Welcome back to B1G Hoops PREVIEW SZN. If you missed Part 1 click here to get caught up.
Can Purdue live without Swanigan?
The Boilermakers lost Mr. Double-Double, Caleb “Biggie” Swanigan, to the NBA. This means 7-foot-2 man-child Isaac Haas will need to stay out of foul trouble and use his size to his advantage if Purdue wants to be a top team in the conference. 6-foot-8 senior forward Vincent Edwards is destined to have a big season as he can do a little bit of everything on the court. Senior Dakota Mathias is the most underappreciated player in the Big Ten. He can shoot lights out from the perimeter and defend just about anyone you ask him to.
The key this year for the Boilers will be the play of sophomore guard Carsen Edwards. A four-star recruit, Edwards had troubles finding his groove last year and struggled shooting the ball. He played well for the U19 USA team this summer, but he’ll need to translate that to the college game and step up this year. Purdue also welcomes the services of freshman guard Nojel Eastern, who is almost as efficient as PJ Thompson when it comes to taking care of the rock. He won’t see all that much time at the point guard spot this year with Thompson at the helm, but he will be a great player in the future. The Boilermakers had the benefit of representing the USA at the World University Games in August, so they have a head start on the season and know what they need to do to be successful.
Hot Seat Mania
Arguably two of the most obnoxious head coaches in the Big Ten, Nebraska’s Tim Miles and Penn State’s Pat Chambers, somehow still have coaching jobs at a power five conference school. Being an Indiana guy, I have an intense hatred for Miles. A few years back, him and my spirit animal, Tom Crean, got in a little bit of a yelling match during a game. Crean would without a doubt kick Miles’ ass because Timmy boy spends too much time tweeting during halftime instead of coaching his below average teams to losing seasons. Nothing pisses me off more than Miles’ one-man show when he addresses the media. I don’t blame him for being a funky dude, but I hate the fact how he thinks everything is alright even though his program always sucks.
I wouldn’t call Chambers obnoxious, but I have no idea how he is still at Penn State. It’s been seven years and the Nittany Lions haven’t made it to a NCAA Tournament. Tony Carr and Shep Garner will be one of the most electrifying backcourts in the conference this year, but I’m not convinced it’ll be enough to go dancing. This year is it for both of these fellas. In the end, I think both programs will be looking for new coaches to take the throne.
Life without Melo
The Maryland Terrapins lost their heartbeat in three-year starting point guard Melo Trimble. With Trimble now in the association, a solid sophomore group of Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, and Justin Jackson will have to do the heavy lifting for Mark Turgeon’s squad. These three players were the key to Maryland’s success last year. Along with the sophomores, there are multiple upperclassmen, including frontcourt players Ivan Bender, Michael Cekovsky, and freshman Bruce Fernando, who Turgeon and the rest of the coaching staff have been very high on. Redshirt freshman Joshua Tomaic developed well last season and opened some eyes playing for Spain this summer at the U19 World Championships. Duke grad transfer Sean Obi, despite playing very little during his time at Duke, will have a chip on his shoulder and look to contribute any way he can. The ‘Terps may have lost Melo, but I could see a scenario where they are a top-five team in the Big Ten.
Can Ethan Happ lead a team?
The Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes, Zak Showalter, and Vitto Brown era is over in Madison. The only starters left over are Mr. Machine Ethan Happ and sophomore D’Mitrik Trice, who only started two games last year. Greg Gard has quite the challenge ahead of him. Gard will be coaching his players now as most of the members from Bo Ryan’s past teams are gone. Junior Khalil Iverson is another returner who saw valuable minutes last year, but played a relatively laid back role. Brevin Pritzl, aka the vampire, will see more ticks last year after coming off the bench and being a Zak Showalter 2.0. There is talent on this Wisconsin team according to their coaches, but almost all of these players are unproven and played hardly any minutes before this year. Four-star incoming freshman Nathan Reuvers is drawing comparisons to former Badger center Jon Leuer, so he’ll be an intriguing prospect to watch grow. Wisconsin basketball is the definition of consistency, is that the case this year?
Rutgers
I couldn’t think of a creative title, so I’ll just name this one Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights went 15-18 last year with most of those wins coming in a stupid easy non-conference slate last year, which will be the same this year. Corey Sanders is an entertaining player, but can he lead a team of nobodies to a non-last place finish in the Big Ten? Steve Pikiell made progress in his first year, but it still could be a while until we consider Scarlet Knights hoops relevant.
Fresh Faces
In an era of dominant freshmen, the Big Ten has some talented first-year players this season, but I think a majority will be playing college ball for multiple years. First, let’s start with Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson, who was a top-20 recruit coming out of high school and a McDonald’s All-American. Though he’s a projected one-and-done, I could make a case that he’d stay in East Lansing for an extra season, depending on how the season goes. Purdue’s Nojel Eastern and Illinois’ Mark Smith are the Lincoln State basketball products and will see prominent roles in their inaugural college seasons. Iowa has a host of top-150 big men in Luka Garza and Jack Nunge, who should see a good amount of minutes for Fran McCaffery’s squad. Obviously, Washington of Minnesota will be a joy to watch with his incredible ball-handling skills and flare. Indiana brings in three four-star recruits: Justin Smith, Clifton Moore, and Al Durham. Another freshman to watch who isn’t getting much love is Michigan’s, Jordan Poole. Known for his shooting ability, Poole played at La Lumiere with Jackson and Louisville’s Brian Bowen, and was crazy efficient scoring the ball last year. He’ll provide some scoring this winter with the loss of Zak Irvin for the Wolverines.
Well, folks here is my 2.5k word preview for Big Ten season. I enjoy college football, but the real season is around the corner and I couldn’t be happier. A conference full of top teams, teams with great potential, new coaches, stupid coaches, and diaper dandies, this is going to be a very very very fun year and I’ll make sure to be consistent each and every week getting content out to y’all.