Big Ten Basketball: Breaking down the 2017-18 star on each team in the conference

Big Ten basketball features some of the best players in the entire country. Which stars will take their teams to the NCAA Tournament this season?

D.J. Wilson (Michigan), OG Anunoby (Indiana), and Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) followed in the footsteps of several other great Big Ten talents this summer when they were selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. Year in and year out, the Big Ten produces some of the biggest stars in college basketball. From elite point guards to top-notch big men, this conference is extremely versatile in their play styles and star players.

Each Big Ten team has had their own successes over the past several seasons, with the conference making multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and deep runs over the past few years. These journeys have been paved by some of the best players that college basketball has seen in recent history as well.

In fact, three Big Ten players have taken home the Naismith College Player of the Year Award in the last ten years. Evan Turner (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Michigan), and Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) were exceptional players for their respective schools and made impact plays in each of the games they stepped onto the floor.

Entering this season, there are a few players with the ability to potentially make a run at National Player of the Year, most notably Michigan State’s Miles Bridges and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ. Still, there are several other stars in the Big Ten that will be standing in their way throughout conference play.

Let’s take a look at each team in the Big Ten and who is the star on their respective team, starting with Rutgers, who finished last in the conference a year ago.