by The Big Ten is being renewed for the 2022-23 season after 15 of the league’s top 20 scorers from last season left the conference. Some fresh blood might be good for the Big Ten, however, after none of its nine NCAA Tournament teams advanced beyond the Sweet 16 as the conference’s national title drought stretched to 22 years in 2022 .
In fact, only two Big Ten teams made it through the first weekend of the Big Dance, which was especially disappointing since the league was once again recognized for its parity. But a new season is on the horizon along with a new opportunity for the conference to plant its flag atop the sport. With UCLA and USC joining the league for the 2024-25 season, the Big Ten is only going to get better as a basketball conference in the coming years.
Meanwhile, who is her top team? That’s an open question entering the 2022-23 season, with stars like Keegan Murray (Iowa), Kofi Cockburn (Iowa), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin) and EJ Liddell (Ohio State) no longer in contention .
As we inch closer to the 2022-23 college basketball season, let’s take a closer look at the Big Ten’s top stars and their teams.
CBS Sports Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Trace Jackson-Davis | Center | Indiana
After helping Indiana snap a five-year NCAA Tournament drought last season, Jackson-Davis opted to return for his senior season, and when he did so he sent Indiana’s hype into overdrive. The 6-foot-6 big man has led the Hoosiers in scoring in each of his three seasons on campus, and last season he turned into a top shot-blocker. The only reason he’s not in the NBA is because he doesn’t have a 3-point shot. Even if he doesn’t add a perimeter offense to his repertoire this season, he’ll still terrorize Big Ten opponents on both ends of the floor while helping the Hoosiers build on the significant step forward they took last season.
Four more players to watch
Hunter Dickinson | C| Michigan: It’s hard to imagine how Dickinson could improve in many statistically significant ways, but he’ll be even more important to what the Wolverines do this season than he was a year ago.
Zach Edey | C| Purdue: With Purdue’s hierarchy cleared for Edey, expect him to challenge Dickinson and Jackson-Davis for the league’s rebounding and blocking titles, and possibly the scoring title, if his preparation and foul avoidance allow
Chris Murray | F| Iowa: At 6-8, 215 pounds and with the ability to score in multiple areas, Murray’s versatility makes him a problem for any opposing defense. He’s also a plus defender and a surefire candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year.
Tyler Wahl | F| Wisconsin: With Johnny Davis gone, it’s Wahl’s time to shine in Wisconsin. The 6-9 forward averaged 12.9 points on 55.4 percent shooting over Wisconsin’s final 10 regular-season games last season, even as the offense revolved around Davis and fellow outgoing guard Brad Davison.
CBS Sports Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Jalen Hood-Schifino | Guard | Indiana
Hood-Schifino’s ranking as the No. 26 overall prospect in the 247Sports Class of 2022 rankings makes him the league’s most popular freshman. The 6-5 guard looks like the type of perimeter playmaker the Hoosiers needed to fully return to national relevance. Indiana coach Mike Woodson compared Hode-Sfiffino to Jason Kidd this month.
The projected CBS Sports Big Ten finish line
Big Ten most overrated team
Michigan State
Michigan State’s roster features just 10 scholarship players, none of whom averaged double figures for the Spartans last season. Unless 6-8 senior forward Malik Hall makes a major leap, there likely isn’t an all-conference player on this team. Tom Izzo can still lead this team to the NCAA Tournament, but there’s little to suggest the Spartans can improve on the middle of the Big Ten pack they’ve posted the past two seasons.
Big Ten Most Underrated Team
Iowa
Doubt at your own peril about Fran McCaffery, but he’s suffered just one losing season in Big Ten play in the last 10 years. If the two members of our panel projecting the Hawkeyes to finish eighth are correct, then this team likely won’t have that established precedent. That kind of projection is an understandable knee-jerk reaction to Iowa losing Keegan Murray and Jordan Bohannon. But Ahron Ulis and Tony Perkins look capable enough to make huge strides in the backcourt to replace Bohannon, and Keegan Murray has a literal twin brother named Kris who is waiting to emerge as a potential NBA draft pick. Their games may not be identical, but Kris is suited for the type of season Keegan enjoyed last season. The Hawkeyes may not repeat as Big Ten Tournament champions, but they have what it takes to finish in the league’s upper division again.
