The Big Ten is in an interesting position for this upcoming season. Only three teams in the conference are ranked in the preseason AP Poll, but as most fans should know, preseason polls can be meaningless.
Purdue and Michigan State look like the juggernauts in the conference, but Illinois, Wisconsin and Maryland all have balanced attacks and return key players.
As usual, the Big Ten will see some parity in regular season play, but this conference has at least two national title contenders (Purdue and Michigan State).
Many of these teams will make the Big Dance, but will the conference finally come away with its first title in 24 seasons?
Big Ten Regular Season NCAAB Conference Title Odds
| Team Name | Odds (Via FanDuel) |
| Purdue | +160 |
| Michigan State | +290 |
| Maryland | +850 |
| Illinois | +1100 |
| Ohio State | +1500 |
| Indiana | +1500 |
| Wisconsin | +1500 |
| Iowa | +2500 |
| Northwestern | +3000 |
| Rutgers | +3000 |
| Nebraska | +3500 |
| Michigan | +4000 |
| Penn State | +5000 |
| Minnesota | +25000 |
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Conference Title Contenders
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers return the monster in the middle himself, Zach Edey, who is a Wooden Award candidate.
However, after their lofty NCAA tournament expectations in 2022-2023 quickly turned sour in the Round of 64, they have their sights set high again.
Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Ethan Morton, Caleb Furst, Mason Gillis and Trey Kaufman-Renn all return alongside Edey.
They added Myles Colvin as a four-start recruit and Lance Jones, a fifth-year transfer from Southern Illinois.
This team will be good in all areas. The experience in the backcourt will be paramount to the Boilers' success, as “get the ball to Zach Edey” didn't necessarily work against Fairleigh Dickinson.
This team has a chance to pull a Virginia and make its way to the national title game after an unprecedented upset in their first matchup in the prior NCAA tournament.
Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State has all of the ingredients to go far in 2023-24. The combination of A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker in the backcourt gives the Spartans a leg up on many others in the Big Ten — and the country.
These two are as experienced as any and combined for over 60 minutes per game. In addition, they also accounted for over 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds per game.
Jaden Akins, Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko round out the starting lineup. Sparty also has a loaded class of four freshmen with four-star or better ratings: Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand.
Booker might log the most minutes as the backup to Sissoko, but otherwise, this team is as deep as any in the country.
Tom Izzo has the propensity to lead this squad on a deep NCAA tournament run. However, this is a team that plays Duke, Arizona, Wisconsin and Baylor all before January.
There's a chance the Spartans could lose a few early, and taking them after one of those losses on a future north of +2000 might be a wise idea. I will be looking for one of those chances because MSU’s lines aren't valuable at the moment for me.
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illini had a first weekend exit again under Brad Underwood.
Now, last year’s team came into the season unfamiliar with each other, as the Illini were packed with freshmen and transfers.
This year will allow for a bit more continuity. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins returning is huge for the Illini's hopes of at least reaching the second weekend.
They also return Dain Dainja, Luke Goode, Sencire Harris and Ty Rodgers, so this is a deep and more experienced team.
Underwood and company added Marcus Domask from Southern Illinois, Quincy Guerrier from Oregon and Justin Harmon from Utah Valley.
Amani Hansberry and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn are their most distinguished freshmen recruits.
Underwood will always have this team prepped for its Big Ten competition, but Illinois is lacking in the point guard department after the departure of Jayden Epps. Rodgers will look to fill that void.
Illinois should and will use Ty Rodgers at the 1, along with Harris/Harmon. pic.twitter.com/DWh1a2sToW
— Dariush Takhtehchian, M.D (@takhtehchianmd) June 17, 2023
Another area of concern last year was 3-point shooting, with Matthew Mayer virtually disappearing down the stretch.
This is one team that presents value on a Big Ten future, as Underwood has had this program finish in the top four in the Big Ten in three of the past four seasons.
The Illini also only play Indiana and Wisconsin one time each.
Getting them at +1000 or better to win the conference is a solid play, as long as they can handle the point guard position.
Maryland Terrapins
The Terps are another team to watch in their quest for a tournament run. They come into this season ranked 22nd on KenPom.
Last year, they finished with a 22-13 overall record, including 11-9 in league play.
They saw the departures of some key names in Hakim Hart, Ian Martinez and Donald Carey.
However, they add highly-praised freshmen DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser Jr., as well as Jordan Geronimo and Chance Stephens from the transfer portal.
