It’s August, which calls for the annual college basketball conference previews. We’re focusing on the Big Ten in this particular piece.
2015-16 Big Ten Conference Basketball Preview
1. Maryland Terrapins
After a season that featured some close wins, and some bad losses, the Terrapins of Maryland are the favorites in the Big Ten going into the 2015-16 season. They return sophomore point guard Melo Trimble (16.2 PPG, 3.0 APG) and senior stretch forward Jake Layman (12.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG), as both players should be a big part of Maryland’s success. Trimble can penetrate any defense, break them down, and even get to the line. That leaves a collapsed defense for Layman to shoot — he made 38 percent of his three-pointers last year. Five-star big man Diamond Stone and Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon should help cure the loss of senior Dez Wells.
2. Michigan State Spartans
After another patented Tom Izzo-Final Four run from the Spartans last year, Michigan State will have high expectations once again this year. They lost senior leaders Travis Trice and Branden Dawson, but new leadership should not be a problem. Senior Denzel Valentine (14.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.3 APG) is a do-it-all type of forward that can be equally satisfying as agonizing. He will be their most important player this year, as his play will affect every game’s outcome. Sophomore point guard Tum Tum Nairn (2.2 PPG, 2.4 APG) has been raved as a future captain by Mateen Cleaves and Draymond Green — both former Izzo captains. Not to mention the backcourt of West Virginia transfer Eron Harris and Bryn Forbes (8.5 PPG, .43 3PT%), Michigan State’s depth will put them in position to steal the Big Ten.
3. Indiana Hoosiers
After a couple of subpar seasons at Indiana, Tom Crean is effectively on the hot seat. He needs to get this season right, and he has the roster to do it. The Hoosiers return senior point guard Yogi Ferrell (16.3 PPG, 4.9 APG) and sophomore combo guard James Blackmon (15.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) with a core group coming back. The group includes sophomore forward Troy Williams (13.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG), and he should look to get even better this season. The backcourt will drive the bus, though. Ferrell is already in his fourth year under Tom Crean and he will have the team under his control. Blackmon should make a leap in his sophomore year, too; he’s a pure scorer. Five-star center Thomas Bryant will help the interior defense that let the Hoosiers down last year.
4. Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers and Matt Painter are heading into a telling season; will they get over the hump, or stay in mediocrity? They have talent in West Lafayette, especially with two big centers in senior A.J. Hammons (11.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.8 BPG) and sophomore Isaac Haas (7.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG). Hammons has All-Big Ten potential, and is an absolute force on defense. Returners from the backcourt include senior guard Raphael Davis (10.7 RPG, 2.6 APG) and junior guard Kendall Stephens (8.7 PPG, .38 3PT%), with both players have the ability to really score the ball. Five-star power forward Caleb Swanigan says he’s a stretch four, and will need to prove it early at Purdue. Finding a pure point guard will be Painter’s job early in the season.
5. Wisconsin Badgers
In the competitive Big Ten last year, Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin team was clearly the best of the bunch. They had an all-around good starting lineup that complimented each other really well. They did lose four seniors from that group, though. Frank Kaminksy, Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser and Traevon Jackson all played big roles on the Final Four squad last year, and they’ll all be desperately missed. They will also miss spot up shooter Duje Dukan from the rotation. Coach Ryan always seems to come up with a comfortable plan for his upcoming team, and this may be his biggest challenge. Returning starters Nigel Hayes (12.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG) and Bronson Koenig (8.7 PPG, 2.5 APG) will be asked to shoulder a big load of the offense for the Badgers early while the rest of the team comes around. Brevin Pritzl is a four-star freshman shooting guard that could see minutes early.
6. Iowa Hawkeyes
The loss of senior forward Aaron White was big, so yes, we got that out of the way. The Hawkeyes have talent returning, though. Junior forward Jarrod Uthoff (12.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG), junior point guard Mike Gessel (7.4 PPG, 4.0 APG), and senior center Gabriel Olaseni (8.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG) are the main contributors coming back, but sophomore guard Peter Jok (7.0 PPG) and junior center Adam Woodbury (6.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG) should also be big contributors. It’s all about depth again for head coach Fran McCaffery, and he knows how to utilize it. It will be interesting to see if athletic four-star wing Isaiah Moss will get major minutes in his freshman year; it is the weakest position for the Hawkeyes at this point, so look for Moss to play early.
7. Illinois Fighting Illini
John Groce is another coach facing a telling season. The Illini are losing some talent in Rayvonte Rice, Ahmad Starks, and Aaron Cosby. They also lost a great defensive big man in Nnanna Egwu, but they also return talent. Junior guards Malcolm Hill (14.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and Kendrick Nunn (11.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG) have a lot of Big Ten experience under their belt and should be ready to run the team. Forward Leron Black (4.3 RPG) should also play a big role for the Illini this season. The recruiting class should contribute as well. Groce got two commits from the ESPN 100 in four-star shooting guard Jalen Coleman and small forward D.J. Williams. Coleman will fight for a starting spot, but with a plethora of guards on the roster, expect Illinois to go small this year.
