Big Ten men’s hoops: Summer questions for Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, more

By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer

If you’re a Big Ten follower, and you need a break from the flurry of realignment columns being written, you’ve come to the right place!

There has been a wealth of storylines in Big Ten basketball this offseason as the conference comes off a second straight season of sending a nation-leading nine teams to the NCAA Tournament. Sure, only one program, Michigan, reached the Sweet 16 both times, but this league is proving to be as deep as any in the nation.

Heading into the 2022-23 season, there are questions to be answered. Gone are Jaden Ivey, Johnny Davis, Keegan Murray, Kofi Cockburn and E.J. Liddell. In fact, only three of the league’s 10 all-conference players from last season (first and second team) return. So, there’s an open door for new stars to be born.

Let’s look at some Big Ten storylines to keep an eye on this summer.

Who’s going to step up for Michigan behind Hunter Dickinson?

The 7-foot-1 center is running it back for a third season in Ann Arbor after he led Michigan to the Sweet 16 last season. Averaging 18.8 points and 8.6 boards per game last year, Dickinson could very well be the frontrunner for Big Ten Player of the Year. 

Juwan Howard’s program comes off an up-and-down campaign that never saw Michigan live up to preseason national title expectations, but ended with a late surge to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Wolverines again will usher in a top-10 recruiting class that includes four 4-star prospects. There’s 6-foot-10 center Tarris Reed, who committed to the Wolverines over Ohio State and should contribute immediately while learning behind Dickinson. A fellow top-50 recruit, 6-foot-7 Jett Howard out of IMG Academy, could very well start on the wing, with Caleb Houstan having gone to the NBA Draft. 

Hunter Dickinson throws down powerful jam

Hunter Dickinson gave the Michigan Wolverines a swing of momentum thanks to a powerful one-handed jam against Rutgers last season.

Princeton grad transfer Jaelin Llewellyn should fill the backcourt void left by the graduating Eli Brooks. The All-Ivy League first-team selection averaged 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season while shooting 38% from 3. Howard will rely on Llewellyn to do a variety of things and initiate Michigan’s offense. 

The other addition via the portal is Duke transfer Joey Baker. Michigan plans to use him as a catch-and-shoot weapon if he can put it all together, having averaged just 4.5 points per game last season but shooting 41% from 3.

The key question for Michigan: Just how much of a leap do sophomore Kofe Bufkin and junior Terrance Williams make? The Wolverines will need them both to step up their offensive production.

So, the theme is simple for UM in year four of the Howard era. Dickinson is the certainty. What happens beyond him could determine if the Wolverines are in Big Ten title contention or not. 

Who’s the alpha for Tom Izzo, and will the Spartans play smaller? 

The Spartans had balance last season, with eight players averaging between 7.0 and 12.0 points per game. But, Michigan State’s top three scorers are gone, and this team will have some questions to answer on the offensive end of the floor. 

There are two main candidates who could take on the role of top scorer. 

Let’s start with rising junior AJ Hoggard, who seemed to thrive in big moments last season. Hoggard averaged 13 points in the final three contests last season. His 17-point, 10-rebound performance against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals was impressive. Hoggard also shows a certain toughness that could allow him to take on a leadership role.

Senior Malik Hall, an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection last season, should be another go-to option for the Spartans. The 6-foot-8 forward posted nine games with at least 15 points last season, but he averaged just 4.2 points in the final five contests. For Hall, it really comes down to consistency and being more active in those important moments. There certainly is an open doorway for him with Gabe Brown, Max Christie and Marcus Bingham Jr. gone.

The other interesting question is whether Tom Izzo will opt to go smaller. Putting Michigan State’s best five on the floor would mean Hall and 6-foot-9 senior Joey Hauser playing together, but they are really two forwards. 

The Spartans have some size in 6-foot-9, 235-pound junior Mady Sissoko, who played just 4.5 minutes per game last season, but the more likely choice for interior play is 4-star incoming freshman Jaxon Kohler. That said, there’s not a proven answer at center, a position that’s typically a certainty for an Izzo-led team.

As for the rest of the backcourt alongside Hoggard, Tyson Walker enters his senior season after averaging 8.2 points, and the Spartans will look for Jaden Akins to make a leap on the wing. Four-star guard Tre Holloman should be a go-to option off the bench in his first year with the program. 

So, the Spartans have some areas to address, particularly how they’re going to score effectively, but they should have enough to be a top-five team in the Big Ten.

Will Illinois‘ wholesale retooling work? 

After another first-weekend exit in the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Illini’s offseason started with the losses of center Kofi Cockburn, senior leaders Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams and guards Andre Curbelo and Jacob Grandison.

But despite all of this, or maybe because of it, Brad Underwood and his staff attacked the offseason with gusto. Illinois has made three Big 12 transfer splashes, bringing in Texas Tech guard Terrence Shannon Jr., plus former Baylor Bears Matthew Mayer and Dain Dainja. 

Shannon, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chicago, helped the Red Raiders to the Sweet 16 last season, averaging 10.4 points per game. He is a versatile, playmaking guard who played a part on one of the best defensive teams in the country. 

