Ben Kenney
April 7, 2024 6:38 am CT
The Big Ten landscape is changing drastically entering the 2024-25 season.
College basketball powerhouses UCLA and Oregon are joining the conference along with two wild cards with new head coaches: USC and Washington. Purdue and Illinois remain the class of the conference until they are overtaken. But the 2024-25 season should teach everybody a great deal about what the future looks like in the Big Ten.
Related: Ranking the Big Ten head basketball coaches after the 2023-24 season
With the incoming schools comes the need for updated rankings and a fresh outlook. We recently did this exercise with football, ranking the Big Ten’s 18 programs and head coaches entering 2024.
Now with the basketball offseason underway, here is our updated ranking of the Big Ten’s 18 basketball programs after conference expansion:
18
Minnesota
Feb. 27, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Minnesota Gophers head coach Ben Johnson addresses the crowd during a senior night presentation following the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Williams Arena. Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:19-15 (9-11 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 16
Ben Johnson appears to be leading Minnesota in the right direction, but the Gophers have not made the NCAA Tournament in five years and have one winning season in that span.
17
Penn State
Jan. 10, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades argues a call with an official during the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Bryce Jordan Center. Northwestern defeated Penn State 76-72. Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:16-17 (9-11 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 17
Mike Rhoades is Penn State’s fourth head coach since 2020. The program has one NCAA Tournament appearance in that span and has reached double-digit Big Ten wins only twice since 2009. It will likely remain one of the lowest-ranked teams in the conference.
16
Nebraska
Head coach Fred Hoiberg of the Nebraska Cornhuskers looks on in the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Feb. 22, 2022 in Evanston, Illinois. Quinn Harris/Getty Images
2023-24 Record:23-11 (12-8 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 10
Nebraska finished 2023-24 with a winning record in Big Ten play for the first time since 2018. Fred Hoiberg seems to be building something sustainable, but he needs to prove it for a few more years. The last 30 years say Nebraska is one of the worst programs in the conference.
15
Washington
March 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada; Washington Huskies guard Sahvir Wheeler (5) dribbles against the USC Trojans during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:17-15
Head Coach Ranking: No. 13
Washington could get interesting under new head coach Danny Sprinkle. But the program has one NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 and is usually hovering around .500.
14
Northwestern
Feb. 28, 2024; College Park, Maryland; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins looks down court during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:22-12 (12-8 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 8
Northwestern was the annual doormat of the Big Ten for decades. That has changed under Chris Collins, who has brought the Wildcats to the second round of two straight NCAA Tournaments. The program will still struggle in the transfer portal age, but it’s hard to doubt it as long as Collins is at the helm
13
Rutgers
March 3, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jeremiah Williams (25) shoots a 3-point shot against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Jamarques Lawrence (10) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:15-17 (7-13 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 14
Rutgers was on a bit of a run before a disappointing 2023-24 season. There isn’t a history of success, but the program reached double-digit Big Ten wins for four straight seasons from 2019-2023. It also welcomes the nation’s fifth-ranked recruiting class, which includes two five-stars. Rutgers could rise if everything lines up the next few years.
12
Maryland
Jan. 27, 2024; College Park, Maryland; Maryland Terrapins head coach Kevin Willard reacts during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Xfinity Center. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:16-17 (7-13 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 12
Maryland is in the same position as several other programs: Years of consistent winning interrupted by a bad 2023-24 campaign.
The Terrapins are this low on the list due in part to the youth of Willard’s tenure.
11
USC
March 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada; USC Trojans guard Kobe Johnson (0) shoots over forward Joshua Morgan (24) and Washington Huskies forward Wilhelm Breidenbach (32) during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:15-18 (8-12 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 18
USC was quite good under Andy Enfield for a decade. He is gone to SMU as the program transitions into the Big Ten. It has as much potential as any program in the conference, but it has to find consistent results under new head coach Eric Musselman.
10
Ohio State
March 26, 2024; Columbus, Ohio; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler motions to his team during the first half of the NIT quarterfinals against the Georgia Bulldogs at Value City Arena.
2023-24 Record:22-14 (9-11 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 15
Ohio State boasted double-digit Big Ten-win seasons and consistent NCAA Tournament appearances for more than a decade under Thad Matta from 2005-2017. Chris Holtmann continued that success, but success fell off rather quickly.
