Early Big Ten basketball power rankings for 2023-24 season
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Jun 7, 2023
- 9 min read
Now that the NBA Draft deadline has come and gone and rosters across the country are beginning to take shape, the Big Ten once again looks like a powerhouse conference that has the potential to send its fair share of teams back to the NCAA Tournament.
Many key players withdrew themselves from NBA Draft contention and will be returning to school with the goal of capturing a National Championship.
Here is what the 2023-24 Big Ten season has the potential to look like:
1. Purdue
Despite becoming the second 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed when Fairleigh Dickinson knocked the Boilermakers out of the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a heartbreaking 63-58 loss, Purdue has reloaded and will find itself right in the thick of things in 2023-24.
With the late news of Zach Edey, last season's National Player of the Year, coming back for one more season, all five starters are returning for the Boilermakers.
Edey, who averaged over 22 points and nearly 13 rebounds per game in 2022-23, was arguably the most dominant force in college basketball and led Purdue to a 29-6 record on top of a Big Ten championship.
With him back in the fold alongside nearly all of his returning cast from a year ago, there may not be a team in the conference with as much firepower as Purdue.
It is another "Final Four or bust" situation for Matt Painter's group.
2. Michigan State
The Spartans are fresh off a somewhat surprise trip to the Sweet 16 after an up-and-down 2022-23 season, but have added some crucial pieces that have them poised to be atop the conference again next year.
Top-30 freshmen Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears will look to make an immediate impact in East Lansing alongside the core-four returning starters.
The Spartans looked primed to suffer some colossal losses in the draft, but will welcome back three guards in Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins this season. With Malik Hall manning the power forward spot, this experienced group has a chance to take Tom Izzo to his ninth Final Four.
3. Illinois
After Purdue and Michigan State, the 3-11 spots on this list contain very balanced teams with the potential to finish anywhere in this range. At the moment, the combination of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins reign superior over the others.
Shannon Jr., who averaged 17.2 points per game in his first season at Illinois after transferring from Texas Tech, announced his intention to return to Champaign on May 31.
Later that day, Hawkins, who led the team in rebounding, assists and blocks last season, withdrew from the NBA Draft and told the school he will return for his senior season.
The losses of Matthew Mayer and Jayden Epps have left holes that need to be filled, but Brad Underwood has brought in several transfers who will be thrusted into important roles early on.
4. Maryland
In year one of the Kevin Willard era in College Park, Maryland went undefeated at home in conference play and won a game in the NCAA Tournament. In year two, a blend of familiar faces and newcomers will be at the forefront of any success the Terps have.
After narrowly missing out on the Hunter Dickinson sweepstakes, the big three of Jahmir Young, Donta Scott and Julian Reese are back.
Reese came into his own in his sophomore season and became one of the more dominant big men in the conference. With another offseason of strength training on the horizon, his skillset on the interior will pay dividends for the Terps.
Young and Scott announced their intentions to return to school for a fifth year after testing the draft waters. Young, who played his high school ball at nearby DeMatha Catholic, poured in nearly 16 points per game in his first season at Maryland after his transfer from Charlotte.
To fill the void left by Villanova transfer Hakim Hart, top-70 freshmen DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser are expected to play major roles.
The last-minute departure of guard Ian Martinez to the transfer portal was a shock, but the roster shuffling has paved the way for a group of athletic and versatile newcomers to make their mark in 2023-24.
5. Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers lost a lot of key players this offseason.
Trayce Jackson-Davis was a staple in the Indiana lineup for the last four seasons and averaged double figures each year, which was encapsulated by his dominant 2022-23 campaign where he poured in 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Without him and Jalen Hood-Schifino, the freshman phenom who declared for the draft after one year at Indiana, the Hoosiers will need some new and familiar faces to take the next step.
Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway have been around the program for multiple seasons, but have yet to become a focal point of the game plan. This season, they will need to shoulder the load alongside Mackenzie Mgbako, the No. 9 prospect in ESPN's top-100 list.
