This is a basketball story, not a football story. But the best quarterback in Big Ten basketball just might go a long way in deciding the conference championship. That’s Purdue point Braden Smith.
Like a football quarterback, Smith is the centerpiece of the Boilermakers. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year is the kind of player who makes everyone around him better. Plus, he’s also pretty good on his own.
That’s the reason why Purdue is the fan favorite to win the championship in an ultra-competitive conference that’s loaded from top to bottom. The league has no less than four teams that — at least on paper — are capable of contending for a national title and a double-digit amount of teams that look capable of landing in the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a season preview and ranking of Big Ten men’s basketball teams:
1. PURDUE
Smith, who is within possible striking distance of Bobby Hurley’s NCAA career assists record, doesn’t have to do it all on his own. He has an excellent wingman in 6-foot-9 forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who possesses a nice combination of power and finesse. The arrival of South Dakota State big man Oscar Cluff and 7-foot-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen could take the pressure of Kaufman-Renn up front and, perhaps, make the Boilermakers a a fan favorite to win a national title.
2. UCLA
The outlook for the Bruins got tremendously brighter back in March when point guard Donovan Dent announced his transfer to UCLA. As a junior at New Mexico last year, Dent was the Mountain West Conference’s leading scorer (20.5 points per game) and Player of the Year. But Dent is much more than a scorer. He also averaged 6.4 assists per game last season. He’ll be joined by returnees Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. But the wild-card position for the Bruins is at center where Xavier Booker and San Diego transfer Steven Jamerson Jr. could determine just how far the Bruins can go.
3. MICHIGAN
The Wolverines just might have the most talented front line in the Big Ten with forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson and 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara. Elliot Cadeau gives Michigan a solid point guard, but the Wolverines needs some outside shooters to emerge if they’re going to have an inside/outside balance.
4. MICHIGAN STATE
Veteran coach Tom Izzo will have a defense that’s among the best in the country. The Spartans are led by Jeremy Fears Jr., who might be the best defensive point guard in the nation, athletic wingman Coen Carr and big men Jaxon Kohler, Cam Ward and Carson Cooper. How Michigan State’s halfcourt offense develops will go a long way in determining how far the Spartans go this season.
5. ILLINOIS
The Illini may have the most unique combination in the country. That’s twin brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Iyisic. Both Croation centers possess remarkable shooting touch for big men and are legitimate three-point threats. That will open things up for the rest of the offense. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the presence of the Iyisic brothers will be 6-7 transfer forward Andrej Stojakovic who arrives in Champagne as an inside/outside threat after spending his freshman season at Stanford and averaging 17.9 per games last year for California. Combo guard Kylan Boswell also returns for Illinois after averaging 12.3 points a game last year.
6. OREGON
The Ducks have perhaps the Big Ten’s best point guard/center combination in Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle. But they need a breakout year from 6-9 forward Kwame “KJ” Evans, who was a 2023 McDonald’s All-American.
7. IOWA
The Hawkeyes have a great backcourt with point guard Bennet Stiritz and shooting guard Brendan Hausen. But coach Ben McCollum is going to have to find ways to win without a true traditional center on his roster.
8. USC
Trojan fans are expecting a big leap forward in coach Eric Musselman’s second season. A preseason injury to five-star freshman Alijah Arenas was a blow, but UNC-Asheville transfer Jordan Marsh will move into the job at point guard. USC also has a pair of solid guards in Rodney Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara, who can score from the outside and inside. Anything the Trojans get from 7-5 center Gabe Dynes will be a bonus.
9. WISCONSIN
The Badgers have one of the conference’s top backcourt combinations in point guard Nick Boyd and shooting guard John Blackwell, who averaged 15.8 points per game last year. Seven-foot center Nolan Winter had a solid sophomore year last seasonr, but needs to take the next step if Wisconsin is going to challenge for the conference title.
10. INDIANA
Fans expect Indiana to be one of the Big Ten’s top three-point-shooting teams with Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson sniping from the outside. The Hoosiers should get some inside help from Reed Bailey and Forida transfer Sam Alexis.
11. WASHINGTON
The Huskies went 13-18 and finished last in the conference last season, but fans are looking for a big step forward in coach Danny Sprinkle’s second season. The main reasons for optimism are the arrivals of guard Wesley Yates III, who averaged 14.1 points per game at USC last year, and 6-foot-11 freshman Hannes Steinback from Germany.
12. OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes have a top-three-player combination that’s as good as any in the conference with Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal But Ohio State gets thin in a hurry after that. Seven-footer Christopher Tilly, a transfer from Santa Clara, is an unknown, but has the potential to help push the Buckeyes up a few notches in the conference standings.
13. NORTHWESTERN
Big Ten leading scorer Nick Martinelli returns, but that alone isn’t enough to put Northwestern in the conference’s upper tier. But Wildcats fans have reason for hope. Sophomore guard KJ Windham showed great promise late last season and could be poised to give Northwestern a strong No. 2 scoring option.
14. MARYLAND
The Terrapins will have a bruising front line with Pharrel Payne, Elija Saunders and Solomon Washington. But Maryland needs to find some consistent play out of its backcourt to have a chance to contend.
15. MINNESOTA
North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson could be a perfect fit in coach Niko Medved’s offensive system. Tyson can score from the wing and Isaac Asuma and Chansey Willis Jr. should give the Gophers a nice backcourt. But Medved doesn’t have a lot to work with in the front court.
16. PENN STATE
Traditionally, most of the winter sports attention in State College goes to Penn State’s championship wrestling team and basketball is usually an afterthought. But things are a little different these days because Penn State landed its biggest basketball recruit in years. That’s guard Kayden Mingo, who should be a prolific three-level scorer and an outstanding defender. Returning guard Freddie Dillione is a great outside shooter, but Penn State doesn’t have much up front.
17. NEBRASKA
Forward/center Rienk Mast played four seasons at Bradley and transferred to Nebraska before last season. But he was forced to sit out last year with a knee injury. If Mast can stay healthy this year, the Cornhuskers could compete in the Big Ten most nights. Nebraska has lots of depth up front, but not much in the backcourt.
18. RUTGERS
Dylan Harper left for the NBA after last season and that leaves the Knights short on big-time talent. Junior guard Jamichael Davis will step into a more prominent role, but he’ll need some help from a promising crew of wing players if Rutgers is going to be competitive in the Big Ten.
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