As for Mayer, who spent the past two seasons as a key part of Baylor’s program, the versatile 6-foot-9 forward chose Illinois over North Carolina and Texas Tech. It will be interesting to see which version of Mayer the Illini get. In 2020-21, he shot 49% from the field. That figure went down to just over 40% last season. In both years, he averaged nearly double figures in scoring with between four and five rebounds per game. That said, Mayer is one of the most interesting transfers in the country and has been a winner, going 55-9 over the past two seasons. 

Dainja, a former 4-star prospect from Minnesota, played in just three games last season. Illinois has brought him in to be a part of a fresh frontcourt, one lacking the dominant presence of double-double machine Cockburn.

At the point guard spot, Underwood welcomes in a 4-star prospect from Florida’s Montverde Academy, Skyy Clark, who picked the Illini over Kentucky and Auburn, among others. It will be a big undertaking for Clark to take over a retooled backcourt, but his skill set carries major intrigue. 

Among returning players, keep an eye on third-year forward Coleman Hawkins. The 6-foot-10 big man from Sacramento showed offensive flashes last season, scoring 18 points in the Big Ten Tournament against Indiana before scoring 10 in the NCAA Tournament win over Chattanooga. The junior should get more looks this season. Can he become closer to a double-figure scorer? We shall see. 

The Illini may look very different, but with the additions of winning players like Shannon, Mayer and Clark, Underwood should have one of the top teams in the Big Ten again.

Who are the new Buckeyes on the block?

Chris Holtmann will have a totally different team in the upcoming season. Seven of the Buckeyes’ top eight rotation players are gone, with Malaki Branham going one-and-done, and All-American E.J. Liddell joining him in the draft. 

To make up for that, Ohio State is bringing in a five-member, top-10 recruiting class, plus three transfers.

Expect Oklahoma State transfer Isaac Likekele to be the point guard for the Buckeyes. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.5 boards and 3.4 assists last season. Senior guard and West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil will join Likekele in the backcourt. McNeil should give Holtmann a strong perimeter scoring option. He averaged 12.2 points for Bob Huggins last season while shooting 37% from 3. 

The lone key returner is junior center Zed Key. He will look to build on a sophomore year that saw him step up in some big spots, posting 7.8 points and 5.6 boards per game. 

Ohio State also hopes to have a healthy Justice Sueing ready to go after an abdominal injury sidelined him for all but two games last season. 

Out of the loaded recruiting class, which features four 4-star prospects, the top two names to watch are guards Roddy Gayle Jr. and Bruce Thornton. They’ll have a nice core of veteran guards to learn from, but they should come into Columbus and help a new-look Buckeyes team immediately. 

Like a lot of other Big Ten teams, Ohio State has an open doorway for star players to rise up and declare themselves. And at OSU, there’s no shortage of options.

Who will replace the Big Ten’s biggest stars? 

Jaden Ivey, Johnny Davis and Keegan Murray are all in the NBA. That means three consistent programs are seeking new stars to rise. 

Purdue should be fine with 7-foot-4 tower Zach Edey leading the way. It’s a new-look backcourt, but Utah transfer David Jenkins was a solid pickup, and the hope from the Boilers is that Brandon Newman will take a leap in year three. 

For Wisconsin, it’s hard to doubt the Badgers, but Davis just did so much for them. Greg Gard welcomes two transfers in Green Bay’s Kamari McGee and Wofford’s Max Klesmit. Perhaps 6-foot-2 guard Chucky Hepburn will turn some flashes from his freshman season (7.9 PPG) into a breakout sophomore campaign. 

As for Iowa, the simplest answer to replacing Murray might be another Murray. That would be Kris Murray, the younger brother of Keegan, whom many around the program and Big Ten believe could take a big leap forward this season. The 6-foot-8 forward will see an increased role from his 18 minutes per game off the bench, when he averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 boards. 

Iowa loses Jordan Bohannon (out of eligibility) and Joe Toussaint (transferred to West Virginia), leaving some uncertainty around the backcourt. This could really be Murray’s team, and he may need to be the guy for the Hawkeyes.

Are the high hopes in Bloomington warranted?

Trayce Jackson-Davis is back — speaking of which, check out my recent feature on him. 

Not only are the Hoosiers the only Big Ten team that returns four starters, but Mike Woodson and his staff have a top-10 recruiting class coming in as well. So, the stars are aligning for IU heading into the 2022-23 campaign. 

The Hoosiers haven’t won a Big Ten regular-season championship since 2016 and have never won the conference tournament. Indiana broke a six-year NCAA Tournament drought last season, which is a long stretch for a program with such a distinguished brand and passionate following.

With lead guard Xavier Johnson (12.8 PPG, 5.1 APG) and center Race Thompson (11.1 PPG and 7.5 RPG) both back for a fifth season, there’s a wealth of experience on this roster. And Jackson-Davis, who averaged 18.3 points and 8.1 boards last season, will be a Big Ten Player of the Year frontrunner and All-American candidate. 

Add in combo guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau to join this cast of college veterans, and Woodson has a nice blend heading into his second season at the helm of his alma mater. 

Yes, Indiana can win the Big Ten, and it’s good for college basketball when the Hoosiers are in that conversation.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.