At this juncture, each Big Ten team has played at least seven non-conference games. These 7-9 games played by each team have been a preview of what to expect when conference play starts. Some teams have surprised and some teams have played in a predictable fashion. I’ve gotten to watch every team except Northwestern and Iowa so far, but I feel like I’ve gathered enough information to predict the conference standings.
Here goes:
1. Ohio State: this is the easiest spot to rank in the entire Big Ten. The Buckeyes have lived up to the hype and then some, especially when they handle Duke at home in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. They have a great balance of a reliable, All-American level big man in Jared Sullinger and a heady, aggressive guard in Aaron Craft. That’s not even mentioning the loads of talent they have behind those two. Their rotation is only about six deep, but four of their starters arguably would start on every Big Ten team. I’ll be shocked if Ohio State doesn’t bring home the regular season championship this year.
2. Illinois: conversely, this is the toughest spot to rank. I was called crazy on Twitter for picking Illinois in the top four before the season began, but their play has left me impressed. Sam Maniscalo is a true leader at point guard and even if he’s nowhere near the talent of Demetri McCamey, he seems like he knows how to lead his team to victories. Meyers Leonard is a nice interior presence and there’s no shortage of talent on the wing with Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson. The talent is there. If they live up to their potential, they could finish runner-up.
3. Michigan State: I still don’t think that the Spartans have a true point guard with experience, but there’s a lot to like about the Spartans. They have senior leadership from Draymond Green and Keith Appling is a solid scorer. They’ll be tough on the boards with their interior depth and athletic forwards. Plus, Izzo is one of the best in the game, so I think they’ll keep improving after their early season losses to North Carolina and Duke.
4. Wisconsin: Part of me wanted to rank Wisconsin in the middle of the pack. I know, I know. –their offense is limited outside of Jordan Taylor and yes, they do rely on the three ball too much. But their defense is outstanding, they have adequate size to rebound, and they play so well at home that I can’t see them finishing worse than fourth in the Big Ten. Their loss at home to Marquette was surprising, but I don’t expect many more losses in Madison.
5. Purdue: From spots 2-8, it’s awfully difficult to determine where to rank each team. 5th seems like a reasonable spot to pick for the Boilers. With the departure of JJ and E’twaun, Purdue still has two outstanding leaders that are poised to keep their team in the top 5 of the Big Ten: Lewis Jackson and Robbie Hummel. Purdue is no higher than 5th because of their inadequate play in the post. If this team is going to exceed expectations, they’ll need Jacob Lawson, Sandi Marcius, and Travis Carroll to improve significantly. The continued development of guards Terone Johnson and Anthony Johnson should help them keep the offensive pace. Their defense is streaky, but Purdue is still capable of flustering most Big Ten teams with their defensive pressure.
6. Indiana: the Hoosiers have a whole new complexion with freshman center Cody Zeller. Zeller, Hulls, Oladipo, and Sheehey are all talented players that can score points in a variety of ways. IU hasn’t played any difficult competition with the exception of the road game against North Carolina State, but they face Kentucky soon which will reveal a lot about whether they can compete against elite talent. If they develop faster than expected, they could finish as high as fourth.
7. Michigan: John Beilein’s team is capable of knocking off any Big Ten team. At the same time, they lack a big time forward (just wait until next year when they have Mitch McGary). Tim Hardaway is as talented as any guard in the Big Ten, but if he’s having an off night, the Wolverines are very beatable.
8. Northwestern: the Wildcats play smart, but lack the athleticism to be a real dark horse in the Big Ten. This could be their year though to qualify for the NCAA tournament. They have trouble matching up with long, athletic teams, like when they played Baylor, but their Princeton offense is capable of knocking off teams in the top half of the Big Ten. I personally hope they can finally pop their NCAA cherry and go dancing.
9. Iowa: This is where Minnesota should be ranked, but the injury to Mbakwe is truly devastating to the Gophers. Getting back to Iowa, their coach, Fran McCaffery, will have the Hawkeyes creeping into the top half of the Big Ten within the next couple of years. Despite the rough start, they’ll improve over the course of the season. Matt Gatens and Melsahn Basabe play with a lot of fire and can possibly upset some higher ranked Big Ten teams this year.
10. Minnesota: I feel awful for Trevor Mbakwe. He’s an All Big Ten level player whose season already ended because of an ACL tear. Now the Gophers are without a true go-to player. Despite this, they’re 8-1 this year and players like Rodney White will step up and replace Mbakwe. They still have an above average big in Ralph Sampson III, but is their guard play good enough to do much damage in the Big Ten?
11. Penn State: the Nittany Lions are not the class of the Big Ten and they are transitioning to life under a new head coach. Guard Tim Frazier has been incredible so far and Penn State is 6-3. They’ve had a challenging schedule so far and were embarrassed by Kentucky, lost to St. Josephs, and dropped a close one to Ole Miss. Despite this, the tough non-conference schedule should pay off later and prepare them for the rigors of the Big Ten.
12. Nebraska: in the Corn Huskers’ first year in the Big Ten, they’ll have a tough time adjusting. They weren’t exactly a power in the Big 12, so don’t expect anything different in their new conference. They’ve already dropped home games to Oregon and Wake Forest, so that could foreshadow a rough season for Nebraska in their Big Ten debut. After a couple of years though, they may find some life. They’re currently planning a new basketball arena in downtown Lincoln and that will help re-energize the program.
Let me know what you think of the predictions. Feel free to comment here, but I’ll see your comment more quickly if you mention me on Twitter @Purdue_Rant.
Buy Purdue Boilermakers Football Tickets | Buy Purdue Boilermakers Football Apparel