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Big Ten Basketball questions: 2023 POY picks, under-the-radar storylines

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 11, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; The Big Ten logo on the floor at the Kohl Center before the game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Purdue Boilermakers. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2019; Madison, WI, USA; The Big Ten logo on the floor at the Kohl Center before the game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Purdue Boilermakers. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big Ten Basketball Northwestern Wildcats Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports /

There was no conference that had so many preseason questions than Big Ten Basketball, including who would end up being the best team. Through this point, I’m not sure if that’s been answered. The Purdue Boilermakers have been No. 1 for several weeks but even they have shown weaknesses.

Already, every team in the Big Ten has suffered a loss in league play. So to try to answer some questions, I created a roundtable with a few contributors for Busting Brackets to get their thoughts and opinions.

Here is what they had to say.

Ryan Kay – @KaySportswriter

Jonathan Lidskin – @JonathanLidskin

Brandon Simberg – @BrandonSimberg

1. Which team has been the biggest surprise so far?

Kay

Northwestern due to the fact that they are tied for second place in the Big Ten with their only conference loss being to Ohio State. Besides their home loss to Pitt, they played well in non-conference play with some solid wins and their loss on a neutral court to Auburn by one is a quality loss.

They defeated Indiana and Michigan State on the road and they have beaten in-state opponents like Illinois, UIC, DePaul, Northern Illinois, and Chicago State to be 5-0 against teams from the state of Illinois. Not much was expected from the Wildcats and they have been a good surprise for their fanbase and for those college basketball fans who cheer on the Cinderella teams in March.

Lidskin

Northwestern. The Wildcats were picked as one of the worst teams in the league and rightfully so after losing Pete Nance to North Carolina. Despite that, the duo of Boo Buie and Chase Audige has stepped up and the Cats sit at 11-3 and 2-1 in the conference. KenPom currently projects a 9-11 finish in the league which would at worst keep Northwestern on the bubble late season.

Simberg

Rutgers and Penn State are the obvious choices, but I’ll go with the Scarlet Knights. After their best three-year stretch in program history, there was an expected regression after the loss of Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. But Pikell and the wonders of the RAC have helped the Scarlet Knights position themselves to go dancing again.

They are a monster on defense, ranking third in Ken Pom, anchored by Clifford Omoruyi and reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell. Pikell has done a wonderful job turning Rutgers around and they are a team nobody wants to see on the schedule due to their toughness.

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