After adding four programs from the West Coast, Big Ten Basketball once again had another strong campaign, sending eight teams to the NCAA Tournament this past season. The transfer portal proved to be a positive deciding factor for many of them, as it got huge contributions from the newcomers.
Some of the best examples include All-American John Tonje (Wisconsin), Danny Wolf (Michigan), and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Maryland). So far, the Big Ten has collectively landed another good batch of newcomers from the portal. Here are some early team winners to this point.
Indiana Hoosiers
Key incoming transfers
- Lamar Wilikerson - 20.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg at Sam Houston
- Tayton Conerway - 14.2 ppg and 4.8 apg at Troy
- Reed Bailey - 18.8 ppg and 6.1 rpg at Davidson
The Hoosiers landed a ton of newcomers, including new Coach Darian DeVries, who brought his son and former 2-time MVC Player of the Year star Tucker DeVries over. Another Conference POY joining Indiana is Conerway, the Sun Belt POY point guard, one of the better perimeter defenders. Bailey, who also led Davidson in assists last season, is one of the more skilled frontcourt pieces, while Wilkerson is expected to be a double-digit contributor.
Iowa Hawkeyes
- Bennett Stirtz - 19.2 ppg and 5.7 apg at Drake
- Alvaro Folguerias - 14.1 ppg and 9.1 rpg at Robert Morris
- Brendan Hausen - 10.9 ppg and 2.5 rpg at Kansas State
The Hawkeyes have a pair of former Conference POY stars joining the fold in Stirtz (MVC) and Folguerias (Horizon League), two incredibly skilled players who should fit into new head coach Ben McCollum’s system. Hausen is a sneaky important pickup, shooting nearly 40% from deep at Kansas State, and should get plenty of opportunities in this offense next season.
Michigan Wolverines
- Yaxel Lendeborg - 17.7 ppg and 11.4 rpg at UAB
- Elliot Cadeau - 9.4 ppg and 6.2 apg at North Carolina
- Morez Johnson - 7.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg at Illinois
The Conference Player of the Year newcomers continue with Michigan, landing former AAC POY and Defensive POY forward, Lendeborg. He’s one of the biggest stat-stuffers in college basketball and should replace Danny Wolf as the premier big in the offensive system. Cadeau may have had some ups and downs, but he’s still one of the top passers in the country and gives the Wolverines a true PG to run the offense.