Projected Standings
1. Michigan State Spartans - It was a close call between the top two teams, but I think Michigan State has a better coach and more experience than their instate rival. They will be led on the court by two potential All-Americans, Gary Harris and Adreian Payne. Throw in veterans Keith Appling and Brandon Dawson (now fully healthy), along with promising second year player Denzel Valentine, and you have one of the best starting lineups in the country. Their weakness is depth, particularly in the frontcourt behind Payne and Dawson. But if they can overcome that, they'll be tough to beat.
2. Michigan Wolverines - I nearly put the Wolverines #1 but I have some doubts... They lost Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the NBA, but they have potential replacements in freshmen Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin. Both will help fill the void, but I need to see it play out before I official say they aren't missing a beat (especially filling Burke's shoes). The good news is that these freshmen are far from alone, as they retained stars Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson Jr., and Nik Stauskas. They also have much better depth than Michigan State as they can mix in Albrecht, Horford, Morgan, Donnal, and LaVert. One can easily imagine another Final Four run.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes - If you remember last year, Ohio State finished second in the regular season, and then won the conference tourney. They were nearly in the Final Four also but they lost to Wichita State in the Elite Eight. They could have similar success this year as they return everyone except Deshaun Thomas. Thomas is a big loss, but he sometimes made their offense stagnant. This year they could become more balanced and more dynamic. It will allow other talented players to step up, which could make them better. These players include Aaron Craft, LaQuinton Ross, Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, Lenzelle Smith Jr., and Amir Williams.
4. Wisconsin Badgers - Is Bo Ryan still coaching? Yes. So this essentially guarantees a top four finish in conference. They could be a little thin inside, but they have plenty at the other spots. Sam Dekker will be a breakout player as a sophomore and they also get Josh Gasser back healthy. Other solid contributors will be Brust, Jackson, Kaminsky, and Marshall.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes - Tough call here between Iowa and Indiana, but Iowa retains so much more. They should have made the NCAA Tourney last year, but got passed up on Selection Sunday. They responded by making the NIT Final. Since they only lost one guy that played consistently last year, they have a roster full of motivated vets without any holes in the lineup.
6. Indiana Hoosiers - There won't be any National Championship talk this year but they should make another NCAA Tournament. In fact, a third straight Sweet 16 could be in the works. They will be led by Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey, two of their main guys last year, but they key will be getting contributions from the talented young guns. Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Perea are sophomores that need to step up. Transfer senior Evan Gordon should play a prominent role also. But their freshmen class has a chance to shine behind Noah Vonleh, Troy Williams, Luke Fischer, Stanford Robinson, and two others. They won't have the same star power, but they will have a lot of depth.
7. Purdue Boilermakers - If there is a name you need to learn in the Big Ten it's AJ Hammons. He will go from relatively unknown to a first round pick in the NBA Draft next summer. They also have the Johnson's, a few guys that can really play. Coach Painter is one of the best coaches in the conference at developing guys, so despite a couple lackluster seasons, this could be the year they get back in the mix.
8. Illinois Fighting Illini - Illinois surprised most of us last year with a NCAA Tourney appearance and win. They will be similar in their makeup in John Groce's second year. They will have great guard play behind Abrams, Starks, and Bertrand, and they acquired talent thanks to some transfers and a big freshmen class. Another NCAA appearance isn't out of the question.
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers - The last four teams will all be very close in how they finish, but they are all more than capable of upsets. New Head Coach Pitino (the younger one) lost a lot, but still has the Hollins' boys. He also brought his best player with him from Florida International, Malik Smith.
10. Northwestern Wildcats - Chris Collins won't end his team's run of missing the NCAA Tourney, but he will get them somewhat close I imagine. Drew Crawford returns from injury and will have a massive season. And they always have solid role players and shooters around him.
11. Penn State Nittany Lions - Penn State would have returned everyone, had star player Jermaine Marshall not transferred. That loss hurts them, but like I said, they get everyone else back. Last year's team didn't do much, but they showed how dangerous they could be when they beat Michigan late in the year.
12. Nebraska Cornhuskers - The somewhat new team still has work to do. The good news is that they are improving and they could make serious strides this season. When it's all said and done, they could finish as high as ninth.
