2017-18 Big 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Prediction
November 8, 2017
I’m back again for the next conference prediction, and this time it’s for the Big 10. If you haven’t seen them already, I have done the Big 12 and the Big East, and I am rounding out the “Big” conferences with the Big 10. People say that this is more of a “Football Conference”, but I disagree. This conference is bringing tons of talent from a lot of the schools, more importantly Michigan State and Purdue. They have brought in some top recruits as well in Isaiah Washington and Jaren Jackson. The Big 10 sent 7 teams to the tournament last season. They sent #4 Purdue (Sweet 16), #5 Minnesota (1st Round Loss), #6 Maryland (1st Round Loss), #7 Michigan (Sweet 16), #8 Northwestern (Round of 32), #8 Wisconsin (Sweet 16), and #9 Michigan St (Round of 32). Wisconsin had arguably the most successful season, beating #1 overall seed Villanova in the tournament. While the Big 10 didn’t see any of their teams make it to the Elite 8, they were tied for 2nd for the amount of teams sent to the tournament, and that alone is good for the conference. With a lot of greatness within the conference, let’s take a look at my prediction.
| Rank | School Name | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1 | Michigan State | 27-2 | 17-1 |
| 2 | Purdue | 25-4 | 16-2 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 25-6 | 14-4 |
| 4 | Northwestern | 24-6 | 13-5 |
| 5 | Maryland | 21-9 | 11-7 |
| 6 | Michigan | 20-10 | 10-8 |
| 7 | Penn State | 19-11 | 9-9 |
| 8 | Indiana | 17-13 | 9-9 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 17-13 | 8-10 |
| 10 | Ohio State | 15-14 | 6-12 |
| 11 | Iowa | 14-15 | 5-13 |
| 12 | Illinois | 14-18 | 3-15 |
| 13 | Nebraska | 11-18 | 3-15 |
| 14 | Rutgers | 10-20 | 2-16 |
Here are a few quick notes on reasons why I have wins and losses the way they are.
#1 Michigan State Spartans
Coach: Tom Izzo
After a more disappointing season last season getting knocked out in the 2nd round of the tournament last season. The good news is Tom Izzo is a top coach in the nation and his program is always able to compete at a high level. The Spartans will bring back top NBA prospect and top scorer F Miles Bridges and 2nd leading scorer C Nick Ward. Not only do they bring them back, but they also return a good majority of last year’s team and with the addition of 5-star recruit F Jaren Jackson Jr. and 4-star recruit F Xavier Tillman this team is going to make a lot of noise this season. Michigan State is gonna contend for the title so don’t be surprised when the Spartans go deep in March.
#2 Purdue Boilermakers
Coach: Matt Painter
Purdue played well last season, was a #5 seed, and made a Sweet 16 appearance before falling to #1 Kansas. The Boilermakers lose Caleb Swanigan to the NBA, but the scary part is they return their entire team from last year. Purdue will have 7’2” bigman and second leading scorer behind Swanigan in Isaac Haas. They not only have him but obtain 7’3”, yes 7’3”, freshman Matt Haarms. The Boilermakers bring back F Vince Edwards and G Carsen Edwards, who were their 3rd and 4th leading scorers from last season. Purdue normally underperforms in the tournament, but I believe this is the year they make a big run in the tourney.
#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers
Coach: Richard Pitino
Minnesota had a tough ending to their season last year placing as a #5 seed losing to #12 Middle Tennessee. The good news for the Golden Gophers is they are bringing back their entire starting lineup and only lost one player from their roster from last year. They notably return top scorers G Nate Wilson and G Amir Coffey who will look to improve on a great season last year. Not only do they return everyone but they also add top recruit G Isaiah “Jelly Fam” Washington, who is a viral sensation and looks to add some young talent to this already strong Gopher group. Coach Pitino runs a great system and inherited a great squad in his first season, but has built up a solid program looking to make an impact this season. Look at Minnesota as a team that will be underlooked and turn some heads during the Madness of March.
#4 Northwestern Wildcats
Coach: Chris Collins
Northwestern had the best season their basketball program has ever had last year. The Wildcats were able to not only play in their first ever NCAA Tournament game but they won it as well. The even better news is that Northwestern will bring back all 5 of their starters. Last year they were without F Aaron Falzon, who got hurt in just his 3rd game for the Wildcats. He will return healthy this year along with top scorers G Bryant McIntosh and G Scottie Lindsey. Northwestern also adds 4-star F Anthony Gaines to their already strong roster. They struggled a little offensively last season but were an extremely dominant defensive team. If they can put up some more points this season they can be a dangerous team towards the final stretch.
#5 Maryland Terrapins
Coach: Mark Turgeon
Maryland had an unfortunate matchup in the first round of the tournament last year squaring off against cinderella story #11 Xavier. They look to bounce back from last year after losing Melo Trimble to the NBA with F Justin Jackson and G Anthony Cowen leading the charge for the Terrapins. The Terps also add Top 100 recruit from ℅ 2016 F Bruno Fernando and 4-star recruit G Darryl Morsell. Maryland will need someone to step up big to replace Trimble’s scoring load and I think Jackson will step up to the table and make things happen for this team. Coach Mark Turgeon has ran a successful program here at Maryland and just because I have them at 5th doesn’t mean this team should be taken lightly.