Jahmir Young, Donta Scott and Julian Reese will spearhead this offense. They did incredibly well last year at holding teams to very few 3s and limiting turnovers on offense. If they can keep that going with the talent they bring in to complement their stars, they could see the success Kevin Willard and the Maryland faithful desire.
Potential NCAA Tournament Bids
Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin is an interesting team. The Badgers missed the NCAA tournament in 2023, but they only lose Jordan Davis.
Greg Gard brings back the same starting lineup, while adding AJ Storr via the portal and a few key freshmen (Gus Yalden being the biggest name).
Wisconsin essentially had zero offensive identity last season, ranking 70th in Adjusted Shot Quality and 140th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, per KenPom.
This team plays solid defense and commits very few turnovers, so this can at least keep it in games. The 337th-ranked Adjusted Tempo provides a boost to the returning players, as well.
The Badgers may display a boring brand of basketball, but they can get the job done and make it to the Big Dance once again.
Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers very well could see themselves in the Big Dance again, but losing their entire identity to a new crop of players is incredibly tough to turn around.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Race Thompson, Tamar Bates and Miller Kopp are all gone.
They added Kel’el Ware (Oregon), Mackenzie Mgbako (freshman), Anthony Walker (Miami FL), Payton Sparks (Ball State), Gabe Cupps (freshman) and Jakai Newton (freshman).
Outside of Trey Galloway, Xavier Johnson and Malik Reneau, this team will not see much continuity. The Hoosiers have plenty of length in the frontcourt — which can help — but they're too unpredictable at the moment to gauge.
They have the talent, but they will take their lumps early in the season.
Playing UConn, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan and Auburn before January is great for their strength of schedule, but the Hoosiers won't be in the same class as they were last year.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Bucks lose some instant offense in Brice Sensabaugh, Justice Sueing and Sean McNeil. Isaac Likekele is also gone.
They add Jamison Battle, Minnesota's leading scorer, as well as Dale Bonner (Baylor), Scotty Middleton (freshman), Taison Chatman (freshman), Devin Royal (freshman) and Evan Mahaffey (Penn State).
Again, this is an entirely new squad. Battle will help fill the void, but he doesn't necessarily boost the Buckeyes' defensive efficiency. This was a glaring issue, and not having Sensabaugh there to bail them out will not help.
However, the Buckeyes ranked 25th in Adjusted Shot Quality last season. This obviously changes with the personnel, but Battle and an excellent recruiting class could be a nice change of pace.
Chatman and Royal are two names to watch. The Buckeyes also return Bruce Thornton, Rodney Gayle Jr., Felix Okpara and Zed Key, so depth shouldn't be an issue.
This is probably a tournament year for OSU, but unless the freshmen blow everyone else out of the water, an early exit could be in the cards.
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Northwestern Wildcats
Chris Collins is on a quest to have back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for NU for the first time in school history.
The Wildcats lose Chase Audige, Robbie Beran and Julian Roper II. They add Ryan Langborg (Princeton), Blake Preston (Liberty) and Justin Mullins (Denver) via the portal with Jordan Clayton, Parker Strauss and Blake Barkley coming in as freshmen.
Boo Buie and Ty Berry will lead this offense, and like with MSU, experience at the guard positions matter.
Brooks Barnhizer and Matthew Nicholson will be huge on the defensive end because this team does lack a little height. That said, the Wildcats have length on the wings, which is a boost.
Buie and Berry will be crucial to their chances and need to hit their 3s. Losing Audige hurts, particularly on the defensive end, as he averaged 2.4 steals per game.
This team excelled on defense and needs a similar approach to last year by forcing turnovers consistently and committing very few.
You could get a glimpse of how this team looks long-term during a December 1 game at home against Purdue. If Collins can instill the same belief as last year, this team could be making school history.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa loses both Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca, its two leading scorers from 2022-2023. Connor McCaffery and Ahron Ulis are also no longer with the team, too.
Payton Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins will provide Fran McCaffery some consistency.
He also added Ben Krikke (Valpo), Even Brauns (Belmont), Pryce Sandfort (freshman), Ladji Dembele (freshman) and Owen Freeman (freshman).
Last year, the Hawks ranked 21st in Adjusted Shot Quality. The key to this offense has been not turning the ball over.
However, the Hawkeyes' crux has been the defensive end. Losing two massive scorers will not help, but Sandfort and Perkins, in particular, had glimpses of how they could be a force in 2023-2024.