The ability to mesh the returning faces with newcomers like Mgbako, Oregon transfer Kel'el Ware (6.6 PPG), Ball State transfer Payton Sparks (13.3 PPG), and Miami transfer Anthony Walker (2.8 PPG) will make-or-break the Hoosiers in 2023-24.
6. Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes roster will see somewhat of an overhaul in the 2023-24 season, as six impact players from a season ago will have departed.
With that being said, the new pieces to the puzzle have a chance to mix up the Big Ten with their performance.
A major chunk in scoring will be missed, as Brice Sensabaugh, Justice Sueing, and Sean McNeil are among the group who will not be playing in Columbus this season.
Moving up in their absence will be double-digit scorers Bruce Thornton and Zed Key, along with a talented sophomore Roddy Gayle Jr., who saw his usage increase as the season wore on.
The Buckeyes will welcome three top-100 freshmen into the mix, as Scotty Middleton (No. 34), Taison Chatman (No. 45), and Devin Royal (No. 49) will be in the mix.
In-conference transfer Jamison Battle will provide a scoring punch after two impressive seasons at Minnesota. His ability to stretch the floor at the forward position will be imperative to any success the Buckeyes have.
7. Wisconsin
Adding to the list of veteran teams welcoming back the majority of their starting five and rotation, the Wisconsin Badgers will yet again be leaning on experienced pieces to win them games in the 2023-24 campaign.
Four returning starters averaged double figures last season, and the fifth is talented guard Max Klesmit, who narrowly missed the mark at 8.4 points per game.
The Badgers have always been a team that wins close, grind-it-out types of games, which looks like will be the case again this season.
The inside-outside duo of Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl has been effective throughout their tenures in Madison, but the sophomore leap by guard Connor Essegian will be crucial to how far Wisconsin goes.
8. Rutgers
Rutgers showed a glimpse of its potential last season through its defensive identity, but struggled down the stretch en route to a 10-10 conference record and Quarterfinals exit in the Big Ten Tournament.
The offensive roadmap looks slightly more dim after leading scorer Cam Spencer entered the transfer portal on May 19. The senior guard averaged 13.2 points per game as a reliable option in his lone year at Rutgers.
Paul Mulcahy and Cliff Omoruyi are expected to handle the bulk of the work in the absence of Spencer, with help from sophomore guard Derek Simpson (7.1 PPG) and senior forward Mawot Mag (7.8 PPG).
Mag suffered a torn ACL in February and missed the remainder of the season.
Noah Fernandes, who averaged 13.4 points per game last season at UMass, will look to develop a consistent role in the Scarlett Knight rotation to help guide Rutgers back to the NCAA Tournament.
9. Northwestern
An exciting 2022-23 season resulted in the second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance for the Northwestern Wildcats, and the returning cast is one that believes they have a chance to run it back in consecutive years.
Wildcats fans received great news on May 8, when leading scorer Boo Buie announced his return to school for a fifth season. Buie had declared for the NBA Draft in April and tested the waters before eventually deciding to come back to school.
Despite the return of Buie, the Wildcats did not receive similar news from second-leading scorer Chase Audige, who announced he will be keeping his name in the NBA Draft and will not be returning to Northwestern for his final year of eligibility.
Audige, who averaged just over 14 points per game last season and was named the 2022-23 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, will begin his pro career.
Role players such as Ty Berry (8.5 PPG), Brooks Barnhizer (7.6 PPG) and Matthew Nicholson (6.3 PPG) will be forced to handle a good chunk of the load next season.
Northwestern will lean on Buie yet again to try and regain the magic that led them to the big dance in 2023. Don't be surprised if the Wildcats outperform their expectations.
10. Iowa
Just a year after his brother Keegan did it, Kris Murray took a major leap into stardom in the Big Ten and across the country and earned himself an opportunity to get selected in the lottery of the NBA Draft.
