Big Ten Basketball: Who Will Reign Over Always-Underrated Conference?

For a conference that provides approximately five programs to the NCAA tournament on a yearly basis, the Big Ten has somehow always been overlooked when comparisons are drawn with the powerful ACC or the old Big East.

Sure, it has been 14 years since a Big Ten school last cut down the nets in early April, but that doesn’t mean the conference lacks legitimate title contenders.

With three teams that advanced to the Elite Eight last season, the Big Ten is poised for another big season and here is a look at which programs are likely to take the conference crown this year.

The Bottom Thirds

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Rutgers

One of the two new members to the conference, Rutgers will have a tough time adjusting to the competition in the Big Ten, especially after finishing 12-21 last year in the weaker American. Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack are two promising players for head coach Eddie Jordan, but that just won’t be enough to contend in this conference.

Northwestern

A good blend of freshman and returning players should give Northwestern some promise for this season, but replacing top scorer Drew Crawford won’t be an easy task. Not many people doubt that Chris Collins can eventually take the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament; it just won’t happen anytime soon.

Purdue

Last year’s two top scorers in Terone and Ronnie Johnson are gone, which means that junior 7-footer A.J. Hammons needs to step up his game this season if Purdue wants to have any success. Head coach Matt Painter will also have to deal with some youth and inexperience on this year’s team, and that could hinder the Boilermakers’ progress.

Penn State

Senior guard D.J. Newbill (17.8 PPG last season) is one of the more talented players in the league, but the Nittany Lions just simply don’t have enough support for him other than perhaps Brandon Taylor. The frontcourt's production will also be a major concern for head coach Patrick Chambers, and there are just too many questions marks surrounding Penn State this season.

Indiana

Tom Crean has to deal with early-season suspensions for Troy Williams, Stanford Robinson and Emmitt Holt while overcome the losses of Will Sheehey and Noah Vonleh. He will need to rely on Yogi Ferrell this season, but there is only so much he can do if the rest of the Hoosiers, such as James Blackmon Jr. or Troy Williams, don’t provide the production expected from them.

The Long Shots

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Minnesota

Richard Pitino made an excellent first impression by making the Gophers the NIT champions in his first season last year. Andre Hollins, Maurice Walker and DeAndre Mathieu, three of the top four scorers from that team return this season, and their experiences will come in handy when competing in a loaded conference like this one. Don’t sleep on Minnesota this season.

Maryland

The other new member of the conference, the Terrapins return a core group in Dez Wells, Jake Layman and Evan Smotrycz. They make up a solid lineup, but the rest of the team is full of question marks. Mark Turgeon may be on the hot seat if the program doesn’t see any success in the near future, it can be a make-or-break season for the fourth-year head coach.

Illinois

Losing Tracy Abrams to a torn ACL is devastating, but Illinois doesn’t lack the talents to fill in for him. Transfers Aaron Cosby and Ahmad Starks should provide experience and outside shooting, while Rayvonte Rice is expected to keep pace with his 15.9 PPG average from last year.

Illinois would be in even better shape if freshman Leron Black and senior Nnanna Egwu can give the team some production in the frontcourt.

Iowa

It was baffling to watch how Iowa ended its previous season, but the good news is Devyn Marble was the only key piece that it lost. Aaron White is expected to do big things this season and so are Mike Gesell and Jarrod Uthoff. The Hawkeyes have plenty of depth in the frontcourt and don’t be surprised if they end up contending for the conference title.

Michigan

The Wolverines lost a bunch of key players, including Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III, and there is no quick way to rebound from that. Chances are, they will go as Caris LeVert goes this season. That is a lot of pressure on the junior guard, but Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin are on his side to provide some steady help. Michigan has the potential to be a contender but so do many other teams.

The Contenders: Nebraska

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Nebraska caught a lot of people by surprise last season by finishing fourth in the Big Ten and appearing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998, but there is reason to believe that it was not a fluke.

Junior forward Terran Petteway is one of the best players in the country after averaging 18.1 PPG last season and should be a candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year this season. Add in Shavon Shields (12.8 PPG) and Walter Pitchford (9.3 PPG) alongside Petteway and you get one of the more dangerous trios in the country. 

The Cornhuskers also play great defense, as their 0.99 points per possession rating last season ranked second in the Big Ten. However, the downside to last year’s team was its inability to win away from Lincoln.

Tim Miles’ team was excellent at home, going 15-1 in conference play, but its stumbles on the road were what ultimately prevented the Cornhuskers from being ranked no higher than No. 11 in the NCAA tournament.

Winning the Big Ten won’t be easy, but Nebraska has a legitimate chance at being one of the top teams in the conference again this season.

Oh, and give Miles a Twitter follow, you won’t regret it.

The Contenders: Michigan State

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The Michigan State Spartans will suffer a major drop-off from last year due to losing Gary Harris, Adreian Payne and Keith Appling. However, Branden Dawson, Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice are all back, and they are more than capable of carrying the load left by the first trio.

Junior center/forward Matt Costello should be able to provide more production this season as well after averaging 3.3 RPG and 1.3 BPG last season in just 14.7 minutes per game. 

Keep an eye for the kid they call "Tum Tum" too, as freshman Lourawls Nairn should see some solid minutes off the bench. Nairn measures in at just 5’10” and 170 pounds, but he has also been billed by many as one of the fastest players in the game. Expect him to provide some spark for the Spartans this season.

Michigan State likely won’t be a national-title contender again this year, but it should still a major threat in the Big Ten. The Spartans have finished in the top three in the conference for three consecutive seasons, and there is no reason to start doubting Tom Izzo now.

The Contenders: Ohio State

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Ohio State will miss Aaron Craft dearly, but the freshman D’Angelo Russell can ingratiate himself with the Buckeye fans in a hurry.

Russell was the top-rated shooting guard in ESPN’s recruiting class of 2014, and he can dazzle the crowds with some smooth handles and a neat shooting touch. He can provide the Buckeyes with plenty of offense and fill in the void left by Lenzelle Smith Jr. easily.

Apart from Russell, seniors Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, Amir Williams and transfer Anthony Lee should be able to provide plenty of offense and experience for head coach Thad Matta as well. 

Defensively, Craft’s tenacity will be hard to match, and Ohio State’s 0.96 points allowed per opponent’s possession will likely go up. However, for a team that finished top in the conference in that category last year, perhaps it can handle a slight drop-off.

When it’s all said and done, Ohio State should be one of the top teams in the Big Ten this season and should give the preseason favorite Wisconsin a good run for its money.

The Favorite: Wisconsin

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Without a question it’s Wisconsin and everyone else this year in the Big Ten.

This is the first time the Badgers have been picked as the preseason conference No. 1 under Bo Ryan, so it’d be interesting to see how they respond when they are the ones being targeted for once. 

Four starters from last year’s Final Four team return, and that makes Wisconsin a contender not only in the conference but also for the national championship as well.

All the attention will be on preseason AP All-American Frank Kaminsky and junior Sam Dekker this season—and deservingly so—but sophomore Nigel Hayes can emerge as a legitimate weapon this season and give Wisconsin another boost.

Hayes averaged 7.7 PPG last season while playing just 17.4 MPG, and Ben Brust's departure should open the door for Hayes to provide more production.

Josh Gasser and Traevon Jackson are the other two returning starters and are both two-way players. If they can keep posting the numbers they did last year, Wisconsin will be an elite team again this season.