Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2024-25 season

14. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers look to build off of its best season this decade after earning a trip to the Big Dance for the first time since 2014. After losing the likes of last year’s leading scorer Keisei Tominaga, CJ Wilcher (Texas A&M) and Rienk Mast to a season-ending injury, the road ahead spells some difficulty. Thankfully for the Cornhuskers, Fred Hoiberg has some solid pieces to work with.

Returning double-digit scorers Brice Williams and Juwan Gary provide veteran stability and rebounding prowess. Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian -- who averaged over 11 PPG his freshman season -- and Rutgers transfer Gavin Griffiths are the type of shooters that should mesh well in Fred Hoiberg’s three-point friendly system. Other names to monitor in the backcourt are well-rounded veteran guard transfer Rollie Worster and UCLA transfer Berke Büyüktuncel.

I’m not convinced the Cornhuskers have enough to work with after losing Mast for the season but it's clear Hoiberg has established an identity in Lincoln which should bode well moving forward.  

13. USC Trojans

The USC Trojans are among college basketball’s biggest mysteries. After all, this is an entirely new team. But betting on Eric Musselman -- a proven winner with transfer-portal-heavy teams -- to pivot and get the most out of this group is a solid wager, even if I have them at 13th.

Sifting through its many high-scoring veteran pieces, one name that immediately stands out is Northern Colorado transfer Saint Thomas, who emerged as the go-to scorer in its exhibition win over UTSA. Xavier transfer Desmond Claude expects to man the backcourt after having a monster breakout season for the Musketeers last year.

How Musselman works through the rest of the lineup and establishes roles will be USC’s most significant question mark entering Big Ten play. The Trojans have many intriguing pieces, however, it’s hard to put this team higher given its uncertainties in 2024-25.