8. Ohio State Buckeyes
While Ohio State lost freshman sensation D’Angelo Russell to the draft last spring, the Buckeyes have deep recruiting class coming in to help replace him. JaQuan Lyle, Austin Grandstaff, and A.J. Harris are all four-star freshman guards that will try to replace Russell’s production. Daniel Giddens and Mickey Mitchell are a couple of four-star big men that can add depth, too. There are just too few veteran players for the Buckeyes to challenge for a top spot this season, as Shannon Scott, Amir Williams, and Sam Thompson are just some of the quality players the Buckeyes lost last year. Junior wing Marc Loving (9.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG) will have to take on a much bigger load this season than he has been used to, which could be problematic. Loving has a tendency to disappear during games, and that just cannot happen this year. Jae’Sean Tate (8.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG) is a strong big man that played big minutes last year, and should be one of the more reliable players on the team this year.
9. Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern has not had the greatest basketball history, but the Wildcats had a promising year last season despite finishing with a losing record. Coach Chris Collins, a Mike Krzyzewski disciple, has the program in the right direction. Returning are senior guard Tre Demps (12.5 PPG, 2.6 APG) and center Alex Olah (11.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG), who will both try to lead the team past expectations once again. They will receive help from sophomore guard Bryant McIntosh (11.4 PPG, 4.7 APG), who showed signs of progress last year. They also bring in ESPN 100 power forward Aaron Falzon, who will certainly play a big role for the Wildcats this season. If anything, look for Collins to keep the direction of the program moving in the right direction.
10. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan took some embarrassing losses last season, and it’s all about eliminating those this year. The Wolverines lost star forward Caris LeVert (14.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG) early, and the senior’s return will obviously help the team. Top performers that are returning include juniors Zak Irvin (14.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and Derrick Walton (10.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG), and both guards should be more ready to contribute significantly to a winning team. Off the bench, guards Spike Albrecht (7.5 PPG, 3.9 APG) and Muhammed-Ali Abdul-Rahkeem (4.5 PPG) should both provide a spark to the offense. Albrecht, a senior, is a reliable point guard for Coach John Beilein can trust if Walton falters in crunch time. While Beilein didn’t reel in any recruits this year, second year guys like Kameron Chatman (3.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and Ricky Doyle (6.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG) will be expected to pitch in.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Richard Pitino has had a rocky start to his tenure at Minnesota, and it will not get any easier with the losses of Andre Hollins and Maurice Walker. Senior guard Carlos Morris (11.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG) will have to take a step, or a few, forward to lead the Golden Gophers this year. Senior guard DeAndre Mathieu (8.6 PPG, 4.6 APG) and forward Joey King (9.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG) will also have to be at the top of their games as their final season comes around. Nate Mason (9.8 PPG), a sophomore guard, will get a lot of playing time this year, and will need to use that time to his advantage. Four-star point guards Jarvis Johnson and Kevin Dorsey will both need to carve out playing time in their first year, but offer hope for the future.
12. Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions lost a huge piece of their team from last year in D.J. Newbill, and it will be a difficult loss to overcome. Helping those efforts will be sophomore guard Shep Garner (9.2 PPG, 2.3 APG), senior forward Brandon Taylor (9.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG), and senior guard John Johnson(7.4 PPG, .37 3PT%). Newbill naturally made Garner and Johnson better players just by being around them, and the guard duo should be fine this year. Brandon Taylor has the experience to do as much as possible for Penn State in the frontcourt. Senior forward Ross Travis (6.3 RPG) should help Taylor with that task. Shooting guard Josh Reaves and center Mike Watkins are both ESPN 100 guys that will get plenty of experience this year.
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Tim Miles’ team took a step back last year, and the Cornhuskers are in a tough spot this year. They lost their top player in Terran Petteway, and a quality big man in Walter Pitchford. That’s going to be a lot of production to replace. Forward Shavon Shields (15.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG) is back, though, and the senior should lead the team in multiple categories this year. Another senior forward, David Rivers (4.3 RPG), should also help the frontcourt hold their ground. Look for four-star forward Ed Morrow to get some playing time, as he will provide a youthful spark. The backcourt will be ran by senior Benny Parker (4.2 PPG, 1.7 APG) and true freshman Glynn Watson, a ESPN 100 commit. It’s a tough season to predict for Nebraska, but they’re going to have to work very hard to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers had a rough season last year, but their top three players are returning. Senior guard Myles Mack (13.4 PPG, 4.2 APG), junior forward Kadeem Jack (13.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG), and sophomore guard Bishop Daniels (8.4 PPG) all made strides last year as the main contributors for the Scarlet Knights. They’ll have to be even better this year, and hope for more help from their teammates. Junior center Greg Lewis (4.5 RPG) can grab rebounds, set picks, and do the dirty work, but he can also improve. A lot of hope will be put in four-star, ESPN 100 point guard Corey Sanders, who will need to be able to run the offense and have the trust of his teammates from day one.
