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Last year, the Big Ten sent only four teams to the NCAA tournament, its lowest number in a decade. What happened in a league with four teams in the top 25 of the three preseason of the Associated Press – three more received votes – but did not follow his trend of success in post-season when selecting Sunday? You can report injuries and transfers and more injuries. But the reality for the Big Ten is that he has failed to live up to his reputation.
It should change this season. There are a multitude of quality programs in the conference that should compete for NCAA tournaments slots.
2. Michigan Wolverines: Charles Matthews looked like a star for the Wolverines, who managed to win their second game for the national title in five years in the playoffs. The 6-foot-6 inch wing entered the national title game last season with an average of 16.6 points per game in the NCAA tournament, before a sub-par effort against Villanova in the match of championship. Mo Wagner is gone, but Matthews is leading a Wolverine crew capable of reproducing the top 10 of last season's defenses against the conference title.
3. Purdue Boilermakers: The Boilermakers lost four seniors, who averaged 48.8 PPG last season. But Carsen Edwards, the team's top scorer and favorite to win the Big Ten player's year title, is back after being pulled out of the NBA draft. He will play a combo guard role for a team that needs big man Matt Haarms (2.1 blocks per game) and Dartmouth's 6-foot-9 transfer, Evan Boudreaux (17.5 points per game, 9.5 RPG last season) to complete his efforts and help Matt Painter to the team makes a race to the crown of the league.
4. Indiana Hoosiers: Romeo Langford could become the face of college basketball if he elevates one of the game's most recognizable programs in the fight for the title of the conference. The choice of McDonald's All-American and the top 10 expected in the NBA Draft next summer could lead a team of Hoosiers who deserves more praise as a potential sleeper in this league. . Archie Miller will have Langford, Juwan Morgan and De Ron Davis, expected to enter the year ready for the competition after being torn apart by Achilles last season. When Miller was in Dayton, he reached the Elite Eight with less.
5. Maryland terrapins: The high pre-season projections on the Terrapins tend to emphasize the return of Bruno Fernando, who retired from the NBA project to build on the momentum of last season, Anthony Cowan Jr. and star freshman five star Jalen Smith. It is important to note that Maryland was one of the worst defensive teams in the Big Ten, thanks to the services of the first round pick, Kevin Huerter. In addition, Maryland finished 11-10 after Justin Jackson, turned pro, injured his shoulder at the end of the season in December. So we are reluctant to ride Maryland higher because of these realities.
6. Wisconsin Badgers: Earlier this year, Greg Gard felt his team had played with less than 25% of them down for the quarter of the 2017-18 season, which ended without a NCAA tournament bid and won 20 consecutive wins. But Ethan Happ, a selection of the first Big Ten team last season (media), withdrew from the NBA Draft with a mission to strengthen his stock and help the Badgers return to the NCAA tournament and at the highest level of the league. A healthy Wisconsin team could start 2018 as it finished 2017-18 by winning four of its last six games and winning on Purdue and Michigan State.
7. Golden Gophers of Minnesota: The team at Richard Pitino has been hit with injuries and staff problems, while Amir Coffey (14.0 PPG, 37% from outside) missed 14 games due to An injury to the shoulder and that Reggie Lynch, the former Big Ten defensive player of the year, was suspended following a sexual assault investigation. Coffey is back, Jordan Murphy (16.8 PPG 11.3 RPG) is a star and the team has added Brock Stull (13.4 PPG), a former Milwaukee graduate, and four-star forward Daniel Oturu. But that may not be enough to change the fate of a team that finished 13th in terms of defensive efficiency and adjusted offensive in conference games last season.
8. Buckeyes of the State of Ohio: The surprise of the 2017-18 season has turned a mid-summer coaching change into a tie for second place in the Big Ten rankings, best conference player of the year for Keita Bates-Diop and for participation in the NCAA Tournament. But Chris Holtmann, Coach of the Year Big Ten, is losing Bates-Diop and Jae Sean Tate, a duo that has anchored a team that finished in the top 25 in offensive and defensive efficiency last season. But the returnees CJ Jackson (12.6 PPG) and Kaleb Wesson (10.2 PPG), as well as Keyshawn Woods, Wake Forest graduates transfer, and the top 100 potential candidates, Jaedon LeDee, constitute a core likely to give back to the world. State of Ohio a superior quality.
9. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Last season, the Cornhuskers had 22 wins and 13 wins and 5 losses in the Big Ten, but failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament in part because of the lack of money. weakening of the league, but also the fact that Tim Miles' team had only faced that in Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State once in 2017-18. This had an impact on their league record. But James Palmer Jr. (17.2 PPG) and Isaac Copeland Jr. (12.9 RPG) are coming back to lead a list of veterans who are expected to position the program for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions: If Tony Carr, a second-round selection of New Orleans pelicans in the NBA Draft and Penn State's top scorer, had decided to stay at school, the Nittany Lions would have entered the list of 25 best teams after the NIT race of last season. But he's gone. Still, Pat Chambers' team is returning three of its top five scorers from last season (Mike Watkins, Lamar Stevens, Josh Reaves) and is lucky enough to sneak into the first half of this conference.
11. Hawkees from Iowa: The 4-14 record of last season in Big Ten was the Hawkeyes' worst showing since Fran McCaffery's first season in 2010-11, despite the return of four starters from the previous season. This season, Tyler Cook (15.3 PPG) will lead a Hawkeyes team with four double-digit scorers coming back from this struggling team. If a horrible defensive unit – Iowa finished 242nd in defensive efficiency adjusted – does not improve, the McCaffery team will repeat the problems of last season.
12 Northwest Wildcats: A year after leading Northwestern to the first NCAA tournament in school history, the Wildcats were fired from home and sent to the Allstate Arena, while the Welsh-Ryan Arena was renovated for $ 110 million. It cost the Wildcats a big boost in a difficult season. Now that they are back on campus, a Northwest team consisting of Vic Law and Dererk Pardon, a pair of seniors who total an average of 22.3 points per game, and a multitude new faces will fight to keep Northwestern from the basement of the league.
13. Fight against Illinois: Ayo Dosunmu, a guard ranked 36th in the 2018 category by ESPN.com, will team up with Trent Frazier, who averaged 12.5 points per game and 3.1 points per game last season, in the One of the most fascinating backcourts of the league. The arrival of Dosunmu is a sign that Brad Underwood is advancing in this rebuilding process. But 2018-2019 could be another difficult year on this road.
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Before the 2014-15 season, Rutgers had joined the Big Ten, a disconcerting gesture aimed at all those who were not television executives and concerned about the league's audiovisual footprint or by Jim Delany. Rutgers finished last in the Big Ten every season since arriving. Geo Baker (10.8 PPG) is back, but Rutgers will probably finish the season in last place.
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