Sure, it is only April 12th. But without live sports, we need to speculate on what will happen when we finally get them back. In these uncertain times, we were deprived of of a finish to the college basketball calendar, and that makes next year all the more exciting. It is never too early to check out how next year’s Big Ten basketball conference will shake out. Here is BadgersWire’s first look at projecting next year’s regular season top three in the best conference in college basketball.
No. 1: Wisconsin Badgers (Last year: 21-10 (14-6) Co-Big Ten regular season champions)
No, I swear there was no bias involved. This team should be the favorite in the Big Ten conference. The Badgers return 88% of their minutes from a squad that won the Big Ten regular season crown this past year. A plethora of Badgers played the best basketball of their season down the stretch. D’Mitrik Trice, Aleem Ford, Nate Reuvers, and Micah Potter each took their turns in the spotlight during Wisconsin’s eight-game winning streak in February and March. The best news? They are all coming back to Madison for one final ride. No team in the Big Ten has the kind of roster consistency that the Badgers do. While most Big Ten squads have new significant pieces that will decide their season or major questions surrounding the NBA draft, we know what we are getting in Madison. A trip to the 2021 Final Four in Indianapolis should be the goal for Greg Gard’s group.
No. 2: Iowa Hawkeyes (Last year: 20-11 (11-9) T-5th in the Big Ten)
This ranking hinges mightily on the decision that looms for reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza. Anytime you have the prospect of losing a player that averaged 23.9 points per game and nearly ten boards this past year, that will have a major effect on your pre-season expectations. Garza has announced he will test the NBA Draft process while still keeping eligibility, via his Twitter account. Based on how the rising senior fairs in terms of the draft process and projected draft location, Garza will make a decision regarding whether or not he returns. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award winner is not the only significant Hawkeye with questions, however. Losing starting point guard Jordan Bohannon to season-ending hip surgery in December meant that the Hawkeye senior could apply for a medical redshirt, and will be back for a second senior year. If Bohannon and Garza are both healthy and still Hawkeyes come this November, watch out.
No. 3: Michigan State (Last Year: 22-9 (14-6) Co-Big Ten regular season champions)
You can never count Tom Izzo and Sparty out. Without 2018-19 Big Ten Player of the Year Cassius Winston holding the keys to the car, things will get trickier for the Spartans on their quest to retain Big Ten supremacy. The key question for MSU next season is a similar one to the question surrounding Iowa and Garza: Will Xavier Tillman stay in East Lansing or go to the NBA? In the same fashion as Garza, the MSU big man declared for the draft while maintaining eligibility. A key difference between Garza and Tillman is that the Michigan State product has been consistently ranked as a late first-round selection, while Garza has rarely found himself on mock draft boards at all. If Tillman, who averaged 13.7 points and 10.3 boards this past season, returns, the Spartans have a foundation of Rocket Watts, Aaron Henry, and Tillman that will contend for a Big Ten crown. The addition of former Marquette player Joey Hauser will certainly prove significant given his immediate eligibility. Without Tillman staying though, it would be tough to see Michigan State repeating.