Big Ten Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2017-18

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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 09: Jordan Bohannon /

9. Iowa

People who don’t follow Big Ten basketball probably didn’t realize that Iowa beat Indiana, Maryland, and Wisconsin down the stretch last year and almost snuck into the NCAA Tournament. Much of the 2016-2017 team is still intact with Tyler Cook, who averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, and Jordan Bohannon, who averaged 10.9 points and 5.1 assists, looking to build on stellar freshman seasons. That pair will be tasked with picking up the scoring for Peter Jok, who scored close to 20 a game in his senior season.

10. Illinois

Brad Underwood is a great get to run the program but he has his work cut out for him. Illinois’ top returning scorer is LeRon Black who averaged 8.1. It may be hard for the Illini to find points, especially considering they didn’t exactly fill it up last year, finishing 213th in the country in scoring. Underwood’s team better play really good defense.

11. Ohio State

Ohio State is the most unpredictable team in the Big Ten, in my opinion. Leading scorer Jae’Sean Tate is back and so is third-leading scorer JaQuan Lyle. However, the Buckeyes lost second and fourth-leading scorers Marc Loving and Trevor Thompson. Couple in losing two guys who scored in double figures with a new coach, and it could be tough for Ohio State to get back on track.

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