The Big Ten has held the title of deepest conference in college basketball for the past few seasons.
No school has sent more teams to each of the last three NCAA Tournaments than the Big Ten. The 14-school conference had nine teams in the Big Dance last season, nine in 2021 and eight in 2019.
So, will the depth of the Big Ten continue to be on display in the 2022-23 campaign? Here’s what to know about the conference ahead of the new college basketball season:
What schools are in the Big 10?
These are the 14 schools that make up the Big Ten:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Purdue
- Rutgers
- Wisconsin
Rutgers, Nebraska and Maryland are the recent additions to the conference. Penn State was the “11th team” in the Big 10, joining the conference in 1993.
NCAA
When will UCLA and USC leave the PAC-12?
The Big 10 will expand again when UCLA and USC officially join the conference at the start of the 2024-25 college football season. The number of Big 10 schools will grow to 16 when the Bruins and Trojans join.
Who are the defending Big 10 champions?
The 2021-22 campaign featured a two-way share of the regular-season title between Illinois and Wisconsin.
In the conference tournament, fifth-seeded Iowa defeated third-seeded Purdue in the championship game.
What are the Big 10 basketball preseason rankings?
KenPom has 11 Big Ten programs inside the top 68 of its national preseason rankings, led by Indiana at No. 12 overall. Here’s how KenPom stacks up all the Big Ten schools ahead of the 2022-23 action (national ranking in parenthesis):
- Indiana (12)
- Iowa (23)
- Purdue (25)
- Michigan (26)
- Michigan State (31)
- Ohio State (32)
- Illinois (33)
- Penn State (46)
- Rutgers (50)
- Wisconsin (55)
- Maryland (56)
- Northwestern (70)
- Nebraska (108)
- Minnesota (109)
What is the college basketball preseason AP top 25?
The preseason AP poll also features three top 25 Big Ten teams, but not the same three as KenPom has. Indiana is the top Big Ten team in the preseason AP poll at No. 13, but Michigan (No. 22) and Illinois (No. 23) crack the top 25 instead of Purdue and Iowa.
Purdue (56 votes), Michigan State (35), Ohio State (23), Iowa (13) and Rutgers (4) were the other Big Ten teams to receive votes in the AP poll.
North Carolina, Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky and Kansas are the top five teams, respectively, in the poll, which you can check out in its entirety here.
Which basketball team is favored to win the Big Ten?
Indiana leads the betting favorites to win the Big Ten regular-season title at +350, according to our partner, PointsBet. The last time the Hoosiers captured the conference title was in 2015-16.
Illinois has the second-best odds at +500, followed by Michigan and Purdue at +550.
Who are the best Big Ten basketball players for 2022-23?
Jamison Battle, F, Minnesota
After two seasons at George Washington, Battle quickly proved he belonged in a big-time conference. The 6-7 forward averaged 17.5 points per game, which ranked seventh in the Big Ten, on strong 45.0/36.6/75.9 shooting splits for the Gophers in 2021-22.
Hunter Dickinson, C, Michigan
It’s been quite the first two years for Dickinson in Ann Arbor. As a freshman, he earned Big Ten Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-Big Ten and consensus Second Team All-American honors. He followed that up last season by posting 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game en route to another Second Team All-Big Ten finish. All four Big Ten players who averaged more points than Dickinson last season are no longer in college.
Zach Edey, C, Purdue
At 7-foot-4, Edey has always been the big man on campus at Purdue. Now, he’s set to take on that title in a figurative sense as well. Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams have moved on to the NBA and G League respectively, leaving Edey as the Boilmakers’ top player. As a sophomore in 2021-22, Edey averaged 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while making Second Team All-Big Ten.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, F, Indiana
Jackson-Davis has landed on an All-Big Ten team in each of his first three seasons at Indiana. In 2021-22, he finished right behind Dickinson in points per game with 18.3 while making Second Team all-conference for a second consecutive season. With Jackson-Davis, Xavier Johnson and a few highly touted recruits, it’s no surprise that the Hoosiers are projected as the top Big Ten squad.
Kris Murray, F, Iowa
After his twin brother Keegan Murray was drafted No. 4 overall to the Sacramento Kings, Kris is set to take over as the main man in Iowa City. As a sophomore last season, Kris averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game, while shooting 47.9% from the field and 38.7% from 3.
Cliff Omoruyi, C, Rutgers
With program legends Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. gone, Omoruyi is now the most talented player on a Scarlet Knights team looking to make a third straight NCAA Tournament. The 6-11 junior ranked sixth in the Big Ten in blocks (1.3 per game) and eighth in rebounds (7.9 per game) last season.
Who are the top freshmen college basketball players in the Big Ten?
A total of eight top 50 recruits from the 2022 class will be joining the Big Ten this season, according to ESPN’s rankings. Indiana center Malik Reneau is the lone five-star prospect.
Here are the top Big Ten freshman to watch:
- Malik Reneau, C, Indiana: 5-star recruit, No. 23 overall in 2022 class
- Jalen Hood-Schifino, PG, Indiana: 4-star, No. 24 overall
- Skyy Clark, SG, Illinois: 4-star, No. 25 overall
- Tarris Reed, C, Michigan: 4-star, No. 31 overall
- Jaxon Kohler, C, Michigan State: 4-star, No. 40 overall
- Jett Howard, SF, Michigan: 4-star, No. 41 overall
- Brice Sensabaugh, SF, Ohio State: 4-star, No. 42 overall
- Bruce Thornton, PG, Ohio State: 4-star, No. 48 overall
What is the Big 10 basketball schedule?
Conference play in the Big Ten begins on Friday, Dec. 2, when Illinois visits Maryland.
You can check out the full Big Ten season schedule here.
When is the 2023 Big 10 Basketball Tournament?
The 2023 Big Ten tournament will run from Thursday, March 8, to Sunday, March 12, in 2023. It will be played at the United Center, home of the Bulls, in Chicago. The United Center last hosted the tournament in 2019.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.