Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 2022-23 season

By Tristan Freeman

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 10: Head coach Mike Woodson of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after getting called for a technical foul in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 10: Head coach Mike Woodson of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after getting called for a technical foul in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 10
Next
Ensworth’s Skyy Clark  Bhs Ehs Bbb 111920 An 013
Ensworth’s Skyy Clark  Bhs Ehs Bbb 111920 An 013 /

1. Freshman Skyy Clark runs the new-look offense for Illinois

The Fighting Illini had a trio of veteran ball-handlers on the roster last season in Alfonso Plummer, Trent Frazier, and Andre Curbelo. All three are gone and they were able to add a point guard this offseason in Skyy Clark, a five-star prospect ranked in the top-25 and a former Kentucky commit.

The 6’3 playmaker is the projected starting point guard this season and it’s a high-risk and high-reward move. Not all five-star prospects are great as freshmen and with another freshman as the backup in Jayden Epps, there aren’t secondary options for the team to go to if Clark doesn’t work out.

The entire roster is a unique experiment under head coach Brad Underwood. There is a trio of Big 12 transfers (Matthew Mayer, Terrence Shannon Jr., Dain Dainja) looking for big roles on the roster, while Coleman Hawkins and RJ Melendez are breakout candidates to watch.

What makes things potentially harder for Clark is that the entire roster is filled with unknowns. There isn’t a security blanket like Kofi Cockburn inside to always throw the ball to or a star guard like Ayo Dosunmu that can create for himself on offense. It’s not a guarantee that the Big 12 transfers increase their production and it’s going to take time for both the freshman guard and the rest of the roster to find their specific roles and usage.

Next. Preseason top-25 power rankings for 2022-23. dark

Clark is going to be one of the most important players in the Big Ten this season and if he excels, the Illini has Final Four potential. But if he struggles similarly to how Curbelo did last year, then the NCAA Tournament could be out of reach for them as well. No team may have a higher ceiling or lower floor than Illinois in this league.

Home/Big Ten