Big Ten football might be in full swing, but basketball is suddenly around the corner. And in a new-look conference that saw a flood of talented transfers coming in, the B1G is looking as competitive as ever.
With so much skill and experience to sort through across the board, we decided to preview the entire conference top to bottom, from the bonafide national title contenders all the way to the bottom-feeders just looking to win a few conference games.
National Title Contenders
Purdue
Notable departures: Myles Colvin (5.4 PPG), Camden Heide (4.7 PPG), Caleb Furst (4.1 PPG)
Notable additions: Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State), Omer Mayer (Israel)
Notable returners: Trey Kaufman-Renn (20.1 PPG), Braden Smith (15.8 PPG), Fletcher Loyer (13.8 PPG), CJ Cox (6.0 PPG)
No Big Ten team has had more success in the past five years than Purdue and that should continue this season. In a world of unlimited transfers, Matt Painter is the best coach in the country at recruiting, developing and retaining talent. The three best players from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team are back. Trey Kaufman-Renn was the breakout star in the Big Ten a season ago after beginning his career in Zach Edey’s oversized shadow. Fletcher Loyer is the glue that holds everything together and one of the best shooters in the conference. And of course, Braden Smith is a First Team All-American and should open as the preseason frontrunner for the Naismith Award. A season ago, Painter avoided the transfer portal entirely which left the Boilermakers lacking interior depth. Cluff solves that problem this season, transferring over a massive 6-foot-11, 255 pound frame and 12.3 rebounds a game to accompany the 7-foot-4 Daniel Jacobsen’s return from injury. Purdue’s floor if everyone is healthy is the Sweet 16 and the ceiling is a national championship.
Michigan
Notable departures: Tre Donaldson (11.3 PPG), Vladislav Goldin (16.6 PPG), Rubin Jones (3.6 PPG), Danny Wolf (13.2 PPG)
Notable additions: Elliot Cadeau (UNC), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois), Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Aday Mara (UCLA), Trey McKenney (No. 20 in ESPN 100)
Notable returners: Nimari Burnett (9.4 PPG), L.J. Cason (4.3 PPG), Roddy Gayle Jr. (9.8 PPG), Will Tschetter (6.4 PPG)
The Wolverines should have the deepest and most complete roster in the conference, thanks to ESPN’s third ranked transfer class. The portal gives Dusty May three front court weapons who can be deployed in a number of ways. Lendeborg is the prize as a do-it-all forward who led UAB in all five major counting categories. Mara and Johnson are both young centers with sky-high potential in different ways; Mara is a walking giant with soft touch and good passing skills from the elbow, while Johnson is a physical center who will excel off the ball and on defense. Elliot Cadeau is a good fit as the lead guard on the roster where his creative prowess can be on full display and the turnover problems familiar territory for a Michigan squad who navigated a roster that couldn’t control the ball last year en route to a 5-seed. The returning pieces slot in beautifully. Burnett and Tschetter give the lineups shooting, Gayle adds a wing slashing element and more defense and Cason could be the best backup point guard in the league if his development breaks right. McKenney is a highly touted prospect who should feel comfortable taking his time with the depth ahead of him. Don’t be surprised if Michigan earns a top-2 seed on Selection Sunday.
UCLA
Notable departures: Sebastian Mack (9.6 PPG), Kobe Johnson (7.9 PPG), Aday Mara (6.9 PPG)
Notable additions: Donovan Dent (New Mexico), Jamar Brown (Kansas City), Xavier Booker (Michigan State)
Notable returners: Tyler Bilodeau (13.5 PPG), Eric Dailey Jr. (11.4 PPG), Skyy Clark (8.5 PPG)
UCLA sneaks into this national title-level range simply because of an elite combination of talented experience with an underratedly good transfer portal class. The returns of both Bilodeau and Dailey Jr., last years leaders as scorers and leaders, are a massive bonus for Mick Cronin’s squad headed into the 2025-26 season. That’s not even mentioning Skyy Clark, the reliable point guard who will man the backcourt without a worry for the Bruins once again this season, a skill that isn’t easy to come by in the upper echelon of college basketball. But the huge transfer of Donovan Dent, formerly a mid-major star at New Mexico, kicks this team into another gear, especially on the offensive end. The combination of the four aforementioned guys alongside some solid depth and the coaching of an all-time great in Cronin solidifies UCLA as a team that wouldn’t surprise me if they made it to the Final Four.
