Some might argue the Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball but is it slightly top-heavy in 2017-18?
The Big Ten is considered to be one of the best conferences in America. There have been good reasons for that, especially in 2016-17 with a number of top-tier programs. Look at schools like Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan State and Maryland and now you begin to see just why the conference is highly-touted.
Each of those teams made the NCAA Tournament and it was even the first time for the Wildcats of Northwestern, but no team made a deep run. However, a number of teams did make the Sweet 16, but the league might still take a step back this season.
Michigan State looks to be the top team in the league, ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP rankings, but there are only a couple other teams to make the Top 25. Northwestern and Minnesota are also ranked to start the league, but the league is Michigan State’s to lose, it seems.
Preseason Player of the Year: Miles Bridges, Michigan State
There’s no surprise here. The Big Ten Player of the Year favorite has to be Miles Bridges, the talented sophomore from Michigan State. The talk of the offseason was Bridges’ decision to forgo the NBA Draft and come back to play another season for Tom Izzo and the Spartans.
His reason for coming back? The kid just wants to win a national title.
The 6-foot-7, 225-pound small forward from Flint, Mich., was an NBA Lottery talent last season but decided to come back for another year after the Spartans were knocked out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bridges averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 39 percent from 3-point range. Oh yeah, and he might be the best dunker in college basketball. This kid is a monster and nearly impossible to guard.
The Rest of the All-Big Ten First Team:
- Nate Mason, Minnesota: Quite possibly the best point guard in the Big Ten from last year, Nate Mason was one of the main reasons the Minnesota Golden Gophers were one of the conference’s top teams. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals. His shooting could use some improvement, but he can take over games.
- Nick Ward, Michigan State: When Nick Ward was left off the Big Ten All-Freshman team last season, it seemed to confuse just about everyone. He had played better than just about any freshman in the conference and if it weren’t for Miles Bridges, he may have been the best in the league. He averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and his aggressiveness in the post was unmatched.
- Moritz Wagner, Michigan: As a sophomore, Michigan’s Mo Wagner broke out and became one of the most feared big men in the conference. The 6-foot-11 native of Germany plays a tough style of basketball in the post but he can also step out and make 3s. There aren’t many inside-out players in the country who can play like Wagner does. He averaged 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 2016-17.
- Ethan Happ, Wisconsin: The former Big Ten Freshman of the Year didn’t quite get the respect he deserved last season. During his sophomore campaign, he averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game with 2.8 assists and 1.2 blocks which were all up from his freshman season. How can you leave the power forward off the All-Big Ten team with an efficient 59 percent shooting rate from the floor? You can’t.
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr.
A clean sweep by Michigan State in terms of the conference’s top players? It sure looks that way. Jaren Jackson Jr. is head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the league in terms of NBA talent and raw athleticism. The 6-foot-11 power forward showed that in early exhibition games, even recording eight blocks in one contest.
Jackson Jr. was the top-rated recruit in the conference from the 2017 class and he has NBA lineage. He has the size, athleticism, toughness and shooting range to make him one of the scariest big men in college basketball — not just the most feared freshman in the Big Ten.
There are already NBA scouts drooling over Jackson Jr.’s potential. Power forwards who can stretch the floor and knock down 3s are coveted in today’s NBA and Jackson Jr. is a wanted shot-blocking, three-point-drilling big man.
The Favorite: Michigan State
Once again, Michigan State is featured. The Spartans are the clear favorites to win the Big Ten this season, barring any serious injuries. There are a few teams that I could see competing with Michigan State in 2017-18 such as Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan and Purdue. Heck, even Wisconsin and Maryland are tough outs each season.
However, the Spartans are 11 players deep. I would say 12 deep, but they just lost junior wing Kyle Ahrens to a foot injury, but he was an end of the bench guy. Still, this team is filled with former McDonald’s All-Americans and there may not be a team in the Big Ten that can bring them down.
Is there a chance Michigan State goes unbeaten in conference play? There’s plenty of talent to accomplish that task, but as we’ve learned in years past, it’s tough to go unbeaten in conference play, no matter how much better a team is than the rest of the field.
Miles Bridges, Josh Langford, Nick Ward, Cassius Winston and Jaren Jackson Jr. in a starting lineup? Find a team in college basketball that has a more impressive starting five.
Projected Order of Finish:
- Michigan State
- Minnesota
- Purdue
- Michigan
- Northwestern
- Wisconsin
- Maryland
- Iowa
- Penn State
- Indiana
- Ohio State
- Illinois
- Nebraska
- Rutgers