Wisconsin
There are many Wisconsin fans not particularly thrilled with Greg Gard at the moment, due to the fact that Wisconsin just missed their first NCAA Tournament since 2018. While you can be disappointed, I don’t think Wisconsin fans realize just how good of a job Coach Gard has done since being put in a very difficult predicament and taking over for a legend in Bo Ryan.
After loosing Johnny Davis as a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and earning a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2022, Wisconsin started off last season hot, with an 11-2 record. The Badgers fortunes changed however, when veteran leader Tyler Wahl suffered an ankle injury and the Badgers season was just never the same. Although Wahl did return in late January, he wasn’t the same player as he was prior to the injury. With the Badgers also returning each of their top five leading scorers from last season including Wahl, plus one of the best under the radar transfer additions in A.J. Storr from St. John’s, I believe the Badgers are currently the most underrated team in the Big Ten.
In addition, Wisconsin is a team that I will have ranked in my preseason Top 25, due to their roster continuity and the fact that this is an older, experienced team, which is when Wisconsin seems to be at their best. Although Greg Gard’s team missed the NCAA Tournament last season, the Badgers had made it to each of the previous three big dances’ from 2019-2022 (excluding the postponed 2020 NCAA Tournament) and I’am expecting a serious bounce back year from Wisconsin.
Michigan State
Over the course of the previous two seasons the expectations haven’t been as big as normal for Tom Izzo and company, however that will change this season, as the Spartans will be projected to be among one of the best teams in the country and in the Big Ten. Last season, Sparty entered the season as a fringe Top-25 team, and proved from very early on they can compete with the best that the sport has to offer.
Michigan State went toe to toe with #1 ranked Gonzaga on Opening Night and beating Kentucky in the Champions Classic to start their season and survived the toughest non-conference schedule in the country. After an up and down Big Ten Conference season, Michigan State found their way into the Sweet 16 where they pulled a massive upset over #2 seeded Marquette in the Round of 32. Unfortunately, Michigan State lost a heartbreaking game to Kansas State in the Sweet 16, but that should provide a ton of motivation for a team full of returning players.
Now, the backcourt trio of Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins will all return to school for their third season playing together. It is very rare to have that sort of backcourt continuity in College Basketball in the year 2023, and if anyone is going to take advantage of it, Tom Izzo is that guy. With big man Mady Sissoko also returning to school after a breakout season, plus one of the best Freshman classes in the country headlined by consensus Top 10 recruit Xavier Booker, this is Izzo’s best team since making it to the Final 4 with Cassius Winston in 2019. Coach Izzo has been one of the best and most consistent coaches in College Basketball however only seeing one National Championship next to his name has never felt right. This could be Izzo’s best chance at another ring before he calls it a career and I definitely expect Michigan State to be right back in that conversation.
Maryland
Considering circumstances, it was a very impressive Year #1 in College Park for Kevin Willard and his Terrapins, winning an NCAA Tournament game after being picked to finish in 10th place in the preseason media poll. Willard’s team will return three out of their top four scorers from last season, plus arguably the number one recruiting class in the Big Ten headlined by DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser.
Coach Willard had about as good of a year number one as you can ask for, and I expect the Terps to make even more progress under his watch in Year #2. There is no one in the Big Ten who should be trusted more with the ball in his hands late in games, then Jahmir Young, who averaged 15.8 points and 3.1 assists per game as a season ago. In addition, Maryland also added Indiana Transfer Jordan Geronimo, who at one point in his college career scored 15 points to help the Hoosiers win an NCAA Tournament game over Wyoming.
In 2023, depth was a clear issue for Maryland, as it was very difficult for Kevin Willard to trust anyone to give him consistent production who was outside his Starting 5. Now, with a nice core returning from a season ago, plus the addition of quality Freshman and transfers, there is no reason for this Maryland team not to be significantly better then they were a season ago. Maryland is one of the only teams in the Big Ten that when you compare their roster from a season ago to now, their current product is significantly better which should translate to wins on the court in the Big Ten this season.
Illinois
It was clear from very early on last season, that despite the high expectations, Illinois just simply did not have the right group of guys in that locker room. Despite some very promising early season moments including victories over top 10 teams like Texas and UCLA, Illinois was just not able to put together a stretch of consistently great basketball. The Illini’s season ended in disappointing fashion with a first round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas, and despite making the big dance for each of the last three seasons, Brad Underwood is still looking for his first second weekend appearance.
This year is a very important season for the Illini, considering they will bring back each of their top two players from a season ago, in Terrance Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins. It does say a lot that both of these players easily could have gone the NBA route and been drafted, however they decided to come back to Illinois, despite the troubles this team had last season. That shows a lot about their confidence in Coach Underwood and the program to get back to where they want to be, which is having success in the NCAA Tournament. Shannon will be one of the most experienced players in the country, with 114 games played in his four year College Basketball Career.
The Fighting Illini will also bring back productive Forwards Dain Dainja and Ty Rodgers, plus Guard Luke Goode, who was injured for the majority of last season and never really had the chance to get things going. With that core of returning players, plus some quality transfers in Quincy Guerrier, Justin Harmon and Marcus Domask, Illinois is definitely a team worth buying low on after a disappointing 2023. I expect the Illini to be right back in the mix at the top of the Big Ten in 2023-2024.
Ohio State
The 2023 season marked the first time in the Chris Holtmann era that Ohio State failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Not only did the Buckeyes not hear their names called on Selection Sunday, but things spiraled out of control rather quickly in Columbus. After starting the season 10-3, Ohio State went into an absolute tailspin losing 14 out of their next 15 games. The Buckeyes were one of the rare teams in the Power 6 last season that played a team predominantly made of Freshman and they had some major growing pains over the course of the season.
Despite that nightmare 15 game stretch, Ohio State did play very good basketball to close out the season, including winning 5 of their next 7 games to close out the season, against some of the best teams that the Big Ten had to offer. Ohio State made a miraculous run in the Big Ten Tournament, all the way to the Quarterfinals.
One pushback many people will have about Ohio State is the fact that they lost their leading scorer Brice Sensabaug after only one season, however he did not play for the majority of the Buckeyes Big Ten Tournament run. The star in that event was rising Sophomore Roddy Gayle, who scored 15 points in Ohio State’s Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals victory over Michigan State, and shot over 80% from three point range in the entirety of the event. With other good young players like Bruce Thornton and Felix Okpara also returning to school, and a quality Coach in Chris Holtmann, there is zero reason why Ohio State shouldn’t be back in the big dance in 2024.
Zac Krull has covered College Basketball for the last 2 years while working with Aaron Torres of Aaron Torres Media and recording his own Zac Krull Sports Podcast. Currently, Zac is writing as a contributor for Aaron Torres online with weekly articles and working as a producer for the BETQL Network. Zac graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2021 with a degree in Sports Studies.