The Big Ten will look drastically different during the 2024-25 college basketball season with Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington joining the league. The additions of the four West Coast-based programs will swell league membership to 18, tying it with the ACC for the largest power conference in the nation.
Because of conference realignment and expansion, the Big Ten Tournament will also look different, with the bottom three from the regular-season standings left out of the 15-team bracket.
Purdue reached the NCAA Tournament title game this spring but fell short to the juggernaut that is UConn in the final game of the 2023-24 season. The Boilermakers' loss in the national title game extended the Big Ten's national title drought to 24 years. Michigan State (2000) remains the last program from the Big Ten to win a national championship.
The Big Ten is wide open, which is reflected in our CBS Sports expert picks. While Purdue remains the favorite to win the regular season title for the third consecutive year, Indiana, UCLA and Illinois are popular picks to finish at the top of the standings.
The Big Ten received six bids to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and there is a strong possibility the number this season could be double-digits because of the expected parity in the new-look conference. The conference sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022.
Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Braden Smith | Purdue | G | Junior
Zach Edey may be gone, but Purdue does have the luxury of returning one of the best guards in the country. Smith averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals last season and served as a perfect second option to Edey en route to the Boilermakers reaching the national title game.
Smith ranked second in the country (tied with former Minnesota guard Elijah Hawkins) in assists. With Edey gone, look for Smith to take on a more prominent role in scoring the basketball. Smith shot 43.1% from distance on 3.3 attempts per game, and his overall volume should increase with Edey off to the NBA. Smith is now the star of the show for the Boilermakers and his play will be the deciding factor in Purdue's success.
Big Ten Preseason Freshman of the Year
Dylan Harper | Rutgers | G
The hype around the Rutgers program is real because of the additions of Harper and Ace Bailey, two star freshmen. Rutgers is one of 10 recruiting classes in the 247Sports era that features two top-five signees, but subsequent success won't be guaranteed. Five of the eight teams that signed two top-five players from the same class failed to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Harper, the No. 3 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, is a skilled southpaw capable of taking over a game. He was a strong rebounder for his size on the AAU circuit and will be one of the best guards in the sport from Day 1. Harper underwent a voluntary procedure on his right knee earlier this summer, but all signs point to him being 100% for the season. Rutgers might have the biggest "boom" or "bust" potential as a team in the conference, and its success will be dictated by its star freshman living up to the lofty expectations set.
Four more players to watch
Great Osobor | F | Washington: Washington's "$2 million man" was first-year coach Danny Sprinkle's biggest offseason win. Osobor played for Sprinkle at Montana State and Utah State and followed his coach to his next destination for the second consecutive offseason when he transferred to Washington. Osobor is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.7 points. 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. His style of play is perfect for the Big Ten.
Myles Rice | G | Indiana: Indiana coach Mike Woodson had a busy offseason recruiting the transfer portal and one of the biggest additions was Rice from Washington State. Rice was one of the best feel-good stories in the sport last season. Rice didn't play during the 2022-23 season, as he was receiving chemotherapy treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He immediately becomes one of the best point guards in the Big Ten.
Ace Bailey | F | Rutgers: Rutgers has two highly-touted first-year players entering the program giving Steve Pikiell a solid foundation of talent to potentially reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons. Bailey is a skilled forward who projects as an early lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. If he puts it together early, Rutgers could be in store for its best season in decades.
Kobe Johnson | F | UCLA: Johnson didn't have to go far to find his next destination. Johnson transferred from USC to crosstown rival UCLA to give coach Mick Cronin a defensive anchor. Johnson should be one of the early favorites to win conference (and potentially even national) Defensive Player of the Year. Johnson has averaged 2.2 steals per game the last two seasons, and his presence on the defensive end is one of the many reasons why UCLA is poised to have success in Year 1 of the Big Ten.