Top 25 Caliber
Illinois
Notable departures: Kasparas Jakucionis (15.0 PPG), Will Riley (12.6 PPG), Tre White (10.5 PPG), Morez Johnson Jr. (7.0 PPG), Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (5.9 PPG)
Notable additions: Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas), David Mirkovic (Montenegro), Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia), Andrej Stojakovic (Cal)
Notable returners: Kylan Boswell (12.3 PPG), Ben Humrichous (7.6 PPG), Tomislav Ivisic (13.0 PPG), Ty Rodgers (6.2 PPG in 23-24)
Last year’s Illinois squad had sky-high potential last season but never really put it all together after dealing with team-wide illness throughout February. Jakucionis and Riley, the team’s two best perimeter scorers, went back to back in the first round of the NBA Draft in June. However, the incoming slate of transfers and freshmen should make for another intriguing season. Stojakovic, the son of NBA legend Peja, has a legitimate chance to be the leading scorer in the Big Ten after averaging nearly 18 points a night at Cal. Zvonimir isn’t as good as his brother Tomislav on either end, but they have chemistry playing together and enough outside shooting between them to allow Brad Underwood to deploy some huge and creative lineups. Boswell is one of the most underrated players in the entire country; he’s elite on both ends and is a consistent shooting stroke from being in All-American conversations. Mirkovic and Petrovic aren’t your average freshmen. Mirkovic turns 20 early in the season while Petrovic will be 22 before the end and both have experience playing on the European professional circuit and in international competitions. There will be some ups and downs throughout the year but Illinois will be better than a season ago if things break right.
Michigan State
Notable departures: Jaden Akins (12.8 PPG), Jase Richardson (12.1 PPG), Tre Holloman (9.1 PPG), Xavier Booker (4.7 PPG)
Notable additions: Trey Fort (Stanford), Kaleb Glenn (FAU), Cam Ward (No. 50 in ESPN 100)
Notable returners: Coen Carr (8.1 PPG), Jaxon Kohler (7.8 PPG), Jeremy Fears Jr. (7.2 PPG), Carson Cooper (5.0 PPG)
It’s once again reload and restock time for Tom Izzo and Co., who will have a new-look backcourt alongside a frontcourt that’s stuck together from this past season. Despite losing star guards Jaden Akins and Jase Richardson to graduation and the draft, respectively, the Spartans found reliable replacements in Trey Fort and Kaleb Glenn, who both produced well at their previous stops, and two top-100 recruits as well. Combine that with a returning twin-tower duo of Kohler and Cooper and the potential that is always there for high-flyer Coen Carr, and this team suddenly looks dangerous enough to return to the Elite Eight again — or further. At the end of the day, Izzo is going to get this team to its full potential, even if it doesn’t have the same raw talent as some other programs in the conference. Like the saying goes: “November, December, January, February, Izzo.”
Tournament-Worthy
Oregon
Notable departures: Brandon Angel (8.3 PPG), TJ Bamba (10.5 PPG), Keeshawn Barthelemy (10.0 PPG), Supreme Cook (4.7 PPG), Bam Tracey (6.9 PPG)
Notable additions: Devon Pryor (Texas), Takai Simpkins (Elon), Sean Stewart (Ohio State)
Notable returners: Nate Bittle (14.2 PPG), Kwame Evans Jr. (6.1 PPG), Jackson Shelstad (13.7 PPG)
The Ducks returned their two best players in Bittle and Shelstad, but the rest of the roster took a major hit this offseason. Oregon was one of the deepest teams in the league a season ago, with secondary scoring and all around defense being their main strength. Bittle, an automatic double-double, was their anchor and should hold down a good defense once again but the complementary effects of Ange, Bamba, Barthelemy and Tracey are going to be difficult to replicate with the current roster makeup. Expect Dana Altman’s squad to shorten the bench and rely on a three-headed monster of Shelstad, Bittle and the Elon transfer Simpkins to provide all of the offense. Oregon should make the tournament comfortably, but their hopes of achieving the second weekend will rely on Shelstad and Bittle taking another jump as a pick-and-roll duo.
Wisconsin
Notable departures: John Tonje (19.6 PPG), Steven Crowl (9.9 PPG), Max Klesmit (9.2 PPG)
Notable additions: Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Austin Rapp (Portland)
Notable returners: John Blackwell (15.8 PPG), Nolan Winter (9.4 PPG)
The loss of perennial scorer John Tonje hurts, no doubt. But the silver lining of the near-20-point-per-game scorer’s departure is that returning John Blackwell’s ceiling is now limitless. After averaging nearly 16 points per contest with Tonje there, head coach Greg Gard will likely expand Blackwell’s role even more headed into this winter. While depth remains a concern for this Badgers team, the combination of Blackwell with returning stretch big Nolan Winter and hard-nosed Nick Boyd provides Wisco with enough star talent to make the tournament, at the very least.
