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NCAA Basketball: Bold predictions for 2019-20 Big Ten Basketball season

By Brian Rauf

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 10: Isaiah Livers #4 of the Michigan Wolverines brings the ball up court as Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini defends during the first half at State Farm Center on January 10, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 10: Isaiah Livers #4 of the Michigan Wolverines brings the ball up court as Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini defends during the first half at State Farm Center on January 10, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Nate Reuvers #35 of the Wisconsin Badgers takes a shot against Paul White #13 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Nate Reuvers #35 of the Wisconsin Badgers takes a shot against Paul White #13 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

What crazy things could happen during the upcoming Big Ten basketball season? Here are three bold NCAA Basketball predictions for the conference in 2019-20.

Big Ten basketball sent a conference-record eight teams to the NCAA Basketball Tournament last year, showcasing the depth that no other league could match last season.

Entering 2019-20, however, the conference is facing more questions. Four Big Ten teams are ranked in the AP preseason top 25, including two in the top 10, but even those teams have question marks.

Michigan State, the preseason No. 1, announced they will be without star guard Joshua Langford until at least January. Maryland, No. 7, has to replace arguably their best player in Bruno Fernando. Purdue, No. 23, has to replace undoubtedly their best player in Carsen Edwards. And Ohio State, No. 18, is heavily reliant on underclassmen in big roles.

And outside of those four, no one knows what to make of the rest of the Big Ten. Michigan is replacing legendary coach John Beilein, Wisconsin is replacing do-everything center Ethan Happ, Iowa may not have Jordan Bohannon this year due to a hip injury, Indiana is Indiana, and…yeah, you get the picture.

Having this many unknowns will make the Big Ten one of the most intriguing conferences to watch throughout the course of the season, and it will also lead to plenty of surprising results.

What could those be? Here are three bold predictions for the conference in 2019-20:

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