As part of our ongoing preview series, and Big Ten Monday, Conference Bloggerviews -- Blogger + Interview; see what I did there? -- presents an interview with a blogger that knows the conference far better than we. Today, that blogger is Alex from Inside The Hall. His emailed knowledge is dropped below. [Disclosure: I blog with Alex at ITH. It should be noted that he does all the work.]

Eamonn: Quick! Word association! The Big Ten is ...

Alex: Rebuilding, but on the cusp of becoming downright scary a few years from now. You've got Tom Izzo, Matt Painter, Bo Ryan and Thad Matta already winning big. Just wait until Tom Crean, Tubby Smith, John Beilein and Todd Lickliter get things moving in the right direction at their respective schools.

E: Are the Indiana-Will-Be-Bad stories overexaggerated? Could they surprise anyone? Or is the anti-hype deserved? OK, be honest: They're going to suck.

A. There's no question it's going to be a tough year. And that's putting it nicely. Nothing against my man Kyle Taber, but he's the top returning scorer and he's scored 34 points in his career. Most fans understand that not finishing last in the Big Ten will be considered a success for this team. The bottom line is that Tom Crean inherited a dysfunctional situation, cleaned house and is in the process of piecing a program back together that has been fractured since Bob Knight left Bloomington.

E: If you would, name the five best players in the conference and the five most entertaining, and why.

A: Five best players: Kalin Lucas, Michigan State: Izzo says he's the quickest player he's ever coached and who am I to disagree. Lucas was good as a freshman, he'll be great with a year under his belt. Robbie Hummel, Purdue: Quite frankly, I'm surprised at how quickly he's become the man in West Lafayette. I love his basketball IQ and he always leaves it all on the floor. Raymar Morgan, Michigan State: The Big Ten media and coaches disagree with me, but I like Morgan as the Player of the Year in the Big Ten. If the reports that he's improved his outside shot are indeed accurate, I don't see anyone having an answer for stopping him. B.J. Mullens, Ohio State: Normally, I wouldn't succomb to the hype and put a freshman in on a list like this. But in this case, all signs point to Mullens being an impact guy and a potential lottery pick next June. Marcus Landry, Wisconsin: I'm a huge fan of the goggles. Need I say more?

Five most entertaining players: Chris Kramer, Purdue: IU fans might dog me for this, but Kramer is the A.J. Pierzynski of the Big Ten. You love him if he's on your team, but absolutely despise him when he's slapping the floor during a Boilermaker rally. Lucas, Michigan State: In the slow-it-down world of basketball that is the Big Ten, the tempo he brings is refreshing. Manny Harris, Michigan: Explosive scorer who's never met a shot he didn't like. Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota: He's been nominated for two ESPY's for game winning shots. Stanley Pringle, Penn State: Just google him, I'm not getting into it. This is a family blog.

E: Even if the play is occasionally sluggish, the Big Ten is a strong coaches conference. So, naturally, the following question: If you threw all 11 Big Ten head coaches into a steel-cage, battle royal, ladders-and-chairs match, who comes out on top? Please show your work.

A: This comes down to Ryan and Izzo. Some of the scowls that have come across Bo's face lead me to believe he'd be fully capable of emerging from the madness as the winner, but I'm going with Izzo. Did you really think I would pick against a man who calls his rebounding drills in practice "war"?

E: Please name three things about the Big Ten that non-Big Ten fans might not know.

A: 1. The Big Ten has six former national coaches of the year: Izzo, Crean, Smith, Lickliter, Ryan and Bruce Weber. That's more than any other conference. 2. Crean got his start in coaching at Michigan State, where he served under both Jud Heathcote and Izzo. 3. Five Big Ten schools (Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio State and Illinois) have reached the Final Four since 2000. That too is more than any other conference.

E: Anything else you'd like to declare? Speak now.

A: Five Big Ten teams will dance in March - Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Minnesota. One -- led by Izzo, Lucas and Morgan -- will finish the season at Ford Field in Detroit.

Related: Big Ten Basketball, College Basketball Media, Conference Previews