Big Ten predicted order of finish
| 1 |  |
| Purdue was tabbed to win the Big Ten by our experts last year and the Boilermakers project to finish at the top of the standings again. Edey is off to the NBA, but there is reason to believe Purdue will still be a contender. Smith is the favorite to win conference POTY, and returning alongside him in the starting lineup are Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn started all 39 games for the Boilermakers last season, and their returning experience will be paramount in maintaining success. Myles Colvin and Camden Heide were in Matt Painter's rotation last season, and their respective roles will increase because of the departures of Edey, Lance Jones and Mason Gillis. Another player to keep an eye on is freshman big man Daniel Jacobsen. The No. 57 player in the 2024 recruiting cycle should be the favorite to earn the backup center job. | |
| 2 |  |
| One of the everlasting (bad) memories from the 2023-24 campaign was a 90-44 loss to Utah in Salt Lake City. That defeat was a sign of bad things to come for Cronin and company in Westwood, but this season will be different. UCLA's leading scorer from last season (Dylan Andrews) is back, and so is Sebastian Mack, who averaged 12.1 points as a freshman. Cronin added William Kyle lll (South Dakota State), Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) and Johnson (USC) from the transfer portal and those three should be in the starting lineup next to the returning backcourt of Andrews and Mack. Four-star guard Trent Perry flipped his commitment late in the cycle from USC to UCLA and the No. 35 overall player from the 2024 recruiting cycle should make an immediate impact. After missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Cronin's tenure at UCLA, this team should not only return to the Big Dance but compete for a Big Ten title. | |
| 3 |  |
| It's pretty simple: This is a make-or-break season for Woodson at his alma mater. The Hoosiers went all-in for the transfer portal by adding Rice, former Arizona star big man Oumar Ballo, Illinois guard Luke Goode and Stanford guard Kanaan Carlyle. Indiana also returns Trey Galloway, Malik Reneau and former blue-chip recruit Mackenzie Mgbako. On paper, Indiana has a roster that is among the best in the league, but it's never that simple. If Indiana reaches the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, Woodson's job should (presumably) be safe. If Indiana doesn't live up to expectations and misses the Big Dance for the second consecutive season, the program could be embarking on a coaching search to find Woodson's replacement. | |
| 4 |  |
| Illinois lost four starters from a team that reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005. Illinois' lone returner in the starting lineup is Ty Rodgers, who started all 38 games last season and averaged 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds. Illinois top transfer portal additions came from Ben Humrichous (Evansville), Carey Booth (Notre Dame), Kylan Boswell (Arizona) and Tre White (Louisville). The Fighting Illini added four top-100 recruits (Will Riley, Morez Johnson, Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivišić, the brother of Arkansas big man Zvonimir Ivišić) to their team, and all four should be in the rotation from Day 1. | |
| 5 |  |
| Michigan State's streak of 26 consecutive bids to the NCAA Tournament was in danger because of the slow start to last season. The Spartans opened the season with an upset loss to James Madison and entered Big Ten play with a 9-5 record. Michigan State went 10-10 in Big Ten play, which helped them earn a No. 9 seed in the Big Dance. The breakout player to watch on Michigan State's roster is Xavier Booker. The former blue-chip prospect struggled to get on the floor as a freshman and only averaged 9.3 minutes. Booker is projected to start for the Spartans alongside fellow returners Jaden Akins, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr. | |
| 6 |  |
| Ohio State removed the interim tag from Jake Diebler's title and promoted the 37-year-old to head coach following the promising end to last season in which the program finished 8-3 and reached the NIT quarterfinals. The Buckeyes looked like a different team following the firing of Chris Holtmann, and there's strong reason to believe Ohio State can get back to the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State returns star guard Bruce Thornton and brought in Meechie Johnson (South Carolina), Micah Parrish (San Diego State), Sean Stewart (Duke) and Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky) to round out the projected starting lineup. Johnson started his career at Ohio State before transferring to South Carolina in 2023. He is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high in points (14.1) and rebounds (4.1). | |
| 7 |  |
| Hiring Dusty May away from FAU was one of the best coaching carousel moves of the offseason. May was a highly sought-after name in the coaching world because of what he did with FAU's program. May is in a great position to turn the Wolverines back into a Big Ten contender because of what he did in the transfer portal. Michigan added Ohio State's Roddy Gayle Jr., Yale's Danny Wolf, Auburn's Tre Donaldson, Alabama's Sam Walters, and his former player at FAU, Vladislav Goldin, and added four-star guard Justin Pippen, the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen via high school recruiting. A top-five finish in the Big Ten could be on the table for May and company. | |
