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5 questions entering the Big Ten

College basketball season is almost here!

Between now and Nov. 3rd, we’ll take an in-depth look at different conferences around the country.

Today’s focus is on the Big Ten:

1. Is it Final Four or bust for Purdue?
Yes. The Boilers return 86 percent of their scoring from last season’s team that lost to Houston in the Sweet 16. That’s unheard of in this climate. Add multiple key newcomers in guys like South Dakota State’s Oscar Cluff (17.6 points, 12.3 rebounds) and international prospect Omer Mayer along with the return of big man Daniel Jacobsen — who missed last season with a leg injury — and you can see why expectations are so high in West Lafayette. It’s Final Four or bust for Purdue. 

2. What Big Ten storyline is not getting enough attention nationally?
The amount of quality lead guards that the league possesses. Everyone knows about Purdue’s Braden Smith, but the Big Ten is about much more than just one player at the point of attack. UCLA’s Donovan Dent and Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz — who transferred from Drake — were both Honorable Mention AP All-Americans last season. The league also brings back multiple potential All-Big Ten caliber guards in Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad, Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears, Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, Washington’s Desmond Claude, and USC’s Rodney Rice. It’s the year of the lead guard in the Big Ten. 

3. Who will be Purdue’s top challenger?
Michigan. The Wolverines won the Big Ten Tournament last season and advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 in their first year under Dusty May, but their ceiling is much higher in 2025-26. May has assembled a roster good enough to compete for a berth in the Final Four as well as a national title. North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau (9.4 points, 6.2 assists) will join holdovers Roddy Gayle (9.8 points), Nimari Burnett (9.4 points), and LJ Cason (4.3 points) on the perimeter while the frontcourt is loaded with three transfers — Aday Mara (UCLA), Morez Johnson (Illinois), and Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) — along with steady veteran Will Tschetter (6.4 points). Everything is aligned for it to be a season to remember in Ann Arbor. 

4. How much better will Donovan Dent make UCLA?
Significantly better. The Bruins won 23 games last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament with below average point guard play. The 6-2 Dent — who averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists last season at New Mexico — immediately changes things for UCLA at the most important position on the floor. Dent had 224 assists last season with the Lobos while no player on the Bruins’ roster had more than 109. He’s one of six players returning to college basketball who earned All-American honors last season. 

5. Who is the sleeper?
Maryland. Buzz Williams has taken the last three programs that he’s coached — Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and Marquette — to the NCAA Tournament. Don’t be shocked if the Terps are next. How soon? Maybe this season. A pair of key pieces from College Station — Solomon Washington (4.7 points, 5.1 rebounds) and Pharrel Payne (10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds) — followed Williams to College Park and they’ll be joined by two other players as transfers — Myles Rice (Indiana) and Elijah Saunders (Virginia) — who have previously been starters at power conference programs. Williams has enough to get the Terps in the March Madness conversation in 2026. 

Leftovers