Big Ten Basketball Preseason Power Rankings
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Big Ten is hoping to snap its 20-year drought of not winning an NCAA Tournament, and this might be its best chance in a while with a Michigan State team that is preseason No. 1 the country for the first time in the Tom Izzo era.
Maryland might be a Final Four team as well, and the league should have several tournament teams again. Purdue and Ohio State seem like locks, but it gets iffy after that with the middle of the league being so even and so competitive.
Here are my preseason Big Ten power rankings, with a breakdown of each team and when they play Purdue this season:
1. Michigan State
Last year: The Spartans finished 32-7 overall and 16-4 in the Big Ten, tying for the conference championship. They beat No. 1 Duke to win the East Regional finals in the NCAA Tournament, and lost to Texas Tech in the national semifinals.
Head coach: Tom Izzo
Top returning players: Cassius Winston, Xavier Tillman, Aaron Henry
Plays Purdue: Jan. 12 in West Lafayette
The skinny: Michigan State was ranked No. 1 in the country in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll for the first time ever and have a perfect mix of experience and talented newcomers. Winston might be the best point guard in America, and will become the Big Ten’s assist leader at some point this year.
2. Maryland
Last year: Finished 23-11 overall and 13-7 in the Big Ten, finishing fifth. The Terrapins beat Belmont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to LSU in the second round.
Head coach: Mark Turgeon
Top returning players: Anthony Cowan Jr., Jalen Smith, Darryl Morsell
Plays Purdue: Jan. 18 in College Park, Md.
The skinny: Maryland is ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP poll and the Terps have Final Four aspirations with this team, which has plenty of size and a veteran leader in Cowan. Smith is turning into a star, and he can be an all-Big Ten player this season for sure.
3. Purdue
Last year: The Boilermakers were 26-10 overall and 16-4 in the Big Ten, co-champions of the conference. They reached the Elite Eight a year ago, losing to eventual national champion Virginia in overtime.
Head coach: Matt Painter
Top returning players: Matt Haarms, Nojel Eastern, Aaron Wheeler
The skinny: This team will look a lot different without Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline around, but it’s still going to be very good. It’s an NCAA Tournament team for sure, and don’t be surprised if they make more postseason noise again for the second year in a row.
4. Ohio State
Last year: The Buckeyes were 20-15 a year ago, and only 8-12 in the Big Ten, finishing in a tie for eighth with Indiana. They made the NCAA Tournament and upset Iowa State in the first round, but then lost to Houston.
Head coach: Chris Holtmann
Top returning players: Kaleb Wesson, Andre Wesson, CJ Walker
Plays Purdue: Feb. 15 in Columbus, Ohio
The skinny: Kaleb Wesson is a possible Big Ten player of the year candidate who probably could have jumped to the NBA last year but decided to stick around. He’s a stud, and a solid freshman class will help, too. Walker, a transfer from Florida State, is eager to get back on the court at point guard.
5. Michigan
Last year: The Wolverines finished 30-7 overall and 15-5 in the Big Ten, finishing third. Michigan made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed and won both games the first week against Montana and Florida. They lost to Texas Tech in the regional semifinals.
Head coach: Juwan Howard
Top returning players: Zavier Simpson, Jon Teske, Isaiah Livers
Plays Purdue: Jan. 9 at Ann Arbor, Mich.; Feb. 22 at West Lafayette
The skinny: It’s going to be interesting to see how this team responds to first-year coach Juwan Howard after all the success they’ve had under John Beilein the past five or six years. Transitions can be difficult, but thankfully there are plenty of experienced guys on this roster, starting with Simpson, the tough point guard.
6. Indiana
Last year: The Hoosiers were 19-16 overall a year ago and 8-12 in the Big Ten. They failed to make the NCAA Tournament, but won two NIT games before losing to Wichita State.
Head coach: Archie Miller
Top returning players: Rob Phinisee, Al Durham, Devonte Green
Plays Purdue: Feb. 8 in Bloomington; Feb. 27 at West Lafayette
The skinny: Is this a reach for the Hoosiers? Maybe, but if all goes well all season long, I can see it. Once senior guard Devonte Green gets healthy, Indiana’s three-man backcourt (Rob Phinisee, Al Durham) is lethal and the Hoosiers finally have enough frontcourt star power with the addition of Indiana Mr. Basketball Trayce Jackson-Davis and Butler transfer Joey Brunk. It’s Miller’s third year, and it’s time to start being competitive in the top half of the league.