The future looks murky with an unproven Jake Diebler at the helm.
9
Iowa
March 12, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Patrick McCaffery (left) hugs head coach Fran McCaffery after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:19-15 (10-10 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 7
Iowa has won double-digit Big Ten games in nine of the last 10 years. NCAA Tournament success has not followed. But it has been one of the conference’s more consistent regular-season performers.
This is a program I’d watch over the next few years. It seems stagnant and could fall below USC, Ohio State and others.
8
Indiana
Indiana’s Anthony Leal (3) celebrates an Iowa turnover during the second half of the Indiana versus Iowa men’s basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
2023-24 Record:19-14 (10-10 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 11
This ranking may be a bit generous to an Indiana program that has made two NCAA Tournament appearances since 2017. A few things are true: The Archie Miller era was a disaster, and the program isn’t that far removed from being one of the best in the nation under Tom Crean.
Can Mike Woodson return the Hoosiers to that level? Current indications are probably not. But Indiana’s rich history warrants this ranking.
7
Oregon
March 16, 2019; Las Vegas, Nevada; Oregon Ducks players rush the floor after defeating the Washington Huskies 68-48 to win the Pac-12 conference tournament final at T-Mobile Arena. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:24-12 (12-8 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 5
Oregon wins a bunch of tournament games under Dana Altman — making five straight Sweet 16s from 2013-2017. Though a bit removed from that success, it’s still winning more than 20 games per season with a solid conference mark every season. The transition to the Big Ten should be no problem for the Ducks.
6
Wisconsin
March 17, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks on in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Target Center. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:22-14 (11-9 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 6
Wisconsin does not boast the postseason success of Oregon or some others in the conference. But it is one of the Big Ten’s more consistent — with peak Big Ten regular-season title years in 2019-20 and 2021-22.
I’d bet on the Badgers remaining one of the conference’s best programs as it expands to 18 teams.
5
UCLA
Feb. 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin (right) talks with guard Brandon Williams (5) against the Utah Utes in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:16-17 (10-10 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 4
2023-24 was a step backward for the Bruins. But the program has been to a Final Four and notched two 27-plus win seasons in the last four years. Mick Cronin is still young in his tenure and should have UCLA near the top of the new Big Ten.
4
Michigan
Feb. 26, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Michigan Wolverines guard Kobe Bufkin (2) dribbles on Wisconsin Badgers guard Chucky Hepburn (23) in the first half at Crisler Center. Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:8-24 (3-17 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 9
Michigan was terrible in 2023-24 and fired head coach Juwan Howard. But that doesn’t erase what the program was under John Beilein and the status it holds in the sport. The question is: Can Dusty May return the Wolverines to the perennial Final Four-contending level?
3
Michigan State
Jan. 10, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks to the referees during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:20-15 (10-10 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 3
Michigan State will be a threat in every NCAA Tournament game it plays in. Its regular-season performance is slipping a bit, however, with now five years since a season with more than 11 Big Ten wins.
Michigan State remains a blue blood as long as Izzo is the head coach.
2
Illinois
March 23, 2024; Omaha, Nebraska; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood gestures after the game against the Duquesne Dukes in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 Record:29-9 (14-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 2
The write-up on Brad Underwood’s tenure applies here as well:
“Illinois finally made a deep tournament run under Underwood, and unfortunately ran into a juggernaut in UConn. But the program has a Big Ten regular season title and two conference tournament titles in the last four years, and seems firmly entrenched as the second-best program in the conference behind only Purdue.”
The Fighting Illini appear trending in the correct direction, as opposed to some of the conference’s other powers.
1
Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter yells at a referee, Sunday, March 24, 2024, during the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Purdue Boilermakers are leading the Utah State Aggies at halftime 49-33.
2023-24 Record:32-4 (17-3 Big Ten)
Head Coach Ranking: No. 1
Purdue isn’t only the class of the Big Ten, it’s currently the class of the sport. Matt Painter has taken a consistently good program and turned it into one of the most feared. The accolades speak for themselves: four Big Ten regular season titles since 2017, 29 wins in each of the last three seasons, a Final Four appearance and several deep NCAA Tournament runs.
Purdue should hold this position for the foreseeable future.
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