Michigan delivered the Big Ten its first men's basketball national championship since 2000 last season, capping a dominant men's NCAA Tournament run with a title-game victory over UConn behind Elliot Cadeau's game-high 19 points.
Is the Big Ten capable of another championship run heading into the 2026-27 season?
While the conference doesn't have the top teams in the country, at least according to the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, it still has several strong contenders, headlined by the No. 3 Illinois.
The Big Ten is expected to compete with the SEC and Big 12 in terms of conference depth and talent this season, with several programs among those entering
the season as legitimate Final Four and national championship contenders.
Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans are expected to be part of a two-headed horse race with the Illini. The sixth-ranked Spartans, who have Duke and Arkansas on their non-conference schedule, return Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. from last year's core in East Lansing, while Cam Ward is expected to see a larger role this season.
Like most teams, No. 19 Michigan will look much different when it tips off against Oakland on Nov. 2 — including its head coach. Dusty May is now in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, and Mike Boynton Jr. has taken over. On the court, the Wolverines will have Cadeau and Trey McKenney back and have added Moustapha Thiam and J.P. Estrella from the portal.
Here's the full top 25 of the preseason Coaches Poll, including where Big Ten teams landed:
Men's college basketball preseason rankings
Big Ten teams in bold. First-place votes in parentheses
USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
- 1. Florida (20)
- 2. Duke (8)
- 3. Illinois (2)
- 4. Arizona
- 5. UConn
- 6. Michigan State
- 7. Texas
- 8. Houston
- 9. Tennessee
- 10. Virginia
- 11. Louisville
- 12. Gonzaga
- 13. Arkansas
- T-14. Iowa State
- T-14. St. John’s
- 16. Texas Tech
- 17. Miami
- T-18. Kansas
- T-18. Alabama
- 20. Michigan
- 21. Vanderbilt
- 22. USC
- 23. Kentucky
- 24. Purdue
- 25. BYU
Others receiving votes: Nebraska 66; UCLA 64; Missouri 60; Ohio State 31; North Carolina 24; Texas A&M 19; Villanova 14; Indiana 9; Wisconsin 5; Saint Louis 4; Cincinnati 4; West Virginia 2; Creighton 2; Maryland 1; Auburn 1.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Men's college basketball rankings: Preseason Coaches Poll top 25 for Big Ten
