Big Ten basketball’s preseason already has a few clear storylines, and not all of them are flattering. Some teams are flashing real upside.
Others are wobbling before the games even count. Through the exhibition and scrimmage results that have surfaced so far, the early read on the league looks a lot different from last year’s breakthrough run.
Oregon is the team that stands out for all the wrong reasons. Dana Altman’s retirement just weeks before the season left the Ducks in a tough spot, and a 71-65 loss to Seattle U of the WCC only deepened the concern.
The perimeter group was a problem in that game, with several former top-30 high school prospects struggling to find rhythm. Tony Stubblefield has been down this road before as a college head coach at DePaul, where he couldn’t last the year, and this setup feels like it could be a long one in Eugene.
Rutgers, meanwhile, has looked far tougher than the outside chatter suggested. A 14-20 record last season didn’t create much buzz around the Knights entering the fall, and Steve Pikiell has not been on the sideline because of health issues.
Even so, Rutgers has pushed two strong Big East opponents, losing 77-75 to Villanova and then 104-99 in four overtimes to St. John’s.
It’s still preseason basketball, but there are things to like there, including Virginia Tech transfer big man Christian Gurdak.
Maryland has also found an encouraging piece in Andre Mills. Last season was rough overall for the Terrapins, but Mills emerged as a bright spot by averaging double figures, and he looks even better now after returning for another year.
He put up 27 points and eight rebounds in a 90-81 win over West Virginia, leading all scorers. A healthy Pharell Payne, who added 26 points, gives Maryland another important lift in its bounce-back push, but Mills has a real case as the team’s top player.
The freshmen have started to leave their mark in places like Illinois, Michigan, and Nebraska. Quentin Coleman, a five-star prospect, posted 14 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in Illinois’ 105-96 win over Cincinnati.
Quinn Costello scored in double figures in both of Michigan’s wins and has already established himself as the first big off the bench. Nebraska got strong early work from Jacob Lanier too, with 11-plus points in both games off the bench even though he didn’t come in with much attention.
Indiana has been especially convincing on the defensive end. The Hoosiers handled Butler and UNC with ease over the past two weeks, and the offense has looked every bit as dangerous as expected after several strong transfer additions.
But what really jumped out was how they defended after halftime, holding both opponents to just 28 points per second half. Even without bringing in players known for defense, Indiana’s work on that side has been one of the clearest positives so far.
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Rutgers Showed Real Promise But One Problem Still Looks Familiar
Rutgers gave Brandon Knight plenty to like in a wild exhibition against St. Johns, even in a 104-99 loss that stretched to four overtimes. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first half and showed the kind of offensive flow that can make a team look dangerous early, but the game also offered a blunt reminder that preseason promise is only part of the equation.
As the night wore on, the same issues that can derail a game in November started to surface again, with the Red Storm turning up the pressure and Rutgers having trouble matching it in the closing stretches. Knight pointed to the need for more physicality and better decision-making when the game gets tight, and while the scoring punch was real, the late-game control still looks like the piece Rutgers has to find. [Read more 🡒]