Indiana
Notable departures: Malik Reneau (13.3 PPG), Oumar Ballo (13.0 PPG), Mackenzie Mgbako (12.2 PPG), Myles Rice (10.2 PPG), Trey Galloway (8.2 PPG)
Notable additions: Tucker DeVries (West Virginia), Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston), Jasai Miles (North Florida), Tayton Connerway (Troy), Reed Bailey (Davidson ), Nick Dorn (Elon)
Notable returners: N/A
Expectations are always high for a fringe-blue blood basketball program like Indiana. But with incoming head coach Darian DeVries now spearheading this program, IU is the definition of a wild card in the Big Ten this season. The Hoosiers, unsurprisingly, return nothing from last year’s team; now, a new head coach, system, and star-studded group of players insert into this program looking to bring IU back to postseason basketball. Headlined by the coach’s son Tucker DeVries (nearly 15 points per game at West Virginia last season), Indiana could easily outperform — or underperform — the ranking we have for them here. And that’s what makes them so intriguing.
Bubblicious
Ohio State
Notable departures: Micah Parrish (13.3 PPG), Meechie Johnson (9.1 PPG), Aaron Bradshaw (6.0 PPG), Sean Stewart (5.7 PPG)
Notable additions: Brandon Noel (Wright State), Cristoph Tilly (Santa Clara)
Notable returners: Bruce Thornton (17.7 PPG), Devin Royal (13.7 PPG), John Mobley Jr. (13.0 PPG)
Heading into last season, expectations were high for the Buckeyes. Yes, they’d lost some talent; yes, they had a first-year head coach in Jake Diebler; yes, they were coming off a losing season. But the talent on the roster was undoubtedly there. The puzzle pieces just never quite fit together, though, on the way to a 17-15 season for Ohio State. Heading into Year Two, Diebler should have a better semblance of what direction he wants to take this team. The biggest name for this roster, once again, is Bruce Thornton, who earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors last year and decided to return for his senior season to lead the Bucks once again. Alongside him are reliable scorers Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr., both returning as well, and a pair of mid-major big men in Brandon Noel and Cristoph Tilly who have the potential to form a scary good frontcourt. It all really depends on whether the pieces fit together this time around.
Iowa
Notable departures: Ladji Dembele (4.5 PPG), Josh Dix (14.4 PPG), Owen Freeman (16.7 PPG), Brock Harding (8.8 PPG), Payton Sandfort (16.7 PPG), Pryce Sandfort (8.8 PPG), Drew Thelwell (9.5 PPG), Seydou Traore (5.9 PPG)
Notable additions: Tavion Banks (Drake), Kael Combs (Drake), Alvaro Folgueiras (Robert Morris), Brendan Hausen (Kansas St), Isaia Howard (Drake), Cam Manyawu (Drake), Bennett Stirtz (Drake)
Notable returners: N/A
Careful readers might pick up on a pattern amongst the incoming transfers. Ben McCollum is one of the rising stars in the coaching business. After a very successful career at the DII level, he took over at Drake from new Hoosier head man Darian DeVries and coached them to an 11-seed and a first round upset over Mizzou. McCollum stays in-state and brings over his glacially paced offense, well-oiled defense and All-American Honorable Mention point guard Bennett Stirtz to Iowa City. This season should be an interesting experiment because as good as Drake was at the mid-major level last year, the Hawkeyes will have one of the weakest rosters in the conference on paper. However, McCollum’s system will slow the game down so much that it should mitigate some of the talent difference and Stirtz should be one of the best players in the league, fully capable of taking over any game in a number of ways. Folgueiras is a versatile big who should pack a dynamic one-two punch with Stirtz. Banks is the key as an undersized center who could make or break the season with his hustle and defensive chops. Iowa will bother the best teams in the league all year long, but it remains to be seen if there’s enough high major talent here to go dancing.
Washington
Notable departures: Great Osobor (14.8 PPG), Tyler Harris (11.8 PPG)
Notable additions: Desmond Claude (USC), Jacob Ognacevic (Lipscomb), Quimari Peterson (ETSU), Lathan Somerville (Rutgers), Bryson Tucker (Indiana), Wesley Yates III (USC)
Notable returners: Franck Kepnang (6.9 PPG)
There’s a ton of turnover in year two of Danny Sprinkle but this team should be much better than a year ago. Claude and Yates were arguably the two best players at USC last year and now both join the Huskies to form the new back court. Both Yates and Claude are big guards which should allow Sprinkle to start either Zoom Diallo or Quimari Peterson alongside them, with Diallo being closer to a true point guard while Peterson is a gunner who scored 19.5 points a game and shot over 42% from three at ETSU last year. The front court was a major weakness for the Dawgs last season outside of Great Osobor, but his departure is countered with the arrivals of Somerville and Ognacevic who give Washington a deeper front court. Their most important add up front comes in the form of German big Hannes Steinbach, who many see as a first-round or even potential lottery pick but will play the entire season as a 19 year old. Unfortunately for the Huskies, it was announced last week that Ognacevic is expected to be out until January which weakens their newly minted frontcourt depth. Washington could surprise the college basketball world given their star power at guard, but in a conference like the Big Ten could struggle against the more physical opponents.
