Rejoice, basketball fans. BTN is dedicating Friday’s programming to men’s basketball. Starting at 10 a.m. E.T., we’re re-airing a trio of exciting 2011-12 games, including Indiana’s memorable upset of No. 1 Kentucky, all of which precede a marathon of our award-winning “The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2012,” which tips off at 3:30 p.m.

“The Big Ten’s Greatest Games” for football and basketball is a popular program for our TV viewers and online readers. Each year we dig through the archives and roll out new episodes featuring games from the past. For example, that classic 1989 Big Ten basketball finish between Illinois and Indiana featured in our ongoing series “I Hit It To Win It” (watch the video in this post).

BTN aired its fifth annual BTN Awards Show on Monday night. The biggest winners: Michigan State’s Draymond Green and Ohio State’s Christina Manning, the winners of the Big Ten’s prestigious Jesse Owens and Suzy Favor Awards, respectively. Dave Revsine, Mike Hall and Rick Pizzo hosted the hour-long special, which also handed out awards for categories such as “Breakout Performer” and “Game of the Year,” to name a couple. See all the award winners and watch video from each category in this post.

It’s the third component of every team. It’s also the most overlooked component. It’s special teams. And it’s often the difference between winning and losing. So, pay attention to these rankings, from 1 to 12, of the Big Ten special teams. Oh, and don’t forget about all of my 2012 unit rankings. Don’t agree with the rankings? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box at the bottom of the post or tweet me: @BTNTomDienhart.

Big Ten defensive backfields are loaded with talent, including cornerbacks like Michigan State’s Johnny Adams, Iowa’s Micah Hyde and Purdue’s Ricardo Allen, along with safeties like Ohio State’s C.J. Barnett, Michigan State’s Isaiah Lewis and Michigan’s Jordan Kovacs. And some of the units figure to rank among the best in the nation, including those at Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska.

You may want to call in sick on Friday, or at the very least set your DVR to “record series” as BTN airs a marathon of “Big Ten Icons” shows. Those will also air on BTN2Go, as well, where they are also archived for viewing on demand.