Big Ten Basketball: One big question for every team entering 2019-20
By Jacob Shames
Iowa: Will Jordan Bohannon play in 2019-20?
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Hawkeyes’ entire season could hinge on the health of their senior point guard. Bohannon’s started all but six games in his career. He’s averaged 12 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 41.1 from deep with unlimited range. He’s the closest thing the Big Ten has to Stephen Curry. He’s the heart and soul of the Hawkeyes, and also essentially their only point guard.
At first, it wasn’t a sure thing that Bohannon would play at all this year. After undergoing hip surgery in May, he planned to use a medical redshirt and recover for 2020-21. But Bohannon is now running and putting up shots again after a faster-than-expected recovery, and is itching to get back on the floor.
Bohannon could wait until 2020 and get fully healthy. He could play this year, shut it down if he isn’t right and get a medical redshirt. Or he could give it a go and try to lead Iowa back into the NCAA Tournament. But then again, the Hawkeyes are quite young, and with Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza likely to return next season, their ceiling might be higher. Simply put, there’s a lot at stake here.
Illinois: Can Kipper Nichols be the Illini’s X-factor?
Nichols isn’t his team’s best player. He might not even be its fourth-best. But Illinois, despite its fast, high-scoring guard tandem of Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier and an intriguing frontcourt with massive Kofi Cockburn and skilled Giorgi Bezhanishvili, doesn’t have much experience or talent on the wing. Nichols can change that — if he returns to his sophomore form.
In 2017-18, Nichols averaged 10.0 points in just 19 minutes and pulled down 4.2 rebounds, shooting 44 percent overall and 38 percent from deep on 2.6 attempts. His 115.2 offensive rating ranked third on the team. A junior jump might have been expected after such a stellar season, but instead, Nichols’ numbers declined precipitously. He averaged 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and hit just 21 percent from three for an ORTG of 98.
Nichols is still useful even if he doesn’t bounce back. An explosive, muscular 6’6 and 200 pounds, he can play inside and outside, and he’s the longest-tenured player on this roster. But he’s too talented to be merely a veteran presence. Which version of Nichols the Fighting Illini get this year will go a long way in determining if they can live up to their hype.
Wisconsin: How do the Badgers replace Ethan Happ?
This one’s almost too obvious to write.
It’d be unfair to call the 2018-19 Badgers a one-man show. You can, however, certainly say this much: everything they did revolve around Happ, one of the most unique players in college basketball.
The 6’10, 237-pound forward led the team in points, rebounds and assists for the second straight season. He brought the ball up the court and got old-school buckets in the paint. No one in the Big Ten could stop him one-on-one, but doubling him was an even worse option — Wisconsin was third in the conference in 3-point shooting, and if you were open, Happ would find you.
Losing a player of Happ’s caliber is one thing, but it’s another when that player’s skill set is so distinctive. Wisconsin still has plenty of talent, but for the last two years, it’s seemed to exist fully in Happ’s massive playmaking orbit. Between Brad Davison, D’Mitrik Trice, Nate Reuvers, Brevin Pritzl, Kobe King and Aleem Ford, the Badgers have an experienced starting backcourt, bigs who can stretch the floor and shooting off the bench. It’s as good a returning core as any in the league, but can it be just as good without Happ leading the way?