With three out of 14 teams having made it to the Sweet 16 in last season’s March Madness, the Big Ten should be another conference brimming with talent this season. However, a great number of standout players are no longer with their respective teams, and this has caused a shift in power within the conference itself.
Let’s find out below how each team from the Big Ten is shaping up now as we look forward to the start of what should be another thrilling ride in the men’s college basketball regular season.
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Indiana Hoosiers
2015 Record: 15-3
Predicted Record: 13-5
Defending the Big Ten title will be no easy feat for the Hoosiers, who no longer have the services of Yogi Ferrell at their disposal. Nevertheless, having sophomore Thomas Bryant as the team’s main man now is still promising. Bryant led the conference with a 68.3 percent field-goal percentage last season, and he’ll have plenty of support from the likes of OG Anunoby and a healthy James Blackmon Jr. to vault Indiana to no less that an appearance at the Big Dance once again.
Michigan State Spartans
2015 Record: 13-5
Predicted Record: 10-8
The new campaign will be an uphill battle for the Spartans right from the start as they have a myriad of injuries to deal with. Still, first-year forward Miles Bridges has the potential to be the best new addition not just to the team, but in the entire Big Ten. If Tom Izzo can turn his wealth of freshmen into solid starters, Michigan State can still make the NCAA Tournament as surprising upstarts.
Maryland Terrapins
2015 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 11-7
Melo Trimble can only do so much. There’s no question that the electric point guard is one of the best players in the country, but now he’ll have to work with less support this time around and after a rather disappointing 2015-16 campaign all the more. Trimble needs to be the Terps’ ultimate playmaker in his junior year, and the lack of proven contributors around him will pretty much dampen Maryland’s prospects of reclaiming the Big Ten throne as a whole while still being well in the thick of a tourney berth.
Purdue Boilermakers
2015 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 12-6
With a two-pronged attack in double-double monster Caleb Swanigan and towering 7’2″ center Isaac Haas, Purduehas a frontcourt package that other coaches can only dream of. The problem for the team, though, is that it’s still thin on guards to get plays set for its two bigs. The Boilermakers will win a lot of games this season, but perhaps not as many as they could win with a more well-rounded lineup.
Iowa Hawkeyes
2015 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 8-10
If Peter Jok decided to leave Iowa earlier this year, his team would be in complete shambles. The senior shooting guard, who averaged 16.1 points per game last season, opted to play out his final year. The Hawkeyes couldn’t be happier, but having four freshmen in the starting lineup backing up their star player still no laughing matter. This team will regress from last season’s 12-win output, but not bad enough that Jok can’t win games for them single-handedly against the Big Ten’s bottom-dwellers.
Wisconsin Badgers
2015 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 15-3
Greg Gard couldn’t be more blessed with the decked lineup he’ll work with in his first full season as Wisconsin’s head coach. The Badgers have five returning starters ready to clamp down the Big Ten again with their stiff defense. Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ are stars on the offensive end as well, so everything is already in place for the team to seize the conference title for the second time in three years.
Ohio State Buckeyes
2015 Record: 11-7
Predicted Record: 9-9
Ohio State is banking on the growth of point guard JaQuan Lyle to lead the team, and he needs to be close to the same level of Maryland’s Melo Trimble in order for the Buckeyes to be considered as real contenders. However, Lyle has to command the floor with good-but-not-great scorers. The Buckeyes appear to have the most well-balanced offense entering the season, but they can’t go far down the stretch without a real go-to option.
Michigan Wolverines
2015 Record: 10-8
Predicted Record: 9-9
Like Wisconsin, Michigan is fortunate to have last season’s starters be kept intact for another run. However, there’s nobody from that starting five that can be considered as a real Big Ten standout. There are also some health concerns surrounding Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr., and these issues are also preventing the Wolverines from being considered as a real threat in the conference.
Northwestern Wildcats
2015 Record: 8-10
Predicted Record: 8-10
The first goal that Northwestern is aiming for is the school’s first berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have an experienced point guard in Bryant McIntosh to do so, but they also lack able bodies in the paint to keep opponents from exposing their weak interior defense. In turn, we expect the team to be about right on-par with their production from last season; nothing more, nothing less.
Penn State Nittany Lions
2015 Record: 7-11
Predicted Record: 7-11
Penn State knocked their recruitment process for this season out of the park, particularly by nabbing promising point guard Tony Carr. However, the Nittany Lions already have a solid floor general in place in Shep Garner, and the timeshare for their two point guards could mess up the team’s chemistry. Penn State will be competitive, but youth and cohesion will prevent them from reaching the next level.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
2015 Record: 6-12
Predicted Record: 5-13
The departures of Andrew White III and Shavon Shields means that Nebraska is left without a true scoring option. The Cornhuskers still have a feisty bunch of players that can disrupt offenses with their pesky play from last season, yet they failed to address the need for a guy that can take over games. Tai Webster’s the next best thing that they have to fill in that role, but he’s still a far cry from the rest of the Big Ten’s bona fide standouts.
Illinois Fighting Illini
2015 Record: 15-3
Predicted Record: 8-10
Living life on the fast lane is what Illinois does best, for better and for worse. The team will be led again by jack-of-all-trades Malcolm Hill at the forefront of the fast-break attack, but the rest of its roster is a timebomb waiting to happen. If the likes of Leron Black and Jaylon Tate can stay away from off-court trouble, the Fighting Illini could have have more than just court cases to battle with come March Madness.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
2015 Record: 2-16
Predicted Record: 4-14
Can the underachieving Gophers save head coach Richard Pitino’s job? They have key players in Nate Mason, Amir Coffey and Akeem Springs to provide some nice surprises, but this still feels like the same Minnesota core that had a 14-game losing streak due to poor offense. We’re not saying that this team will lose 14 straight again, but we also don’t think that the Gophers will be a top contender in the Big Ten, either.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2015 Record: 1-17
Predicted Record: 2-16
Two seasons of futility in the Big Ten definitely makes Rutgers look like a practice squad against the rest of the powerhouse conference. The hiring of Steve Pikiell, who turned lowly Stony Brook around with flying colors after 10 seasons of service, is a sound move by the program. Then again, just because you have a new head coach doesn’t mean there’s a guaranteed turnaround for your team. The Scarlet Knights simply don’t have the talent to give the rest of the Big Ten a scare.
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