In a conference where the teams all have a recent history of coming up short in the postseason, the squads in the Big Ten all have something to prove to the rest of the country this season. With this being said, the depth of the conference this year is great, but many of these teams at the moment would likely fall short of making the tournament. In consideration of the recent events involving Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr., there may be just three teams in this conference with title aspirations: Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan State.

The Purdue Boilermakers have finished in the top four each of the past three seasons and are the defending conference regular season champions. They were the only team in the Big Ten to truly capitalize on their non-conference schedule, winning games over Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama, and Arizona. Michigan State’s win over Baylor and Wisconsin’s win over Marquette were two good wins to add to the conference’s resume, but it looks as if the conference will have to do a majority of its damage in March. This could be the conference’s deepest year since 2021, with all 14 teams currently inside the KenPom top 105.

#1 Purdue (16-4)

After being the laughingstock of the college basketball world last March, it was going to be interesting to see how Purdue handled the noise coming into this season. They’ve handled it very well one could say. The Boilermakers boast six wins versus the KenPom top 50, including three inside the top 10. They are 12-1 with a lone loss at Northwestern in overtime as the calendar flips to 2024. In case you’ve been living under a rock the past year, the Purdue Boilermakers have the defending National Player of the Year Zach Edey on their team. Edey averages 23.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game, but the improvement of the backcourt is what’s giving Purdue the spark this year. Sophomores Braden Smith (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 6.8 apg) and Fletcher Loyer (11.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) have both been much improved, and SIU transfer Lance Jones (10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg) has added some much-needed experience and defensive prowess. The ceiling for this Purdue squad is winning the National Championship.

#2 Wisconsin (14-6)

Wisconsin kept a lot of its production from last year rolling into this season, but the additions have been the ones fueling the success. St. John’s transfer AJ Storr (15.0 ppg) leads the team in scoring and freshman John Blackwell (9.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg) has been a pleasant surprise for Badgers fans. The Badgers already boast wins over Marquette and Michigan State, and with the experience this team has, they have a legitimate chance to challenge Purdue for the Big Ten title, possibly coming down to a game in West Lafayette on the final day of the regular season.

#3 Michigan State (14-6)

Tom Izzo’s squad got off to one of their worst starts ever, hitting mid-December at a 4-5 record with losses to James Madison and Nebraska. The turning point of the season came in Detroit in a game against Baylor, where the Spartans dominated Baylor from the tip-off, winning 88-64. They’ve now won four in a row and come into Big Ten play 8-5 with a lot of momentum. Tyson Walker (20.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 apg) has really been the only Spartan who hasn’t missed a beat this season, but he’ll need a lot more consistent help, just as he’s had the last two weeks if MSU wants to win the Big Ten. I think this team is back and rolling, but the two-game setback they’ve given themselves already will be detrimental to their regular season hopes.

#4 Ohio State (12-8)

The Buckeyes are another top Big Ten team fueled by a sophomore-led backcourt, with Bruce Thornton (16.9 ppg, 4.1 apg) and Roddy Gayle Jr. (15.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg) much improved from a year ago. Ohio State had a relatively quiet non-conference schedule compared to the teams ahead of them. Their two biggest games included their win over Alabama in Florida and a home loss to Texas A&M. With the firepower the Buckeyes have, they can stay in a game with anyone – including Purdue, who they’ll host in late February.

#5 Illinois (12-8)

Illinois might be the most difficult team to find a place in the standings for in this conference with the questions surrounding the Terrence Shannon Jr. situation. They’ve still got a solid squad if he doesn’t end up playing another game for the Fighting Illini, but that’s an All-American sized hole to fill in the next three months. Marcus Domask (11.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Justin Harmon (5.3 ppg, scored 30 last game) are my two picks to have the biggest increase in production. It may be a rocky January for Illinois, but I think this team will adjust and end up comfortably inside the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top 5 of the Big Ten.