USC
Notable departures: Chibuzo Agbo (11.8 PPG), Rashaun Agee (9.4 PPG), Desmond Claude (15.8 PPG), Josh Cohen (5.9 PPG), Matt Knowling (3.0 PPG), Saint Thomas (9.5 PPG), Wesley Yates III (14.1 PPG)
Notable additions: Alijah Arenas (No. 13 in ESPN 100), Ezra Ausar (Utah), Chad Baker-Mazara (Auburn), Jaden Brownell (Samford), Jacob Cofie (UVA), Ryan Cornish (Dartmouth), Amarion Dickerson (Robert Morris), Gabe Dynes (Youngstown St), Jordan Marsh (UNC-Asheville), Rodney Rice (Maryland)
Notable returners: Terrance Williams II (10.6 PPG)
USC has a chance to have one of the deepest rosters in the league. Last year, Eric Musselman brought in a whole lineup of transfers and had some struggles in his first year at the helm. He’s running back a similar strategy this year after losing his top three scorers from last season. However, there’s hope around campus that the new squad should be better situated. For one, there’s more proven high major talent on the roster with the additions of Baker-Mazara, Rice, Ausar and Cofie. Rice and Baker-Mazara are big-time scoring options on the wing and Ausar will provide some thump inside next to Dickerson, Dynes, Williams or whoever else Musselman decides to start. The Trojans are facing two main questions, very similar to their two question marks entering last season. First, who will run the point? Look for Marsh and Cornish to operate with the ball in their hands a lot, but expect it to be a more fluid offense with everyone taking a turn. Arenas was set to start at point guard, but he suffered a torn meniscus in July that has a recovery timeline of 6-8 months, setting up a potential late-season return but no more. The second and more pressing question is whether a roster full of transfers will gel enough to win the big games. Last year, USC consistently fell short in that category so chemistry in the early going is imperative.
Maryland
Notable departures: Derik Queen (16.5 PPG), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.7 PPG), Rodney Rice (13.8 PPG), Julian Reese (13.3 PPG), Selton Miguel (11.6 PPG)
Notable additions: Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M), Myles Rice (Indiana), Isaiah Watts (Washington State), Solomon Washington (Texas A&M)
Notable returners: N/A
From last season to this one, Maryland might as well just be a whole different program. And that’s not just because of NIL. After losing head coach Kevin Willard to the vacant Villanova job — and the entirety of the affectionately named “Crab Five” along with him, the Terrapins snagged Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, who brought backcourt duo Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington along for the ride. The Terps also got a couple solid guards via the portal in Myles Rice, who makes his third stop in as many seasons, and Isaiah Watts from the opposite coast. With literally zero continuity on this roster, expect there to be a bit of a learning curve as Maryland tries to compete in a stacked Big Ten.
Northwestern
Notable departures: Brooks Barnhizer (17.1 PPG), Jalen Leach (14.3 PPG), Ty Berry (10.6 PPG), Matt Nicholson (5.2 PPG)
Notable additions: Max Green (Holy Cross), Jayden Reid (South Florida), Arrinten Page (Cincinnati), Tre Singleton (four-star)
Notable returners: Nick Martinelli (20.5 PPG), K.J. Windham (5.6 PPG)
Okay, we might be a little biased putting Northwestern in the “on the bubble category” at this juncture. But Northwestern basketball in the Chris Collins era is perennially underrated, and the pieces are certainly there for this year’s squad. An exodus of experienced talent left Evanston this past spring, with three of NU’s four leading scorers now gone. Collins, though, found a way to rebuild around the remaining Nick Martinelli, who has a case to be a top five player in this conference after leading the B1G in scoring a season ago. Max Green is one of the most exciting names out of the newcomers after winning Patriot League Freshman of the Year; both Jayden Reid and Arrinten Page have bags, despite a full foot separating them in height. Possibly most exciting is NU’s freshman class, which includes four-star (per 247Sports) Tre Singleton, as well as point guard and TikTok sensation Jake West. Even if this team doesn’t compete towards the top of the conference this year, the Wildcats look well-set-up for the long haul.
