As the start of the new season grows closer, CBB Review gives its Big Ten Basketball Preview.
Big Ten Basketball Projected Standings
1. Illinois Fighting Illini
2. Indiana Hoosiers
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Purdue Boilermakers
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. Michigan State Spartans
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
8. Penn State Nittany Lions
9. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
10. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Maryland Terrapins
12. Minnesota Golden Gophers
13. Northwestern Wildcats
14. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Preseason Player of the Year
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Dickinson returns for his junior season after averaging 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. He also shot 32.8% from three, not a super efficient number, but he had confidence when shooting which makes him even tougher to defend. Michigan will feature a lot of new players, but Dickinson will be the one steady piece at center. The offense will go through him, and he will have a variety of ways to score.
Preseason Coach of the Year
Brad Underwood, Illinois
Underwood returns to Illinois for his sixth season, coming off of a Big Ten regular season championship last year. Almost all of the key pieces are gone, but Illinois brought in two of the top transfers in Terrence Shannon Jr. and Matthew Mayer. There are only a trio of returning players from last season’s rotation, so Underwood will have to be able to mesh the new pieces together quickly.
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana
Hood-Schifino is the top-rated recruit coming into the Big Ten. He projects to be a starting guard for the Hoosiers this season, and he will look to make a big impact right away. Indiana needs guard play, so Hood-Schifino will be able to get plenty of run. Combining the opportunity with his skills, he could be one of the better freshmen in the country.
Preseason Transfer of the Year
Terrence Shannon Jr, Illinois
Shannon Jr. was one of the more coveted recruits this past offseason. Coming off a year at Texas Tech that included him averaging 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 38.4 percent from deep. With a revamped roster, Shannon will have a lot of opportunities to increase those averages this upcoming season in Big Ten basketball.
Preseason First Team
- G/F: Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
- C: Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers
- C: Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
- C: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
- C: Zach Edey, Purdue
Preseason Second Team
- G: Chucky Hepburn, Wisconsin
- G: Jalen Pickett, Penn State
- F: Jamison Battle, Minnesota
- F: Kris Murray, Iowa
- F/C: Coleman Hawkins, Illinois
Preseason All-Freshman Team
- G: Braden Smith, Purdue
- G: Brice Sensabaugh, Ohio State
- G: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana
- G: Skyy Clark, Illinois
- F: Jett Howard, Michigan