NCAA Basketball: Arizona State, Arkansas among 10 biggest winners of 2024 recruiting classes

8. Illinois Fighting Illini

Brad Underwood may be keen on utilizing the transfer portal to overhaul his roster, but his international recruiting chops with the help of assistant coach Geoff Alexander give the Fighting Illini a spice of upside as they enter the 2024-25 season. