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BIG TEN MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Purdue
- Michigan
- UCLA
- Illinois
- Oregon
- Michigan State
- Wisconsin
- Iowa
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Washington
- USC
- Maryland
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Minnesota
- Rutgers
- Penn State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN 1ST TEAM:
-Braden Smith – SR, G – Purdue
-Trey Kaufman-Renn – SR, F – Purdue
-Yaxel Lendeborg – SR, F – Michigan
-Donovan Dent – SR, G – UCLA
-Bennett Stirtz – SR, G – Iowa
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN 2ND TEAM:
-Bruce Thornton – SR, G – Ohio State
-John Blackwell – JR, G – Wisconsin
-Nick Martinelli – SR, F – Northwestern
-Nate Bittle – SR, C – Oregon
-Andrej Stojakovic – JR, G – Illinois
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-The Big Ten is now a super-conference. Not just a power conference, but it is now almost the size of the Premier League, and a reminder that the single-division double-round-robin conference format is long gone. Last year it did not quite perform at the same level that the SEC did, a lot of the teams from top to bottom look like they will be better this year.
-Purdue is the preseason favorite, and many think they may not just be good enough to win the Big Ten, but they may be among the teams that are good enough to win it all. Four starters are back from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team, and it is almost unheard of that any team at any level is able to retain that much of their rotation. Braden Smith is one of the best point guards and all-around players in the Big Ten, and Trey Kaufman-Renn is a fantastic power forward who has range and can hit from the outside. The Boilers are super-talented, have a lot of experience, and look like a team that could go to the Final Four.
-Dusty May had a fantastic first year at Michigan, and I expect them to be as good (and perhaps better) this year. They are having to replace two talented frontcourt players and will have to rely on guys who will need to step into bigger roles all across the board, but all accounts seem to indicate that they have players who are ready to fulfill those roles and contribute this year. Also worth nothing is that every Dusty May-coached team seems to exceed expectations, so I have no reason to think this year will be any different.
-UCLA, and really any team that Mick Cronin has ever coached, is always tough defensively and is usually tough in general. So, I always seem to think the teams are going to exceed whatever their expectations are. Having said that, expectations for this year’s UCLA team are incredibly high. Three starters are back from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, including Donovan Dent who is simply a phenomenal point guard who can both shoot and distribute the ball. Skyy Clark is another backcourt players who can hit from the outside. They have a very solid frontcourt as well and will be a very tough team defensively.
-Illinois is another team that returns a solid part of their rotation after making the NCAA Tournament a season ago, and expectations are once again very high for Coach Brad Underwood. Mihailo Petrovic and Kylan Boswell are two double-digit scorers who make up a very formidable backcourt, and Tomislav Ivisic looks like he will be a very solid center, so the Illini have a lot of balance. Simply put, they have talent in every position and are well coached.
-Oregon won an impressive 25 games a year ago. I do not know how to put this, but this is a good program that seems to be undervalued. Dana Altman is a phenomenal coach who has done an outstanding job and often exceeds expectations. Now, having said all that, this may be a rebuilding year for the Ducks. Only two starters are back, and while they have some guys who clearly have potential, no one has really been a key contributor at a top-25-caliber program yet. Guys will really have to step up if they are going to repeat the success they had a year ago.
-Michigan State won 30 games a year ago and made it all the way to the Elite Eight. Most of the key players on that team are gone, so the Spartans are having to rebuild. As you would expect they have a very talented class coming in, but is it good enough to contribute to a Big Ten level program right away?
-There are certain teams that I always think are going to do better than where they are picked in the preseason, and Wisconsin is usually one of those teams. I like how tough they typically are defensively and they always seem to get the maximum out of the sum of their parts. They won 27 games a year ago, and while they likely will not be quite as good this year, they should still be good. John Blackwell and Nick Boyd make up a talented and experienced backcourt. Their frontcourt is always strong and likely will be again this year. They do not have a ton of depth, but I think they probably have enough. Wisky will be dancing again this year! That is my prediction.
-Iowa struggled in Big Ten play a year ago and is tasked with replacing all five starters for this year. Fortunately for them, they have basically had another established team move in and replace the old one. Ben McCollum also takes over as head coach after a very successful (and short) run at Drake. Drake was a top-40-caliber team last year, and several contributing players from that team followed McCollum to Iowa, so they are not starting off with a bare cupboard. If anything, this group may already have gelled. What makes this so fascinating is that prior to last year these guys did not have D-1 experience, but they clearly showed they could play at the D-1 level. Now the question is can they play at the Big Ten level?
-Ohio State is a team that had a few good moments last season, but they were only moments and there were only a few of them. They do return a very talented backcourt including Bruce Thornton (who is very productive on the offensive end), and I think we will see some improvement from the Buckeyes this year. They have some big additions from the portal as well, including Brandon Noel from Wright State, who was one of the best players in the Horizon League a season ago.
-Darian DeVries takes over at Indiana, which is a program that has not lived up to the expectations of the fans for about the last two decades. They missed the NCAA Tournament a year ago and are now rebuilding the roster. Tucker DeVries (West Virginia), Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston), Nick Horn (Elon), Reed Bailey (Davidson), and Tayton Conerway (Troy) all put up very impressive numbers a year ago, so the potential for Indiana to be noticeably better this year is certainly there. We will see if they can come together as a team and play at a much higher level than the programs they came from play at.
-Washington was among the worst teams in the conference a year ago, but they are expected to be a little better this year under second-year coach Danny Sprinkle. Almost no one returns from last year’s roster, which is what teams seem to do when they feel like they are underperforming. Quimari Peterson, who was perhaps the best player in the SoCon last year, is transferring in from East Tennessee State. Jacob Ognacevic was a huge get from Lipscomb, so the Huskies will definitely have some pieces and will likely not repeat as basement dwellers this year.
-Eric Musselman at USC will be replacing his entire starting lineup from a year ago. They have gone into the portal and grabbed a nucleus of pretty solid players from Under the Radar schools to try and get things turned around. Jordan Marsh in particular was a big-time scorer for UNC Asheville, so the Trojans do have some talent.
-Maryland had a great season last year where they won 27 total games and made the Sweet Sixteen, but they are now starting completely over. Buzz Williams, who is a fantastic coach, takes over the program. The problem is that none of the starters are back and he is having to rebuild the roster. I think Buzz knows how to win, and knows how to win in this era of college basketball. I just think it may take a year or two for him to get the Terps back to being a top-20-caliber program.
-Nebraska won 21 total games last year, and actually took home some hardware by winning the College Basketball Crown (for whatever that is worth), but they missed the Big Ten Tournament after losing five straight to end the regular season. Connor Essegian returns to the roster, and they add some pretty solid players from Under the Radar schools who should be able to contribute.
-I love Chris Collins as a coach, but as good as it is it is simply very difficult to consistently win at Northwestern. Just one starter returns from last year’s team and they seem to be at the bottom of their talent cycle, so it could be a long year for the Wildcats.
-Minnesota has a new coach in Niko Medved and he has his work cut out for him as no starters are back from a year ago. It is a transfer-heavy team that does have a few guys that were successful at Under the Radar programs, but expecting them to step in and perform at a high level in the Big Ten is a big ask.
-Rutgers had a super-talented roster last year that did not live up to their expectations. This year, a lot of that talent is gone, and the expectations are…well…not high. Steve Pikiell is a good coach, and I think they will be a little better than next-to-last, but it will likely be a long year for the Scarlet Knights.
-Mike Rhoades just has not been able to get it going at Penn State. They finished 17th a year ago, and this year they are not expected to be much better. They seem to be lacking in guys who have proven they can produce at this level.