Preseason Major Awards
Player of the Year - Mitch McGary (Michigan)
Defensive Player of the Year - Gary Harris (Michigan State)
Freshman of the Year - Noah Vonleh (Indiana)
Most Improved Player - Sam Dekker (Wisconsin)
Coach of the Year - Fran McCaffery (Iowa)
All Big Ten Teams
First Team:
G Aaron Craft, Ohio State
G Gary Harris, Michigan State
F Glenn Robinson Jr., Michigan
F Mitch McGary, Michigan
C Adreian Payne, Michigan State
Second Team:
G Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
G Drew Crawford, Northwestern
F Will Sheehey, Indiana
F Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
C AJ Hammons, Purdue
Third Team:
G Keith Appling, Michigan State
G Roy Marble, Iowa
F Nik Stauskas, Michigan
F LaQuinton Ross, Ohio State
C Aaron White, Iowa
By: The Sports Guys
3. Ohio State Buckeyes - If you remember last year, Ohio State finished second in the regular season, and then won the conference tourney. They were nearly in the Final Four also but they lost to Wichita State in the Elite Eight. They could have similar success this year as they return everyone except Deshaun Thomas. Thomas is a big loss, but he sometimes made their offense stagnant. This year they could become more balanced and more dynamic. It will allow other talented players to step up, which could make them better. These players include Aaron Craft, LaQuinton Ross, Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, Lenzelle Smith Jr., and Amir Williams.
4. Wisconsin Badgers - Is Bo Ryan still coaching? Yes. So this essentially guarantees a top four finish in conference. They could be a little thin inside, but they have plenty at the other spots. Sam Dekker will be a breakout player as a sophomore and they also get Josh Gasser back healthy. Other solid contributors will be Brust, Jackson, Kaminsky, and Marshall.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes - Tough call here between Iowa and Indiana, but Iowa retains so much more. They should have made the NCAA Tourney last year, but got passed up on Selection Sunday. They responded by making the NIT Final. Since they only lost one guy that played consistently last year, they have a roster full of motivated vets without any holes in the lineup.
6. Indiana Hoosiers - There won't be any National Championship talk this year but they should make another NCAA Tournament. In fact, a third straight Sweet 16 could be in the works. They will be led by Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey, two of their main guys last year, but they key will be getting contributions from the talented young guns. Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Perea are sophomores that need to step up. Transfer senior Evan Gordon should play a prominent role also. But their freshmen class has a chance to shine behind Noah Vonleh, Troy Williams, Luke Fischer, Stanford Robinson, and two others. They won't have the same star power, but they will have a lot of depth.
7. Purdue Boilermakers - If there is a name you need to learn in the Big Ten it's AJ Hammons. He will go from relatively unknown to a first round pick in the NBA Draft next summer. They also have the Johnson's, a few guys that can really play. Coach Painter is one of the best coaches in the conference at developing guys, so despite a couple lackluster seasons, this could be the year they get back in the mix.
8. Illinois Fighting Illini - Illinois surprised most of us last year with a NCAA Tourney appearance and win. They will be similar in their makeup in John Groce's second year. They will have great guard play behind Abrams, Starks, and Bertrand, and they acquired talent thanks to some transfers and a big freshmen class. Another NCAA appearance isn't out of the question.
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers - The last four teams will all be very close in how they finish, but they are all more than capable of upsets. New Head Coach Pitino (the younger one) lost a lot, but still has the Hollins' boys. He also brought his best player with him from Florida International, Malik Smith.
10. Northwestern Wildcats - Chris Collins won't end his team's run of missing the NCAA Tourney, but he will get them somewhat close I imagine. Drew Crawford returns from injury and will have a massive season. And they always have solid role players and shooters around him.
11. Penn State Nittany Lions - Penn State would have returned everyone, had star player Jermaine Marshall not transferred. That loss hurts them, but like I said, they get everyone else back. Last year's team didn't do much, but they showed how dangerous they could be when they beat Michigan late in the year.
12. Nebraska Cornhuskers - The somewhat new team still has work to do. The good news is that they are improving and they could make serious strides this season. When it's all said and done, they could finish as high as ninth.
Preseason Major Awards
Player of the Year - Mitch McGary (Michigan)
Defensive Player of the Year - Gary Harris (Michigan State)
Freshman of the Year - Noah Vonleh (Indiana)
Most Improved Player - Sam Dekker (Wisconsin)
Coach of the Year - Fran McCaffery (Iowa)
All Big Ten Teams
First Team:
G Aaron Craft, Ohio State
G Gary Harris, Michigan State
F Glenn Robinson Jr., Michigan
F Mitch McGary, Michigan
C Adreian Payne, Michigan State
Second Team:
G Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
G Drew Crawford, Northwestern
F Will Sheehey, Indiana
F Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
C AJ Hammons, Purdue
Third Team:
G Keith Appling, Michigan State
G Roy Marble, Iowa
F Nik Stauskas, Michigan
F LaQuinton Ross, Ohio State
C Aaron White, Iowa
By: The Sports Guys
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