All of the various pre-season rankings are virtually unanimous, at least at the top of the pack. Everybody has got Michigan State, Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan in that order. Illinois and Wisconsin are next in one order or the other. After that it’s a bit of a jumble. So here are 2 questions.
1. Who among the top 5 is gonna slip? And, trust me, somebody will. Last year, Nebraska was picked anywhere from #2 to #4 in the Big Ten. They went 6-14 and finished 11th. Bye-bye Tim Miles. And, Indiana was picked #3. Instead, the Hosers had a 1-12 streak and finished 9th.
2. Who among the next 9 is going to surprise? Now, here I’ll say that it’s not a given that anybody is. But, if they did…?
Which of the Big 5 Will Slip?
Purdue. The Boilers suffered the one biggest loss of anybody with the graduation of guard Carson Edwards. Now, compared to that, Michigan lost even more—top 3 scorers, and coach John Beilien, who decided to put his name in the NBA draft. But, Michigan also has 3 pretty good players coming back including 2 experienced guards in senior PG Zavier Simpson and junior SG Isaiah Livers, plus big Jon Teske. Purdue gets guard Nojel Eastern back plus Matt Haarans. And, of course, Purdue has Coach of the Year Matt Painter and Michigan has the inexperienced Juwan Howard. Still, talent on the floor wins. Michigan edges Purdue for 4th place.
Michigan State is a lock at #1, and Maryland almost the same at #2. Michigan will challenge Ohio State for the #3 spot. Those could be your 5 NCAA tournament entries, too, though I think, actually, 1 more will slip in.
Which of the Next 9 Will Surprise?
Illinois has the best talent but the Illini were just 12-21 last year. Wisconsin loses Ethan Happ but I know some smart people who thought he was terribly overrated. Penn State has Lamar Stevens back, and Iowa has Joe Weiskamp.
But along with Happ, many of these teams also lost some top talent. Minnesota, for one; Iowa, for another; Rutgers and Northwestern, too. So I like Illinois at #6 and probably the last Big 10 entry into the NCAA tournament.
Big 10 Prediction
1. Michigan State 18-2
2. Maryland 16-4
3. Michigan 15-5
4. Ohio State 13-7
5. Purdue 13-7
6. Illinois 12-8
7. Wisconsin 10-10
8. Minnesota 9-11
9. Iowa 9-11
10. Penn State 8-12
11. Indiana 7-11
12. Rutgers 4-16
13. Nebraska 4-16
14. Northwestern 2-18
All-Big 10
As I’ve said before, an all-star team consists of 5 players that you might actually put on the floor—that is, 1 or 2 bigs with all those studs at the “1.” Cassius Winston is the pre-season Player of the Year.
Big—Jalen Smith, Maryland, 6-10, Soph., 12 ppg, 7 reb, 49% shooter
Big—Lamar Stevens, Penn State, 6-8, Sr., 20 ppg, 8 reb, 2 asts, 42% shooter
Point Guard—Cassius Winston, Michigan State, 6-1, Sr., 19 ppg, 3 reb, 7 asts, 47%
Combo Guard—Anthony Cowan, Maryland, 6-0, Sr., 16 ppg, 4 asts, 39% shooter
Shooting Guard—Ayo Dosunmo, Illinois, 6-5, Soph., 14 ppg, 4 reb, 3 asts, 44% shooter
2nd Team
Big—Daniel Oturu, Minnesota, 6-10, Soph., 11 ppg, 7 reb, 55% shooter
Big—Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State, 6-9, Jr., 15 ppg, 7 reb, 2 asts, 50% shooter
Wing—Xavier Tillman, Michigan State, 6-8, Jr., 10 ppg, 7 reb, 2 blk, 60% shooter
Point Guard—Zavier Simpson, Michigan, 6-0, Sr., 9 ppg, 6 reb, 7 asts, 43% shooter
Shooting Guard—Nojel Eastern, Purdue, 6-6, Jr., 7 ppg, 5 reb, 2 asts, 49% shooter
3rd Team
Big—Jon Teske, Michigan, 7-1, Sr., 9 ppg, 7 reb, 52% shooter
Big—Luka Garza, Iowa, 6-11, Jr., 13 ppg, 4 reb, 53% shooter
Point Guard—D.J. Carton, Ohio State, 6-1, Fr.
Shooting Guard—Joshua Langford, Michigan State, 6-5, Sr., 15 ppg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 44%
Shooting Guard—Joe Weiskamp, Iowa, 6-5, Soph., 11 ppg, 5 reb, 49% shooter
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