Preparing for the new season, let’s examine the programs of the Big Tenfor years one of the most competitive conferences in Division I, dividing them into four categories: from contenders to teams that seem to have nothing to ask for in the year of college basketball that is about to begin.
Tier 1 – Favorite: Indiana
The biggest offseason joy for coach Mike Woodson is definitely the return of Trayce Jackson-Davis (18.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season). Arriving in his senior year, the long has shown that he has all the qualities to be one of the best players in the Big Ten: a mix of explosiveness, technique and understanding of the game with few equals. Overall, Indiana will be able to count on players who produced 82% of the points scored last season. Not a small thing, to date, in the world of college basketball.
An already tested system could also allow freshmen to integrate and grow rapidly: Jalen Hood-Schifino is considered by ESPN the fourth best point guard of the class of 2022, while Malik Reneau will have the task of not lowering the level of play too much in the area when Jackson-Davis will sit on the bench. There remains a heavy doubt about archery: Indiana has no impacting specialists either in percentages or in terms of conclusions. Parker Stewart, the best in this fundamental last season (39% on 4 shots per game), used the transfer portal to return to UT Martin: Coach Woodson will have to hope for an unexpected exploit, or find a way to win even without relying on the heavy shot.
Tier 2 – Le contender: Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue
Indiana is the favorite, but the distance with the other teams is minimal: above all, the candidate to break the eggs in the basket for the Hoosiers is Illinois, capable of replacing the heavy losses of the offseason with a mix of excellent recruits and level transfers, forming a roster with great potential, but of which it is difficult to outline the possible future trajectory. Coach Brad Underwood had to say goodbye, among others, to two pivots like Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo, but at least the attempt to replace them seems to be valid. Reinforcing the backcourt will be two level freshmen like Skyy Clark (blown in Kentucky) e Jayden Epps, leading what 247Sports says is the nation’s sixth best recruiting campaign. The heavy names for wings, on the other hand, come from the transfer portal: Matthew Mayer e Dain Dainja da Baylor, Terrence Shannon da Texas Tech.
Michigan State it can instead count on a good block of returning players quest’anno: from Malik Hall to Joey Hauser, through Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard; the goal will be not to make you regret the farewells of the top three scorers of last season (Max Christie, Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham). Freshman Jaxon Kohler is a long man who can offer Tom Izzo different tactical solutions than Mady Sissoko. The main unknown to the title will be the ability of returning players to adapt to new roles and minutes without decreasing performance.
Who will certainly not drop is Hunter Dickinson: sole survivor of the starting five of the disappointing Michigan 2021/22, the Wolverines center, in his junior year, could seriously aim for the title of Big Ten Player of the Year. Around him, a team rebuilt almost from scratch, thanks to 10th recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports. Coach Juwan Howard will have to find important performances from his freshmen almost immediately (Jett Howard above all) to become a dangerous loose cannon in the Big Ten; otherwise, Dickinson could find himself preaching in the wilderness.
The package closes with another of the great disappointments of last season: Purdue who greeted the Big Dance at the hands of the Cinderella Saint Peter’s at Sweet 16. Of all the possible contenders, perhaps the team of coach Matt Painter is the least equipped: the goodbyes of Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams have left too large a chasm in terms of leadership and production. To fill it, at least in part, will be the talent of Zach Edey, who will continue to be one of the most difficult matchups to face nationally, but after failing the recruiting of Nijel Pack and Tyrese Hunter, the Boilermakers could have serious problems in the department. guards.
Tier 3 – Mid-table: Ohio State, Rutgers, Iowa, Wisconsin
Even less predictable is the path of Ohio State, who from EJ Liddell and Malaki Branham down will find himself without seven of the top eight players from last season by minutes, excluding only Zed Key. Despite a good mix of talented freshmen and experienced scorers, the feeling is that, to aim for the title, at least one technical leader with a strong personality is missing.
Similar speech for Rutgers: The return of Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell makes the Scarlet Knights backcourt one of the most competitive of the conference, and the transfer from Loyola-MD Cam Spencer looks promising. After Ron Harper Jr.’s departure, however, the roster still looks too short and mismatched to aim for the big target.
Not having fished from the transfer portal, however, Iowa will have to hope for the growth of the young core inherited from last season. In particular, coach McCaffery will rely on the family talent: Kris Murray (9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18 minutes last season) will have the double task of not making his brother Keegan regret (fourth overall choice in Draft 2022) and to remove the anonymous Hawkeyes they seem destined for.
The champions in charge of Wisconsin they are definitely the program that comes out worse offseason: lost the leader Johnny Davis, Conference Player of the Year, along with him also the second top scorer of the team, Brad Davidson. The recruiting was nil, and even the transfer portal gave few really relevant grafts. The Badgers are used to overturning the odds, but barring notable exploits (Chucky Hepburn?), This year they will hardly be protagonists.
Tier 4 – At the bottom: Penn State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska
The last tier is that of programs that from the very beginning risk having little to ask for this season, if not the task of making young people grow calmly and look for the right amalgam to build a winning cycle. It is the case of Penn Statewhich alongside the leader Jalen Pickett placed a 4-star prospect like Kebba Njie and a couple of transfers from mid-majors (Andrew Funk and Camren Wynter): too little average quality, however, to establish itself in the Big Ten.
It doesn’t sail in good waters either Minnesota, despite finding the leader Jamison Battle (17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds last year): of the other returning players, in fact, no one comes from a season of more than two points on average per game. The hope is that Dawson Garcia’s return home after two troubled seasons between Marquette and North Carolina will add points to the frontcourt.
Not only the two small holders, but also coach Mark Turgeon: Maryland will have to rebuild a good piece of the project. If it is true that the longs department is in good hands, with Julian Reese and Donta Scott leading it, the feeling is that it is unlikely that Kevin Willard’s new Terrapins will be able to be effective from the first season.
To sadly close this roundup are Northwestern e Nebraska. If after an unlucky season the Wildcats seem to have found no antidotes to the farewell of Pete Nance – UNC direction – and to the lack of quality under the boards, the Cornhuskers have not yet solved their known problems: a ballerina defense and the lack of a effective game maker in the backcourt.
