Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Breaking down the 5 highest-rated 2018 commitments

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Big Ten basketball teams consistently reload with elite recruiting classes. As 2018-19 approaches, here is a look at the top-5 recruits for the conference.

2017-18 was a “down” season for Big Ten basketball. The conference struggled to receive a positive review compared to some of the years in the past. In national discussions, the Big Ten was often placed behind the ACC, Big 12, and Big East last season. This was something that Michigan noticed and decided to change the narrative in the NCAA Tournament. In typical John Beilein fashion, the Wolverines dominated March, waltzing to the national championship game before falling to the Villanova Wildcats.

This was obviously a strong finish for the conference despite a somewhat down season overall. The question posed now is whether or not the league as a whole can build off of Michigan’s hot finish to last season. With several elite recruits coming in this next season and a ton of returning talent, there is no reason that the Big Ten cannot be in the conversation for the best conference in the league.

Per 247Sports, Big Ten teams are bringing in a combined six top-50 players in the country. These are scattered across five programs, showing the recruiting prowess of the league from top to bottom. For the sake of this article, I will take a look at the top-5 recruits by ranking entering the country. This leaves just one top-50 player out.

Just missed the cut: Daniel Oturu (No. 49, Minnesota), Jerome Hunter (No. 55, Indiana), Joe Wieskamp (No. 59, Iowa), Marcus Bingham Jr. (No. 62, Michigan State), Brandon Johns (No. 66, Michigan).

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