#6 Michigan Wolverines
Coach: John Beilein
Michigan had almost made a run into the Elite 8 after upsetting #2 Louisville in the Round of 32 but lost to #3 Oregon by 1 point in the Sweet 16. F Moritz Wagner is returning as the 3rd leading scorer on the team. They do unfortunately lose 3 of their top 4 scorers in Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin, and D.J. Wilson, but Michigan is always a competitive program and can fill in the holes needed. They did add Top 100 recruit G Jordan Poole who is going to get immediate minutes for this team and could be a guy they look to for some instant scoring. The Wolverines will need someone to step up and they’ll find someone to lead them to a good seed come March.
#7 Penn State Nittany Lions
Coach: Pat Chambers
Penn State was a fairly young team last year missing the tournament in a disappointing season. The Nittany Lions have returned their whole starting lineup and top scorers G Tony Carr and F Lamar Stevens and will look to put together a strong season under Coach Chambers. One problem they have faced is scoring. Both Carr and Stevens were freshman last year and now look to improve on their Sophomore campaign. They add 3-star recruit G Jamari Wheeler, who hopes to make an impact on the floor. They pick up a key transfer in C Satchel Pierce, who is 7’0” tall and looks to be a big piece down low for the Nittany Lions.
#8 Indiana Hoosiers
Coach: Archie Miller
Indiana adds a new coach in Archie Miller after a disappointing season and missing the tournament. The team will have some good pieces returning including G Robert Johnson who was their second leading scorer last season. Sadly, they will lose C Thomas Bryant, G OG Anunoby, and G James Blackmon Jr. all to the NBA. The Hoosiers pickup top 100 freshman F Justin Smith and 4-star recruit G Aljami Durham to add to the mix and it’ll be an interesting season this year for the Hoosiers. We will see what Coach Miller can do for the program and maybe the Hoosiers can squeak their way into the big dance.
#9 Wisconsin Badgers
Coach: Greg Gard
Wisconsin had a successful season last year making it to the Sweet 16 as an #8 seed and upsetting the #1 overall seed in the tournament, Villanova. The Badgers have a great program run by Coach Gard and are always considered contenders no matter their roster. Wisconsin is going to lean heavily on F Ethan Happ, who was their 2nd leading scorer last year with all three of their top scorers netting 14 ppg. They lose Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes from last year’s squad and are hoping to get a lot out of their young talent. They add top 100 recruit F Nate Reuvers and 4-star recruit G Kobe King to the roster to help bolster their team for a good run at the tourney. Don’t be surprised if the Badgers are dancing come March.
#10 Ohio State Buckeyes
Coach: Chris Holtmann
The Buckeyes were nearly dancing last year but fell just short. Although they almost did it last year, this year will be a little harder for the Buckeyes. They do return top scorer F Jae’Sean Tate but they lose their 2-4 top scorers in Marc Loving, JaQuan Lyle, and Trevor Thompson, which will be a tough void for the Buckeyes to fill. On the brighter side of things the Buckeyes bring in top 100 recruits F Kyle Young and C Kaleb Wesson to help make the losses have less of an impact on this season. The Buckeyes are going to have a tough season if they don’t get some guys to step up and fill the holes.
#11 Iowa Hawkeyes
Coach: Fran McCaffery
Iowa had a solid year last year posting a 10-8 record in the conference and just missing out on the tournament. The Hawkeyes unfortunately will graduate their big work horse Peter Jok who scored 19.9 ppg for the Hawkeyes. Iowa does return 2nd and 3rd scorers F Tyler Cook and G Jordan Bohannon, who will look to boost their scoring to help fill the void for the absence of Jok. The Hawkeyes will need to fix their defense if they wanna be competitive this year. They have proved they can score but are in need of solid defense as a team. With the additions of top 100 recruits G Connor McCaffery and C Luke Garza, this team will hope to be playing well enough for the tourney.
#12 Illinois Fighting Illini
Coach: Brad Underwood
Illinois is going to have an interesting season this year. New Head Coach Brad Underwood will have his work cut out for him as he tries to reinvent the Fighting Illini into a strong program. The team lost tons of talent from last year, including their only scorer who was in double digits last year in G Malcolm Hill. The team is extremely young with only two seniors, 4 juniors, and the rest freshman and sophomores. I guess the only good news for the program is that they added top 100 freshman G Da’Monte Williams and 4-star freshman G Trent Frazier. It is going to be a struggling season this year as Illinois is entering a stage of rebuilding of the program to start pulling in better recruits.
#13 Nebraska Cornhuskers
Coach: Tim Miles
Nebraska is in a world of hurt after last season. The team failed to move the ball well and struggled in the assist department. Not only that but the Cornhuskers are losing leading scorer Tai Webster who was the focal point of the offense last year. G Glynn Watson Jr. returns to the roster after a solid sophomore campaign and hopes to add an even better year this season. The troubling part is Nebraska was unable to add any significant recruits at the moment and is going to struggle not just this year but towards the near future. There is a big hole dug for this team and it’s also a big hole to get out of.
#14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Coach: Steve Pikiell
The Scarlet Knights had a rough year last year to say the least. They finished 3-15 in the BIG 10 last year and are going to do much of the same this year. Rutgers made no immediate changes to the roster and are losing 2nd best scorer Nigel Johnson. I guess the bright side is they do have top scorer G Corey Sanders returning along with 3rd top scorer F DeShawn Freeman. Expect much of the same out of the Scarlet Knights this season as they are struggling to keep their head above water. They also failed to bring in any significant recruits to add to their struggling program and that will not be a help for them now or in the long run.
Written by Nick Kazandjian
