With how the college basketball season ended last year, anticipation for this season will be at an all-time high. Fans that had high hopes for their team last year will be hoping their team can pick up where they left off.
This could be especially true for Big Ten fans.
Last season was shaping up to be an incredible year for the Big Ten. The Big Ten tournament was going to be one for the ages. Many teams inside the Conference had legitimate national championship aspirations.
But then everything came to a screeching halt. Now, with a new season ready to begin, it is time to see which Big Ten teams can pick up where they left off. Oddsmakers (at PointsBet.com) see the Conference as a four-team race with one team having a slight edge:
Big Ten Tournament Winner
- Iowa +275
- Wisconsin +350
- Illinois +350
- Michigan State +350
- Ohio State +1000
- Michigan +1200
- Indiana +2000
- Purdue +3000
- Rutgers +3000
Maryland +5000
Minnesota, Penn State +30000
Nebraska, Northwestern +50000
With preseason player of the year favorite Luka Garza leading the way, it is not hard to see why the Hawkeyes are favored. But he is not the only reason. The team will have a talented group surrounding Garza, including seven of last season’s top eight scorers.
Jordan Bohannon’s return should give the team a boost as well.
Wisconsin was one of the most balanced teams in the Conference last year. With five seniors coming back and a loaded recruit class, there is no reason to think they cannot be even better this year—especially since they will have Micah Potter from the start.
Illinois is getting a lot of attention with a strong corps of Ayo Dosunmu, Trent Frazier, and Kofi Cockburn coming back. Losing Alan Griffin hurts, but the team is likely hoping Adam Miller can fill the void.
Tom Izzo always has a good team at Michigan State, and this year should not be any different. Replacing Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman will not be easy, but there will still be plenty of talent on the roster (i.e., Aaron Henry, Rocky Watts, Gabe Brown, etc.).
It will be interesting to see what Joshua Langford can contribute after missing much of the last two seasons with injuries.
As for the rest, Rutgers holds a lot of promise with much of last year’s talented team coming back. Michigan has been called a dark horse to win the Big Ten by many experts. Ohio State is an intriguing team after losing a lot of talent but bringing in a lot of transfer-talent to replace it.
Indiana may have a chance if the roster can continue to improve and build off last season.
So—how should you bet?
Iowa and Wisconsin appear to be the safest bets of the bunch. Both have experienced, talented rosters coming back that should be ready to compete early on. It would not be shocking to see either win the Conference if they can remain healthy.
If you are looking for a good dark horse or two, give Rutgers and Indiana some consideration. Both have talent on their rosters but will need to develop further to challenge one of the front runners.