The basketball season is right around the corner and the Big Ten — like last year — seems to be the deepest and most competitive conference in the nation. It boasts four teams in the AP Top 25, and two more that received votes. Michigan will look to garner wins in a conference in which nearly anyone can come out on top this year. (Perhaps anyone's but the Wolverines').

Below are the five Big Ten contenders that are predicted to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 2 MICHIGAN STATE:

This team will make the tournament if…

Hell doesn’t freeze over and a meteor doesn’t hit Earth. But all jokes aside, Spartan coach Tom Izzo isn’t only trying to make his 14th straight tournament appearance at the helm of Michigan State; he is looking to win it all this year. Senior guard Kalin Lucas was chosen as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. It will be no surprise if the Spartans win their seventh Big Ten Championship under Izzo and advance to the Final Four again, but this time they won’t lose to Butler… well, Michigan State fans are hoping they won't lose to Butler.

They can’t afford to lose…

Lucas… again. The star guard is too clutch of a player for the Spartans to play without. Lucas ruptured his Achilles tendon in March and was sidelined for five months. The injury caused him to miss the remainder of the season, and no one truly knows if he’ll be 100 percent come game time against Saginaw Valley State… Maybe Lucas being just 99 percent will spark a Cardinal upset. Though I don’t see any of those things happening any time before the Michigan football team posts a shutout, Lucas is a player that the Spartans seriously do not want warming the bench.

Michigan can upset if…

The Wolverines lower the rims to throw off Michigan State's shots. And even then it's a stretch. However, last year, the Wolverines did throw the Spartans for a loop. Michigan dropped its rivalry matchup, 57-56, in a thriller at Crisler Arena. And even though the chances of that happening again are slim, junior Zack Novak said at Media Day that we shouldn’t be surprised if this team pulls off some upsets. Novak said that the squad's intelligence could overcome its lack of athleticism in game against teams like Michigan State. The extra IQ points probably won’t help the Wolverines too much when they tip off against Little Brother. But with the team chemistry that Novak boasts about, they may hang in there.

NO. 4 OHIO STATE:

This team will make the tournament if…

Someone can step up and replace the leadership of last year’s Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner. Though the Buckeyes have exceptional talent, whether they will have the leadership necessary to replace the nation’s most reliable go-to-guy is unclear. That guy could be senior Jon Diebler, who drains 42 percent of his threes. If Diebler remains a consistent shooter, the Buckeyes become one of the most versatile teams in the Big Ten. With post players like Dallas Lauderdale and freshman Jared Sullinger, the Buckeyes could be downright scary. Solid big men and consistent shooting will be the key for Ohio State.

They can’t afford to lose…

Fifth-year senior David Lighty. The guard missed most of the 2009-10 season because of a broken bone in his right foot and then missed most of the offseason after re-injuring the same bone. But Ohio State says that Lighty should be ready to play in the Buckeyes' first game. Lighty will be one of the many candidates to fill Turner's shoes, both as a leader and running the point. For 10 seasons, Buckeye coach Thad Matta has guided his team to at least 20 wins, and Lighty has been there for four of them. He has the most familiarity in Matta’s offensive scheme and is the oldest player on the team. If Lighty doesn’t play, the Buckeyes will have about the same chances of making the Final Four as Boise State does making the National Championship game.

Michigan can upset if…

It uses its athleticism. The Wolverines aren't the most experienced or the most athletic guys on the court. However, Michigan is faster than the mammoth post players Ohio State will to attempt to use to its advantage all season. Besides those post players, the Buckeyes need Lighty and junior Nikkola Kecman to run the hardwood.