His 20 points and second-leading scorer Filip Rebraca's 14 points per game will be missed for the Iowa Hawkeyes this upcoming season, and head coach Fran McCaffery will be forced to thrust others into the limelight with an eye on reaching the NCAA Tournament again.
Iowa will lean on Tony Perkins as its primary ball-handler this year after he averaged 12.3 points and just under three assists a game in 2023.
The development of Payton Sandfort will be something for Iowa fans to keep an eye on, as the sophomore averaged over 10 points per game coming off the bench.
Valparaiso transfer Ben Krikke poured in just shy of 20 points per game last year and will be a welcome addition to the front court, but the void left by Murray could be too much to overcome for the Hawkeyes to be as competitive as previous years.
11. Nebraska
The Nebraska Cornhuskers found themselves in the thick of things in the Big Ten for much of last season, but ultimately missed out on the big dance yet again.
The losses of Derrick Walker (13.6 PPG) and Sam Griesel (12 PPG) hurt the scoring production for the Cornhuskers, but the return of Keisei Tominaga - a player who could potentially be a breakout star in the conference - is something that will provide a glimmer of hope for Nebraska fans.
Tominaga had an outstanding 2022-23 campaign for Nebraska, coming essentially out of nowhere to score over 13 points per game and shoot 40% from 3-point range.
The defensive attention that he will receive should open up opportunities for others to capitalize on.
The transfer trio of Brice Williams, Ahron Ulis and Rienk Mast should add depth to some of the holes left by the departures, but many question marks surround the legitimacy of this squad heading into next season.
12. Michigan
Things look bleak in Ann Arbor for the 2023-24 basketball season.
After an unsuccessful 2022-23 campaign where Michigan sat firmly on the bubble all season and ended the year on the wrong side, the team quickly learned they would be losing two key backcourt pieces in Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard to the NBA Draft.
Just when they thought things couldn't get worse, Hunter Dickinson announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.
In a frantic attempt to replace some of the lost scoring, the Wolverines landed North Carolina transfer Caleb Love. This partnership lasted about a month, as he re-opened his recruitment and will not attend Michigan.
Returning for the Wolverines are Dug McDaniel (8.6 PPG) and Terrance Williams II (6.1 PPG), who are tasked with shouldering the load this year.
Alabama transfer Nimari Burnett will provide a jolt and backcourt help while Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua gives the Wolverines a big boost, but head coach Juwan Howard will need to put it all together.
13. Penn State
After an exciting 23-win season where Penn State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011, head coach Micah Shrewsberry took the head job at Notre Dame and several players and recruits followed.
The Nittany Lions were already prepared to be without the services of leading scorer Jalen Pickett, who averaged a career-high 17.7 points per game in the final year of his stellar career, but will also lose Seth Lundy (14.2 PPG), Andrew Funk (12.5 PPG) and Camren Wynter (8.9 PPG).
As far as newcomers go, Penn State hired Mike Rhoades from VCU, who brought the services of Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern along with him.
Rhoades was forced to be active in the transfer portal and scooped up Zach Hicks, Qudus Wahab and Puff Johnson among others. The mid-major pickups will be forced to adapt quickly to the talented Big Ten opposing teams, which could pose challenges, especially early on.
14. Minnesota
Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, low on the Big Ten power rankings is where they have frequently found their team in recent years.
After a 9-22 season, the Golden Gophers lost Jamison Battle to Ohio State and Ta'Lon Cooper to South Carolina, two guys that did a majority of the scoring a season ago.
On a positive note, Minnesota will return Dawson Garcia, who was a bright spot a year ago and was one of the main contributors on the offensive end. His 15.3 points per game will have to be elevated for the Gophers to find success.
Aside from Garcia, the Gophers added Mike Mitchell (11.4 PPG) and Elijah Hawkins (12.9 PPG) from Pepperdine and Howard respectively. The pair will have to take on a larger role in order for this team to find itself anywhere other than 14th in the Big Ten.
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