#6 Northwestern (11-9)

Northwestern hosts claim to one of the best wins of the college basketball season so far, winning in overtime against #1 Purdue 92-88 in a December conference game. This was the high for Northwestern this season, but the low came just a few days later, losing at home to Chicago State, who has been one of the worst teams in all of Division 1 in recent years. Senior guard Boo Buie (17.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.8 apg) is one of the best players in the Big Ten and proved against Purdue that he can take over a game when needed. Shown already by their wins and losses, I think this is a Northwestern team that will be all over the place, but ultimately finish above .500 in a down year for the middle portion of the Big Ten.

#7 Nebraska (11-9)

Fred Hoiberg has quietly put together a Nebraska team that could go down as the best team in Nebraska basketball history. The Cornhuskers have four players averaging over 12 points per game, two of which came via the transfer portal this offseason. These two players are Brice Williams (13.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Reink Mast (13.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg). Nebraska is just 3-2 vs KenPom top 100 teams, but the win over Michigan State in early December has sparked a four-game win streak going into conference play.

#8 Minnesota (9-11)

Ben Johnson has his best team as the Gophers head coach so far, led by an all-conference caliber player in Dawson Garcia (17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg). Minnesota shoots three-pointers much more efficiently than last season and has the national leader in assists per game with Elijah Hawkins (8.3 ppg, 7.8 apg). They had an easier schedule than most Big Ten teams throughout the first two months of the season but handled the lower-level teams easily and even picked up a big win at home against Nebraska in one of the early Big Ten games. It will be interesting to see how Ben Johnson does on the sideline during tight games, but his development of the young trio of Joshua Ola-Joseph (10.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Cam Christie (11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), and Pharrel Payne (9.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) cannot be understated.

#9 Indiana (8-12)

Indiana has had one of the more confusing set of results so far this season, going toe-to-toe with Kansas and getting wins over Maryland and Michigan, yet barely scraping past FGCU, Army, and Morehead State on their home court. The addition of Kel’el Ware (14.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg) from Oregon and the breakout of Malik Reneau (16.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) has resulted in the fact that Indiana has one of the best frontcourts in the country, but questions remain in the backcourt. With the consistently shaky play against inferior competition, I’m not sure I can trust Indiana to get it done night-in and night-out in Big Ten play.

#10 Michigan (8-12)

Michigan’s troublesome start to the season didn’t get any easier in December, with the Wolverines going 2-4 over the last month with a home loss to McNeese State. Dug McDaniel (19.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.0 apg) and Olivier Nkamhoua (17.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg) form a nice duo for the Wolverines, but a lineup that only goes seven deep will likely have some trouble as Michigan rolls into conference play. With the start Michigan has had and the finish I predict, I have a hard time seeing a future where Juwan Howard isn’t on the hot seat.

#11-14 The Rest of The Big Ten

To finish off the Big Ten, I’ve got Iowa (8-12), Maryland (7-13), Penn State (5-15), Rutgers (5-15). Maryland is likely the biggest surprise to most in this group, but the Terrapins haven’t exactly played well at any point this season. Rutgers’ recent struggles have led me to put them at the bottom, but the whole of this conference could finish drastically different with how close some of these teams truly are.

My Predictions for the All-Conference Selections and Award Winners

First Team: Zach Edey (Purdue), Tyson Walker (Michigan State), Boo Buie (Northwestern), Braden Smith (Purdue), Bruce Thornton (Ohio State)

Second Team: Dawson Garcia (Minnesota), Jahmir Young (Maryland), Dug McDaniel (Michigan), AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Malik Reneau (Indiana)

Player of the Year: Zach Edey (Purdue)

Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Edey (Purdue)

Newcomer of the Year: AJ Storr (Wisconsin)

Freshman of the Year: Cam Christie (Minnesota)

Coach of the Year: Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska)

Breakout Player to Watch For: Justin Harmon (Illinois)