My very, very early Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Somewhat overshadowed by the Big Ten’s decision to reinstate the 2020 fall football season was the news on Wednesday that the college basketball season will start on Nov. 25.
There is no guarantee that either season will survive during a global pandemic, but it’s a starting point.
It is cause for hope and optimism, and in the case of the Iowa men’s basketball team, there is plenty of both.
At least on paper, the 2020-21 Iowa men’s basketball team seems to have everything, from size to experience to versatility to depth, and not to mention, the preseason favorite for national player of the year in 6-foot-11 senior center Luka Garza.
It also is reasonable to think that if the Big Ten can not only start, but sustain a football season, that would only improve the chances of having a successful basketball season, with or without playing in a bubble.
The NBA has made playing in a bubble work for the most part, and there is speculation that college basketball could use a similar format.
So assuming there is a basketball season, I decided to rank the 14 Big Ten teams from top to bottom, and those not loyal to Iowa will almost certainly dismiss me as a homer for ranking Iowa first, and maybe so.
But I also can’t ever recall ranking the Iowa men’s basketball team first in the Big Ten preseason power rankings dating back almost three decades.
The top spot came down to Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Iowa was given the slightest edge over Illinois, due largely to Garza’s presence at center, and to the return of senior guard Jordan Bohannon, who is arguably the top clutch 3-point shooter in college basketball.
Bohannon is on course to become the Big Ten’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made.
He is likely to draw a crowd of defenders, but Iowa also has other players who can shred defenses from the perimeter, including 6-3 sophomore shooting guard C.J. Fredrick and 6-6 junior Joe Wieskamp.
It’ll be interesting to see how Iowa coach Fran McCaffery makes it work because he only has so many minutes to distribute between his deep and experienced backcourt, which also includes his son, 6-5 junior combo guard Connor McCaffery.
My rankings:
Team, 2019-20 Big Ten record, 2019-20 overall record
- Iowa, 11-9, 20-11 – Garza’s climb from good to great last season has lifted his status and his team’s status to where Iowa will have a target on its back this season.
It has been well documented that Iowa hasn’t won a Big Ten regular-season title in men’s basketball since 1979, but there is a growing belief that this team could finally end the drought, and also make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Garza is a double-double waiting to happen, while Fredrick, Wieskamp and Bohannon give Iowa three quality scorers.
Sophomore point guard Joe Toussaint is one of the quickest players in the conference, and gives Iowa a dimension it often has lacked over the years.
And it’s easy to forget that 6-11 junior forward Jack Nunge had earned a starting position and was performing well last season when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game. He is reportedly making good progress and would give Iowa size and versatility on the frontline.
Five freshmen will also join in the competition for playing time, but it wouldn’t be surprising if at least two of them were redshirted.
2. Illinois, 13-7, 21-10 – The Fighting Illini became a Big Ten contender the moment guard Ayo Dosunmu and center Kofi Cockburn both withdrew from the NBA Draft to return to college.
They give head coach Brad Underwood two of the best players in the conference, but Illinois is hardly a two-person act.
Senior guard Trent Frazier and junior forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili both are seasoned veterans who have been through the Big Ten battles and will help to form a solid nucleus.
3. Wisconsin, 14-6, 21-10 – The Badgers quietly and methodically earned a share of the conference title last season and most of the players who achieved that milestone return, including senior forward Nate Reuvers and senior guard D’Mitrik Trice.
Greg Gard doesn’t get the credit he deserves, and this ranking could be an example of that. But that could change if the Badgers live up to the high expectations.
4. Michigan State, 14-6, 22-9 – The Spartans suffered a blow when forward Xavier Tillman chose to stay in the NBA Draft, but few programs reload and adjust to personnel losses better than Michigan State does under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.
5. Rutgers, 11-9, 20-11 – The Scarlets Knights have been steadily climbing up the conference standings under head coach Steve Pikiell and this team could be poised to take a significant step.
The bulk of the roster returns from a team that won 20 games last season, including 6-4 senior guard Geo Baker, 6-6 junior forward Ron Harper Jr. and 6-11 junior center Myles Johnson.
Baker is knocking on the door of stardom, and if that door opens this season, Rutgers could be special.
6. Indiana, 9-11, 20-12 – Archie Miller enters his fourth season with a talented and experienced roster, but he is also under pressure to make the Hoosiers a legitimate contender.
Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has star potential, while freshman point guard Khristian Lander was rated the No. 26 player in his class by Rivals.
7. Michigan, 10-10, 19-12 – Juwan Howard has recruited well during his short time as the Michigan head coach, but the best thing to happen to Michigan during the offseason was when Isaiah Livers withdrew from the NBA Draft to return for his senior season.
The 6-7 Livers gives the Wolverines a versatile scorer and a veteran leader who will make a significant impact on and off the court.
8. Ohio State, 11-9, 21-10 – The Buckeyes are a tough read without forward Kaleb Wesson, who skipped his senior season to enter the NBA Draft. His loss is significant on both ends of the floor.
The loss of point guard and Bettendorf native D.J. Carton, who left the team for personal reasons midway through last season, and has since transferred to Marquette, also makes you wonder how the Buckeyes will respond without two players that were expected to be key contributors.
9. Maryland, 14-6, 24-7 – The Terrapins are not without talent, but they are without All-Big Ten point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. for the first time in four years, and without All-Big Ten forward Jalen Smith, who declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.
10. Purdue, 9-11, 16-15 – The Boilermakers are similar to Maryland in that they have talent, but they don’t have 7-3 center Matt Haarms or 6-6 guard Nogel Eastern, both of whom surprisingly transferred out of the program as seniors.
11. Penn State, 11-9, 21-10 –The Nittany Lions were poised to make the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time under head coach Pat Chambers, but it never happened due to the postseason being canceled by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Some key players return from that team, but the losses are huge, starting with All-Big Ten forward Lamar Stevens and center Mike Watkins, both of whom were seniors last season.
12. Nebraska, 2-18, 7-25 – It might be too optimistic to pick Nebraska above two other teams at this stage, but Fred Hoiberg has that kind of influence. He just hasn’t had enough time to overhaul the roster with transfers and recruits.
13. Minnesota, 8-12, 15-16 – The Gophers received great news when junior center Liam Robbins was granted immediate eligibility after having transferred from Drake after last season.
But it’s hard to envision Minnesota being a factor in the conference race without All-Big Ten forward Daniel Oturu when it wasn’t a factor last season with him.
The 6-10 Uturu declared for the NBA Draft as a sophomore and leaves a huge void for head coach Richard Pitino on offense and defense.
14. Northwestern, 3-17, 8-23 – Somebody has to be picked to finish last, and the Wildcats have been on a steady decline since having made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 2017.
Chris Collins built an NCAA Tournament team once at Northwestern, but can he do it again?
That odds of it happening with this team would appear to be slim to none.