| 8 |  |
| Remember the name Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad started 30 of 32 games for the Ducks last season and averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. He should be the centerpiece of Oregon's roster alongside classmate Kwame Evans Jr., the No. 19 overall player from the 2023 recruiting cycle. Oregon added Villanova guard TJ Bamba and Stanford forward Brandon Angel via the transfer portal. Oregon should be a NCAA Tournament team when it's all said and done. | |
| 9 |  |
| If Rutgers finished as a top-five team in the Big Ten, it wouldn't be surprising. If Rutgers finished as a bottom-five team in the conference, it also wouldn't be surprising. The Scarlet Knights are boom or bust, and success will hinge on Bailey and Harper living up to their five-star billings. Rutgers lost star big man Clifford Omoruyi - one of the best defenders in college basketball - via the transfer portal to Alabama. Rutgers does return its leading scorer (Jeremiah Williams) from last season, and he will be charged with providing scoring next to Bailey and Harper. | |
| 10 |  |
| USC is the biggest wild card in the Big Ten. The Trojans made a splash by replacing former coach Andy Enfield with Arkansas coach Eric Musselman. Musselman has won at his previous college stops at Nevada and Arkansas, and his new-look roster has a chance to be boom or bust. USC's roster is primarily made up of transfers, and Xavier's Desmond Claude and Northern Colorado's Saint Thomas are among the expected key contributors. It's easy to see why USC would be projected to finish so low in polls, but don't count out Musselman making noise in his first season. | |
| 11 |  |
| Last season was a disappointing one for Kevin Willard and company. Maryland finished 16-17 overall (7-13 in Big Ten play) and missed the NCAA Tournament. The roster is intriguing, with returning forward Julian Reese joining newcomers Ja'Kobi Gillespie (Belmont), Rodney Rice (Virginia Tech), Tafara Gapare (Georgia Tech) and Seton Miguel (USF). Maryland also added five-star center Derik Queen this offseason, who ranked as the No. 12 overall player in his recruiting class. | |
| 12 |  |
| Wisconsin finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 22-14 mark (11-9 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons. Getting back to the NCAA Tournament could be an uphill battle. Wisconsin star forward AJ Storr transferred to Kansas, and its third-leading scorer (Tyler Wahl) graduated. The Badgers do return Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit and John Blackwell. Those three players will likely pair with Central Arkansas transfer Camren Hunter and former NIU forward Xavier Amos. | |
| 13 |  |
| Iowa produced back-to-back first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 with Keegan and Kris Murray. In the Hawkeyes' first season without the Murray brothers, they missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Iowa forward Payton Sandfort bypassed the NBA Draft to return to school, and second-year big man Owen Freeman is due for a breakout season after showing tremendous promise as a true freshman. If Sandfort and Freeman perform well, Iowa will be a fringe NCAA Tournament team. | |
| 14 |  |
| For only the second time this century, Nebraska received a bid to the NCAA Tournament after going 23-11 and 12-8 in the Big Ten last season. It marked a breakthrough season for Fred Hoiberg's program after Nebraska won less than 16 games in the first four seasons of his tenure. The climb to get back to the NCAA Tournament will be steep because of the new additions to the Big Ten. | |
| 15 |  |
| For the second consecutive season, Northwestern reached the NCAA Tournament. Northwestern said goodbye this offseason to Boo Buie — the program's all-time leading scorer — after he guided the program to back-to-back 22-win seasons. Northwestern replaced Buie with Fairfield transfer Jalen Leach, who averaged 16.2 points this past season. The Wildcats return All-Big Ten candidate Brooks Barnhizer and Ty Berry — their fourth-leading scorer from last season. | |
| 16 |  |
| It's a new era in Seattle. Out is Mike Hopkins, in is Sprinkle. Sprinkle's career progression has been fast-tracked. After guiding Montana State to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Utah State hired him away to lead its program. In his first season as the head man of the Aggies program, Sprinkle helped Utah State win 28 games and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Osobor is a dark-horse candidate to win Big Ten POTY. UW will go as far as its star forward will take them. | |
| 17 |  |
| Penn State has won more than 20 games only five times this century. Second-year coach Mike Rhoades faces an uphill climb to get Penn State back to the NCAA Tournament after Micah Shrewsberry departed the program at the end of the 2022-23 season. Ace Baldwin Jr. is coming off the best season of his career, and similar to Washington, Penn State will go as far as its star takes them. | |
| 18 |  |
| Minnesota was tabbed to finish last by six of our seven experts. The Golden Gophers haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019 when Richard Pitino was at the helm. The outlook for Minnesota is bleak because of how good the Big Ten is. Dawson Garcia is one of the top returning scorers in the Big Ten and should have a strong case to earn All-Big Ten honors by the end of the season. | |
