Big Ten Basketball: Biggest remaining team roster needs for 2022-23

Big Ten Basketball: Biggest remaining roster needs for each team for 2022-23 season

PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 08: A Big Ten banner logo is seen hung from the rafters of the Louis Brown Athletic Center as the Ohio State Buckeyes play against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during their Big Ten conference game at Rutgers Athletic Center on February 8, 2015 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images) /

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Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s been a very eventful offseason so far for Big Ten Basketball, with a number of key moves going on. We’ve seen stars like Kofi Cockburn, Keegan Murray, and Johnny Davis enter the NBA Draft, while others such as Hunter Dickinson come back for another year. There are other future NBA Draft decisions to be made as well.

The biggest storyline at this stage of the offseason is the transfer portal, as most teams have been losing and gaining players. Big Ten Basketball is no exception, as they’ve landed several intriguing newcomers to the fold.

But there’s still more work to do for each of these teams to do to have rosters that’ll not only do damage in Big Ten Basketball play but also potentially in March. Here’s a closer look at what each of these teams still needs from a roster perspective.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Biggest needs: PG, PF

Illinois had three capable lead guards last season (Trent Frazier, Andre Curbelo, Alfonso Plummer) but all are now gone. The team did bring in five-star combo guard Skyy Clark, set to be a freshman starter on the roster. Four-star guard Jayden Epps. But they would be better off having a veteran ball-handler would help, especially if Clark isn’t ready for 25-30 mpg.

The other position of need is power forward to play off of Dain Dainja at center. Coleman Hawkins is the only other frontcourt player on the roster so the Illini are in need of another big to help offset the loss of All-American Kofi Cockburn. Rumors are that Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer and Northwestern transfer Pete Nance are top targets.

Indiana Hoosiers

Biggest needs: SF

Of all the Big Ten Basketball teams, Indiana may be the one whose roster is all but set, assuming star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and starting point guard Xavier Johnson do indeed come back for one more season. Race Thompson is coming back as well, while top-30 incoming freshmen, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau adds depth to both the front and backcourts as well.

The only area where Indiana could improve is at the wing to find an upgrade over starter Miller Kopp. He averaged 6.4 ppg in 25 mpg, shooting 36% from three-point range. As a team, Indiana was at 33% but ranked towards the bottom of the country in attempts and makes. Finding another sharpshooter from the portal and giving him 15-20 mpg would be a nice boost to a nearly complete roster.

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