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

10. Michigan Wolverines

Speaking of frontcourts, perhaps there is no better frontcourt in the Big Ten than what first-year HC Dusty May has assembled with Danny Wolf (Yale) and Vlad Goldin (FAU). At first, it seems like an odd fit but the more digging you do, the more it makes sense. Goldin is your scorer at the rim at the five and Wolf can be a spot-up shooter who can stretch the floor with excellent court vision. 

Additionally, the Wolverines will have a quartet of guards to work within the backcourt led by Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr., who averaged 13.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 3.1 APG last season. And keep tabs on the 6-foot-10 forward Sam Walters, who shined in Mcihgian’s preseason exhibition win over Oakland.

Michigan returns less than 30% of its minutes from last year’s group and honestly, that’s a good thing considering the previous year's brutalities. If there is one team in the Big Ten that completely skyrockets past its preseason projections, it's the Michigan Wolverines.

9. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes seem to be flying under the radar entering the 2024-25 season. Returning nearly 55% of its minutes, perhaps no return was as crucial to a Big Ten team as Payton Sandfort is to Iowa. 

Sandfort -- who withdrew his name from the 2024 NBA Draft -- is among the Big Ten’s best pure shooters, shooting 38% from three and nearly 45% from the field. A big season lies ahead for the senior guard.

Moving toward the frontcourt, all eyes shift toward Owen Freeman, who had a monster freshman campaign last year. Given Fran McCaffery’s keep for development, his role numbers should only increase, especially after the departure of Ben Krikke. 

Iowa has been the staple of consistency under Fran McCaffery. Expecting that to change would be ill-advised. Look for the Hawkeyes to turn heads this year.