7. Wisconsin
Last year: The Badgers were 23-11 and 14-6 in the Big Ten, finishing fourth in the league. Wisconsin made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed, but were upset by Oregon in the first round.
Head coach: Greg Gard
Top returning players: D’Mitrik Trice, Nate Reuvers, Matt Davison
Plays Purdue: Jan. 24 in West Lafayette; Feb. 18 in Madison, Wisc.
The skinny: Wisconsin will push hard to stay in the top half of the league, but they’ll have to do it without all-everything Ethan Happ. Many possessions started and ended with him, so Wisconsin’s defense will always be good and the offense could even be better, just different.
8. Illinois
Last year: The Illini were 12-21 a year ago and 7-13 in the Big Ten.
Head coach: Brad Underwood
Top returning players: Ayo Dosunmu, Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Andres Feliz
Plays Purdue: Jan. 5 in Champaign, Ill.; Jan. 21 in West Lafayette
The skinny: This is probably where the biggest arguments will start with the rankings because a lot of people really like this team to be more of a top-4 team in the league. Maybe, but there’s still a few things I want to see from this team before ranking them that high. Finishing in the top-4 in the league is a big jump from 12-21. I’m not se it just yet.
9. Penn State
Last year: The Nittany Lions were 14-18 last year, and 7-13 in the league.
Head coach: Pat Chambers
Top returning players: Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins, Myles Dread
Plays Purdue: Feb. 11 in West Lafayette
The skinny: The Nittany Lions have a lot of returning talent and will often be a tough out, especially at home. There’s no way this team starts the Big Ten season 0-10 like they did a year ago. Stevens has a chance to be an all-Big Ten player this season.
10. Iowa
Last year: The Hawkeyes went 23-12 last year, and 10-10 in the Big Ten. They made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed and upset Cincinnati in the first round before losing to No. 2 seed Tennessee in the second round.
Head coach: Fran McCaffery
Top returning players: Luke Garza, Joe Wieskamp, Jordan Bohannon
Plays Purdue: Feb. 5 in West Lafayette; March 3 in Iowa City, Iowa
The skinny: Garza and Wieskamp are good players, but the Hawkeyes may not have the horses to compete with the top of the league this year. Bohannon is a great player, but he’s out with a hip injury and no one knows when — or if — he will be back. They’ll miss his 3-point shooting big time.
11. Minnesota
Last year: The Gophers were 22-14 a year ago and 9-11 in the Big Ten. They made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed and upset Louisville in the first round before losing to Michigan State in the second round.
Head coach: Richard Pitino
Top returning players: Daniel Oturu, Marcus Carr, Payton Willis
Plays Purdue: Jan. 2 in West Lafayette
The skinny: The Gophers are going to get a big boost from Pitt transfer Marcus Carr, but there are going to be times when this team struggles to score. Pitino had the league’s No. 4-ranked recruiting class a year ago, so the young guys will need to make an impact quickly.
12. Rutgers
Last year: The Scarlet Knights went 14-17 last year and 7-13 in the Big Ten.
Head coach: Steve Pikiell
Top returning players: Geo Baker, Jacob Young, Ron Harper, Jr.
Plays Purdue: Jan. 28 in Piscataway, N.J.; March 7 in West Lafayette
The skinny: Baker is the top returing scorer for Rutgers, and Texas transfer Jacob Young should have a big year. Sure, they are near the bottom of our rankings, but they will beat some teams this year. They need to be much better on defense, though.
13. Northwestern
Last year: Northwestern was 13-19 a year ago and only 4-16 in the Big Ten.
Head coach: Chris Collins
Top returning players: Anthony Gaines, A.J. Turner, Miller Kopp
Plays Purdue: Dec. 8 in West Lafayette; Feb. 1 in Evanston, Ill.
The skinny: This is going to be a tough year in Evanston because there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of scoring on this team. Gaines is a very good player, but he does his best work on the defensive end. Turner is a transfer, and he could pace this team, especially early.
14. Nebraska
Last year: Nebraska finished 19-17 overall last year, and 6-14 in the Big Ten, and its underachieving year cost coach Tim Miles his job.
Head coach: Fred Hoiberg
Top returning players: Akol Arop, Cameron Mack, Jervay Green
Plays Purdue: Dec. 15 in Lincoln
The skinny: Hoiberg, who had great success at Iowa State before jumping to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, is in for a massive rebuild here. There are only two players still at Nebraska from a year ago, and he’s had to throw a roster together with very little talent on it. This is going to be a long, long year in Lincoln.
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