Last Word on Sports 2024/25 Big Ten Basketball Predictions

Champion: Indiana

After a disappointing season last year, Mike Woodson hit the transfer portal hard to fix Indiana’s roster. The Hoosiers bring in one of the best players in the transfer portal, Oumar Ballo from Arizona. Additionally, they brought in Kanann Carlyle from Stanford and Luke Goode from Illinois. They also bring back a few starters from last season like Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako who should be solid contributors this season.

Other contenders will be Purdue and Illinois. Purdue has won the conference the past few seasons, but this year is going to be much different. The Boilermakers lose Zach Edey. He will be tough to replace but Purdue should still be able to compete. Illinois loses a lot of talent from last year but also brings in a lot through the portal. If Brad Underwood can make all of the new pieces work, Illinois could compete for the Big Ten championship.

Player of the Year: Oumar Ballo

If Indiana wins the conference, one of their players will likely win the Player of the Year award. The likely winner in this scenario would be Ballo as he is likely going to be the the team’s first scoring option. Mike Woodson has a history of developing big men. If he can work with Ballo effectively, he could certainly mold him into the player of the year.

The biggest threat to him would be Braden Smith from Purdue. The Big Ten media picked him to win the award and has had a solid career for the Boilermakers. Without Edey, he should be able to be the focal point of the offense which will allow him to put up great numbers.

Freshman of the Year: Ace Bailey

It is easy to pick Ace Bailey as the Big Ten freshman of the year. He was the number two recruit in the country and will be the top scoring option for Rutgers. He is an athletic forward who can score at will. At this point, it is his award to lose.

Most Disappointing Team: Michigan State

In the Big Ten media poll, Michigan State was selected to finish fifth in the conference. This seems a bit high for a team that finished 7th in the conference last season. The Spartans only bring in one transfer, Frankie Fidler from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Although Tom Izzo is an amazing coach, the roster does not seem strong enough to finish 5th in the expanded Big Ten.

Dark Horse: USC

USC was selected to finish 14th in the conference this season. The Trojans brought in Eric Musselman after former coach Andy Enfield left for SMU. Musselman was a great coach at Arkansas for many years and will have a talented roster in LA. He brought in a ton of transfers, which is his specialty. The combination of talent and coaching ability should allow the Trojans to finish toward the top of the Big Ten.