Big Ten Notebook: Prize recruit Jabari Parker considering Spartans

(Video of Michigan's win over Binghamton courtesy of Big Ten Network)

News and notes from around Big Ten:

• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is hoping that top recruit Jabari Parker of Chicago's Simeon High School will elect to play ball in East Lansing next season. According to Parker's father, Sonny, who spoke to USA Today, the decision will likely come down to Michigan State or Duke. Parker will announce the decision on Dec. 20, according to the Detroit Free Press.

• Michigan coach John Beilein is being cautious about his team's 10-0 start, the third-best start in school history. “When you get off to this type of start, you've got to be careful,” he said to the Detroit Free Press. “When you do lose, some guys will overreact to it. You're going to lose.” Beilein was the coach of West Virginia in 2004 when it started out on a similar winning streak but lost and consequently snowballed into six losses in a seven-game span. The No. 3 Wolverines took down Binghamton on Tuesday night, 67-39, and they'll play West Virginia on Dec. 15.

• Last season, Ohio State's Aaron Craft was the Buckeyes' primary ball handler and freshman backup Shannon Scott didn't see a lot of action. This year, coach Thad Matta has incorporated Scott more into the game plan, and aside from his ability as a lockdown defender, the sophomore has proven he's more than capable as a distributor. Scott has 33 assists to just five turnovers this season, a 6.6 assist-to-turnover ratio that is by far the best ratio in the conference, according to Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch. Scott has at least two steals in six of Ohio State's seven games this season and in his most recent, a win over Long Beach State, Scott dished out nine assists, including two lobs to Sam Thompson for alley-oops.

• Saturday, four Indiana schools -- Butler, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Indiana -- will participate in the Crossroads Classic tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers take on the Bulldogs at 2 p.m. ET in the tournament's marquee matchup and even though each school was allotted 4,000 tickets, most of the crowd is expected to be wearing crimson and cream. “I think it's a combination of how well Indiana is playing and the fact that there is a local fan base for all the schools,” Renny Harrison, owner of FanFare Tickets said to the Indianapolis Star. “And it's a perfect time. It's a Saturday afternoon near the holidays.”

• After the Fighting Illini won their biggest game of the year last Saturday, an upset over then-No.10 Gonzaga on the road, they turned around and won a sloppy game over Norfolk State on Tuesday night. “Obviously, we feel fortunate to win the game,” coach John Groce said to the Chicago Sun-Times. Guard D.J. Richardson took over down the stretch, scoring seven consecutive points in the final six and a half minutes of the game to give the Illini the edge. Leading scorer Brandon Paul had 14 points.