While trying to predict what will happen during any given college basketball season is a tricky task, there are a number of sites that try to do just that. And one of the best is KenPom, who uses an interesting analytical model to project teams and predict games.
Earlier this week, KenPom released his preseason ratings entering this season and the Big Ten performed quite well. In fact, nearly the entire conference was ranked among the top 100, including seven teams in the top 35. Obviously, that speaks to just how exciting this season should be for Big Ten fans.
Here’s a full look at the Big Ten teams listed below.
Big Ten Teams In 2022-’23 Preseason KenPom Ratings:
- No. 12 - Indiana
- No. 23 - Iowa
- No. 25 - Purdue
- No. 26 - Michigan
- No. 31 - Michigan State
- No. 32 - Ohio State
- No. 33 - Illinois
- No. 46 - Penn State
- No. 50 - Rutgers
- No. 55 - Wisconsin
- No. 56 - Maryland
- No. 70 - Northwestern
- No. 108 - Nebraska
- No. 109 - Minnesota
Given how last season went, it really isn’t surprising to see teams like Iowa, Michigan, and Purdue ranked so highly. And with the returning pieces to Indiana, it makes sense the Hoosiers are ranked so highly as well.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this list is the lack of highly ranked teams. Indiana came in at 12th and a few more teams were in the top 25 range, but that’s a massive step back from where the league has been in recent years. Even look at last season, where the Big Ten had three top 20 teams during what was considered a relatively underwhelming season for the conference. This would be a step back from that. We’ll see if that ends up being the case, but it’s certainly a concerning start.
Two other interesting selections are Illinois and Ohio State just outside the top 30. Illinois seems to have far more potential than that range and the Buckeyes have routinely outperformed preseason expectations under Chris Holtmann. We could see some major variation from that when all’s said and done.
It should be a fun season and if these odds are any indication, it looks like a tight and unpredictable race across the Big Ten this season.
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