Outside Looking In
Nebraska
Notable departures: Brice Williams (20.4 PPG), Juwan Gary (14.6 PPG), Andrew Morgan (8.2 PPG)
Notable additions: Pryce Sandfort (Iowa), Kendall Blue (St. Thomas)
Notable returners: Connor Essegian (10.7 PPG)
There isn’t a ton to be super excited about for this Cornhuskers program after losing leading scorer Brice Williams, who was neck-and-neck with Martinelli for the scoring title last year. The biggest name coming back to Lincoln is former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian, who broke out last year after transferring to Nebraska, and looks poised to take yet another step forward. And in the transfer portal, the shocking addition of Pryce Sandfort (formerly of Iowa) to the Huskers gives this team an extra edge as it looks to compete again after missing out on the previously-15 team Big Ten Tournament a season ago.
Minnesota
Notable departures: Parker Fox (5.8 PPG), Dawson Garcia (19.2 PPG), Frank Mitchell (4.9 PPG), Mike Mitchell Jr. (8.6 PPG), Femi Odukale (6.8 PPG), Lu’Cye Patterson (11.6 PPG), Brennan Rigsby (5.4 PPG)
Notable additions: Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Colorado State), Bobby Durkin (Davidson), B.J. Omot (Cal), Langston Reynolds (Northern Colorado), Cade Tyson (UNC), Chansey Willis Jr. (WMU)
Notable returners: Isaac Asuma (5.6 PPG)
It’s essentially a fully new roster for first year head coach Niko Medved, who brings Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and a successful run of tournament appearances from Colorado State. There are some intriguing transfer names, notably Willis Jr. and Reynolds. Willis Jr. led the MAC in scoring at Western Michigan while Reynolds scored 16 points a game with a lightning-quick first step that should translate exceptionally well to the power conference level. Durkin, Tyson and Omot are all intriguing prospects in the front court although none are proven commodities in a high major conference. Omot can score at a high level for the center position but injured himself just four games into last year’s campaign at Cal, while Tyson was a force to be reckoned with at Belmont but struggled at UNC. The Golden Gophers have more down ballot talent than last year, but the loss of a legitimate star in Dawson Garcia with no clear heir apparent may hold them back from improving.
Fold the Program
Penn State
Notable departures: Ace Baldwin Jr. (14.0 PPG), D’Marco Dunn (8.4 PPG), Zach Hicks (11.6 PPG), Puff Johnson (10.2 PPG), Nick Kern (11.5 PPG), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (12.9 PPG)
Notable additions: Sasa Ciani (UIC), Kayden Mingo (No. 39 in ESPN 100), Josh Reed (Cincinnati)
Notable returners: Freddie Dilione V (9.4 PPG)
Those of you worried about Northwestern’s youth holding them back, take heart in the fact that they aren’t the youngest team in the conference. Penn State has a shocking eight true freshmen on their 13 man roster. Add in two sophomores to bring the total to 10 underclassmen and of the three upperclassmen, only Freddie Dilione V is a returner. All that to say, this team is as unknown as it gets, but in a conference as loaded as the Big Ten with talented seniors and grad students, it’s tough to bet on a cohort of 18-year olds to win more than a slight handful of games. If there is hope to be found this season, it rests firmly on the shoulders of Kayden Mingo. Mingo, a product of high school powerhouse Long Island Lutheran, is ranked 39th in ESPN’s 2025 class, the highest recruit in Penn State history. Mingo will likely handle an outsized load for a rookie, but if he proves capable, Penn State could pull off a few upsets. More pessimistic Penn State fans can also look to Kayden’s brother Dylan, the 9th ranked player in the class of 2026 who may choose to follow his brother to State College.
Rutgers
Notable departures: Dylan Harper (19.4 PPG), Ace Bailey (17.6 PPG), Lathan Sommerville (8.2 PPG)
Notable additions: Tariq Francis (NJIT), Chris Nwuli (No. 48 in ESPN 100)
Notable returners: N/A
Frankly, last year was supposed to be Rutgers’ year. After getting both the second- and fourth-ranked prospects in the ESPN 100 — Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, respectively — expectations were through the roof for head coach Steve Pikiell. Those expectations were not met, to say the least, as the Scarlet Knights drudged through a 15-17 finish that included losses to Kennesaw State and Princeton. Now, Harper and Bailey are both gone, while no one of note has stayed. Providing a small beacon of hope are Tariq Francis, who averaged nearly 20 points per game at NJIT a season ago, and Chris Nwuli, the 48th-ranked recruit in this year’s class. Nevertheless, this has all the makings of a rebuild year for Rutgers.
