Big Ten NCAA Basketball Preview: Edey, Purdue Stand Tallest

Purdue is once again the expected team to beat this season, with College Basketball lines having the Boilermakers as the favorite to win the conference.

Despite one of the biggest upsets in the NCAA Tournament’s history after being downed in the first round as a No. 1 seed, with the return of Wooden Award winner and 7-foot-r Zach Edey, the Boilermakers begin the season ranked No. 3 nationally. Edey finished last season averaging 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds, and College basketball picks have him as a solid favorite to win the Wooden Award once again at +175.

The Boilermakers will also benefit from now-sophomore guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith having a full season and an offseason under their belts. Both were solid as freshmen and had starting roles, averaging 11 and 9.7 points, respectively. Their second-year jump should complement Edey and help the Boilermakers contend for a national title.

Michigan State, the only Big Ten team to make it to the Sweet 16 last season, could be a challenger to Purdue for the Big Ten title with +300 College Basketball odds from the sportsbook.

Michigan State returns four of its five starters from that Sweet 16 team, led by guard Tyson Walker, who decided to return for a fifth season. Walker led the Spartans with 14.8 points a game while shooting 41.5% from 3-point range last season.

AJ Hoggard also returns for his senior season to join Walker in providing a strong backcourt for Michigan State. Hoggard averaged 12.9 points a game last season while leading the Spartans with 5.9 assists.

Michigan State also landed five-star recruit Xavier Booker, who should make an immediate impact to the roster after forward Joey Hauser departed for the NBA.

Though Purdue and Michigan State are expected to be the final two in the Big Ten race toward the end of the conference season, Illinois is not to be overlooked to make a run.

The Fighting Illini have been contenders in the conference for the past few years, and they should make some noise in the Big Ten once again this season after both Terrence ShannonJr. and Coleman Hawkins elected to return.

Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 17.2 points a game in his first season with the team while Hawkins held down the frontcourt averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and three assists. Together, they helped the Illini average 74.3 points a game,third in the Big Ten.

If Shannon and the rest of the team could improve upon their 3-point shooting numbers – they averaged 30.9% from beyond the arc last season – they could be even more of a threat this season.

Finally, Maryland shouldn’t be forgotten as a potential dark horse in the Big Ten either, with the third-best college basketball odds to win the conference with +750 odds.

After finishing fifth in the conference last season, the returning veteran trio of Jahmir Young, Julian Reese and Donta Scott should look to do more damage this season.

Young will hold court one more year as the solid point guard who led the team with 15.8 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game last season. Reese and Scott form the strong one-two punch in the frontcourt. Reese led the Terrapins with 7.2 boards and 1.2 blocks a game last season while averaging 11.4 points and Scott also made a difference with 11.3 points and six rebounds a game.

With the three back together once again and a pair of four-star freshmen in DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser, Jr., Maryland could be a tough team to beat this season as well.

Though these are just some potential Big Ten contenders, there are plenty of odds for bettors to wager on before the college basketball season tips off. So, don’t forget to head to the sportsbook to make your college basketball predictions.

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