izzo was named UPS NABC Division I Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.

Big Ten Player of the Year Draymond Green and Jared Sullinger were named John R. Wooden All-Americans and first-team AP All-America on Monday. Green averaged 16.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg and 1 bpg, while Sullinger contributed 17.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg and 1 bpg. Both players led their teams to a share of the Big Ten crown, along with Michigan, and Sullinger has Ohio State in the Final Four. See all the teams in this post.

Ohio State was our preseason pick for the cream of the conference, and, despite a bumpy Big Ten slate that left them sharing the title, the Buckeyes are now the last B1G standing. The Sweet Sixteen was rather cruel to Big Ten teams not from Columbus; let’s start with the happy news and work our way through the rest.

Simply put, Big Ten Player of the Year Draymond Green is on a tear. Riding a two-game triple-double streak in the NCAA tournament, dating back to last season, Green posted 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists Sunday to lift Michigan State past Saint Louis and into the Sweet 16. The guy literally does it all — he even wiped the floor in the final minutes Sunday. And, of course, Twitter was all over his latest gem of a game. Check out what former rivals and talking heads tweeted about Green.

Josh: It’s time to reflect on another season of Big Ten hoops. I think the rest of college basketball has finally taken notice of something that’s been true for the past 18 months or so–the Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball. Still, you look at the conference today, you see two great teams, 3 pretty darn good teams, a team good enough to make the Dance, and then mediocrity. Heck, even a couple of pretty bad teams. I mean, it’s hard to say the conference underachieved, but here goes–the conference underachieved. Sure, this is still the best action you’ll find, and it’s not close, but we’re still talking about a league that’s probably going to get 6 bids, with only a couple of standout teams. Does that sound much different than the past decade, when the Big Ten wasn’t measuring up to the likes of the ACC and the Big East?

Aaron Craft is a very good defensive player. Let’s get that out of the way. Whatever you think of the next few paragraphs, remember that we all agree that Craft’s defense would improve just about any collegiate basketball team.

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!

Draymond Green showed just how good he is in a loss to the Hoosiers, but he also proved that no one is good enough to beat Indiana at home by himself. Green racked up 29 points on 17 shots while his Michigan State teammates poured in 26 points on 34 shots. Against IU at Assembly Hall, that’s tough to overcome. The home/road splits for this team in conference play are stunning:

There were some rim-rattling slams on the hoop going to the right on your TV screen in Indiana’s victory over Michigan State on Wednesday. Draymond Green started it with a steal that he turned into a powerful And-1 in the first 20 minutes; in the second half, Victor Oladipo added a thunderous dunk, and Cody Zeller matched Green’s steal and slam. As they say, things come in threes. Which dunk was the best? Watch Zeller’s slam now and see the other two in this post. Then, cast your vote for the top dunk. Prediction: It’s going to be a close one.

There’s no debating Draymond Green‘s across-the-board contributions, and they were on display again in Saturday’s easy win over Nebraska. The Michigan State senior captain posted his 16th double-double of the season, with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and also grabbed his 1,000th career rebound. In doing so, he became the fourth Spartan to reach the mark and the third member of Michigan State’s 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club. Oh, and he’s a member of the 100-block club, to boot. Watch Green’s milestone rebound and his reaction now.

The Big Ten Conference released its Big Ten Men’s Basketball Players of the Week for Feb. 13-19 action on Monday. Find out who won and see what they did to earn the distinction in this post.

The Big Ten Conference released its latest Big Ten Men’s Baketball Players of the Week for Feb. 6-12 action. See the winners and what they did to earn the distinctions in this post.