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Big Ten Basketball: 5 storylines to watch as 2023-24 league play gets going

Big Ten basketball already has some early parity as the bulk of conference play approaches in January. Take a look at five early storylines to keep an eye on as things should heat up in the conference in 2024.

By Jerran Anderson

Purdue v Northwestern
Purdue v Northwestern / Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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Who are the early Big Ten Player of the Year candidates?

Zach Edey - Purdue Boilermakers

Zach Edey is back and in rare form for the Boilermakers as he's averaging 23.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.6 assists per game on 62.4 percent shooting from the floor. He currently leads the Big Ten in total points, rebounds, ranks second in blocks, and leads the conference in PER (38.2) and offensive rating (139.6). He's been an unstoppable force for Purdue and already has put together two 30+ point performances across 13 games. The conference is his to dominate as he looks to add more hardware to his trophy case in 2024.

Boo Buie - Northwestern Wildcats

A lot has been said of Boo Buie already. He's a top name to know in the Big Ten and with good reason. He ranks fifth in the conference in total assists (59), eighth in field goals made (76), 14th in free throws made (40) and 16th in 3-pointers made (23). As the conference schedule approaches, look for his overall production to blossom as he looks to continue to lead by example. He's already shown he can "up" his play so-to-speak when teams like Purdue come to visit, so it will be interesting to see what he does against other big names like Kansas and Illinois.

AJ Storr - Wisconsin Badgers

AJ Storr is probably the biggest dark horse to take home Big Ten Player of the Year honors. He's averaging 15.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 31.7 percent shooting from deep and 44.3 percent shooting from the field. He's come up big in a few key victories with 13 points and five rebounds in a victory over Marquette back on Dec. 2 and 22 points and five rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting from deep against Michigan State on the road back on Dec. 5. It's hard to deny his impact in the Badgers' rotation as a newcomer from the Big East's St. John's Red Storm. It will be interesting to see how things play out in January for Storr and the Badgers.

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