If the Hawkeyes can supplement these two, they will see a tournament berth, once again.
Potential Surprises
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Cornhuskers went on a run at the end of last season, which gave an encouraging view into the 2023-2024 season. They handled Penn State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota and Iowa from February to the end of the season.
Derrick Walker, Emmanuel Bandoumel and Sam Giesel are all gone. This team saw a litany of early-season injuries, so it did not display its strengths until later in the season.
It added a series of transfers: Jarron Coleman (Ball State), Rienk Mast (Bradley), Brice Williams (Charlotte), Josiah Allick (New Mexico) and Ahron Ulis (Iowa). Matar Diop and Eli Rice are the freshmen.
Yes, this is a ton of turnover, but this is just the norm in modern-day college hoops. Jamarques Lawrence, C.J. Wilcher and Keisei Tominaga provide a sense of normalcy.
This team will be able to shoot a bit better. Last year, the Huskers only shot 32.6% collectively from 3. Lawrence, Williams, Tominaga, Mast and Coleman all shot above 35%.
This could dramatically reverse the course of this team.
Still, they are a fringe bubble team and not worth a bet until they display some consistency with a new core.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Steve Pikiell lost some key players in Cam Spencer, Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy, but he added Noah Fernandes (UMass), Austin Williams (FIU), Jeremiah Williams (Iowa State), Gavin Griffiths (freshman) and Jamichael Davis (freshman).
Derek Simpson, Aundre Hyatt, Mawot Mag and Clifford Omoruyi round out a similar lineup.
Point guard will be an interesting look with Fernandes at the helm, but this lineup is still experienced. No, they will not necessarily win the NCAA tournament or the Big Ten, for that matter, but they could see another tournament berth, as long as the defensive prowess continues.
Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines likely will finish in the middle of the pack, but they could see themselves announced on Selection Sunday.
They lose so much on the offensive end, though, so this could be a major reason why they won't be as good this season.
Kobe Bufkin, Jett Howard, Joey Baker and most importantly, Hunter Dickinson are all gone.
Juwan Howard added Nimari Burnett (Alabama), Tray Jackson (Seton Hall) and Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee) from the portal and George Washington III as a freshman recruit. Dug McDaniel and Jaelin Llewellyn are the only two from last year’s team to average at least 20 minutes.
This is a major concern.
They play a series of comparable opponents before January, so this team can easily show who it is early.
I'm not buying the Wolverines. They couldn't make the Big Dance with the offensive forces on last year’s team, so all these transfers will not be able to replicate that production.
Bottom of the Barrel
Penn State Nittany Lions
Micah Shrewsberry might have been the best coach in the Big Ten, or at least in terms of understanding his personnel. There's a reason Penn State looked so sharp in 2022-2023.
The Nittany Lions' entire lineup is gone with the departure of their head coach, though.
Many were seniors or grad-transfers, anyways, but this will be a rebuilding year for Mike Rhoades, who had coached VCU since 2018.
Rhoades added Ace Baldwin Jr. (VCU), Nick Kern, Jr. (VCU), Zach Hicks (Temple), Puff Johnson (UNC), Qudus Wahab (Georgetown), Leo O’Boyle (Lafayette), Rayquawndis Mitchell (KC) and D’Marco Dunn (UNC).
The lineup is entirely new, but the transfers had plenty of output with their former teams.
However, this is too much of an overhaul to rely on in the Big Ten.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota looks to be cellar-dwellars again. The Gophers lose Battle, Ta’Lon Cooper, Jaden Henley and Taurus Samuels.
They add Elijah Hawkins (Howard), Mike Mitchell (Pepperdine) and Jack Wilson (Washington State). They also added Cam Christie and Kris Keinys as freshmen.
Dawson Garcia is likely leading the offense again. Parker Fox was an All-American in D-II a couple of years ago, so he could be a surprise.
Braeden Carrington, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne could take the next step as sophomores, but again, there's too much talent for Minnesota to leap to an NCAA tournament bid.
Where to Wager Big Ten Basketball in 2023-24
All eyes are on the Big Ten, as always, with the approach of college basketball season. This highly touted conference is known for its bruising play, making it a slog for any Big Ten Title hopefuls. Whether you're a B10 faithful, or a casual college basketball fan, there are several great places to wager this entertaining conference all season long! Here are some of the best sportsbooks available for college basketball betting today:
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