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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS:
- Purdue
- Michigan State
- Maryland
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
- Indiana
- Ohio State
- Northwestern
- Rutgers
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Penn State
- Minnesota
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL BIG TEN 1ST TEAM:
-Zach Edey – C – Purdue (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Tyson Walker – G – Michigan State
-Terrence Shannon Jr. – G – Illinois
-Jahmir Young – G – Maryland
-Boo Buie – G – Northwestern
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL BIG TEN 2ND TEAM:
-AJ Hoggard – G – Michigan State
-Cliff Omoruyi – C – Rutgers
-Xavier Johnson – G – Indiana
-Chucky Hepburn – G – Wisconsin
-Olivier Nkamhoua – F – Michigan
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-The most indelible and lasting impression that most people have of a team’s entire season is what they did in the NCAA Tournament. Purdue won 29 games last year…but that is not what anyone remembers. They were the first place team in the Big Ten by three full games but no one remembers that either. They entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 3rd in the nation with a #1 seed, and I guess a few people remember that, but what most people remember is that they lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in what was probably the biggest upset in college sports history. It was not just a 16 beating a 1. It was a team that was not even in the top-300 of most metrics, and who did not finish 1st in the Northeast Conference (which was a conference comprised entirely of teams outside the top-300), and who did not even win their conference tournament but got the automatic bid anyway because Merrimack was a transitional team and was therefore ineligible to play. Purdue was #3 in the NET: Fairleigh Dickinson was 301st. That is the biggest upset ever not just in terms of a 16 beating a 1 but in terms of just how far apart the two teams were in the metrics. THAT is what people remember!
Now, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that loss to Fairleigh Dickinson was an extreme anomaly, and that what they did in all the games before that is what is indicative of how good Purdue actually was. All five starters are back including Zach Edey, who is arguably the best player in the country. The Boilers may not start off ranked #1 in the nation because of how indelible the end of their season was last year, but in my opinion they are the best team and a contender to win it all this year.
-Michigan State is not far behind. They were a Sweet 16 team a year ago who nearly made the Elite 8 before losing to Kansas State in overtime. Four starters are back including Tyson Walker and AJ Howard who make up one of the strongest backcourts in the country. They are balanced, deep, physical, strong defensively, and have all the makings of a top-ten-caliber team.
-Maryland is getting a lot of preseason love, and while I like them, and think they will be better than they were a year ago, and think Kevin Willard is an outstanding coach, there is a drop-off between the two top-ten-caliber teams at the top of the league and the Terps. Still, with three key starters back including Jahmir Young at PG and Julian Reese in the post, and with the addition of some pretty good transfers and freshman, this is a very solid squad.
-Illinois has three starters back from a team that won 20 games and made the NCAA Tournament, but there are questions as to who their PG will be. This team has digressed some over the last two seasons after being a top-5-caliber team back in 2020-2021, but I still think Brad Underwood is a solid coach and they have enough pieces to land safely inside the bubble again this year.
-Every year I seem to like Wisconsin more than the consensus preseason prognosticators, and this year I feel that way again. This is a team that has all five starters back from last season’s 20-win team, and while they were just 9-11 in the conference they battled in a lot of those games, losing seven of them either in overtime or by 5 pts or less. With all of the experience they have back this will likely be a very strong team this year. They are balanced, experienced, and have some depth.
-Indiana may be in a bit of a reboot mode with just one starter returning, but they have a very strong recruiting class that includes Mackenzie Mgbako (who NBA scouts are already looking at). Xavier Johnson is the returning starter and is one of the better guards in the conference. There are a lot of questions about this team but they appear to be talented and will likely improve as the year goes on.
-Last year Ohio State went through a stretch where they lost nine straight and 14 out of 15, which basically torpedoed their season. I think they will be better this year. They were not quite as bad as their overall 16-19 record indicated a year ago, but when looking at what they have right now they certainly do not jump off the page as having the pieces to be a conference frontrunner.
-I am a little surprised that Northwestern is not getting more love. Granted, the roster has turned over quite a bit, but they still have three starters returning including Boo Buie, who is one of the better guards in the league, and the pieces they are adding appear to have some potential, particularly Princeton transfer Ryan Langborg. I like the Wildcats again this year and it would not shock me at all to see them back in The Dance.
-Rutgers barely missed the NCAA Tournament last year and was arguably more deserving than some of the teams that just barely made it in. With just two starters back they could be in a bit of a reset mode, but they do appear to have added some quality transfers and could, once again, be better than expected.
-It seems like in recent years Iowa has always had a big-time star. This year it does not appear that they do. They have just two starters returning and Tony Perkins appears to be their top player. They will need some guys to step up and play bigger roles this year if they want to be competitive.
-Michigan failed to make the NCAA Tournament last year, and on top of that Head Coach Juwan Howard may be sidelined with health issues. They look a little thin, especially in the backcourt, and it could be a long year for the Wolverines when trying to compete with the rest of the conference.
-Nebraska finished 11th in the league last year, which hardly jumps off the page, but they were a respectable 9-11 overall in Big Ten play, and were actually playing well down the stretch. It was a noticeable improvement from their previous four seasons where they failed to win more than ten total games in each of those years. I do not want to get carried away and say this team will land inside the bubble, but I do not see them as a doormat this year either. Three starters are back, they have shown consistent improvement, and there is reason to think it will continue into this season.
-Penn State is coming off a great year where they made it to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. The problem is that virtually everyone is gone, including Coach Micah Shrewsberry who left to take the head job at Notre Dame. Mike Rhoades takes over, who I also believe to be a very good coach who I think will do well. He comes in from VCU and he brought Ace Baldwin with him, who was a standout player in the Atlantic Ten, but with so many new pieces it could be a long year of rebuilding for the Nittany Lions.
-Minnesota was really bad last year, and while their top player is back in Dawson Garcia, they do not appear to have the pieces they need to finish all that much higher from the bottom.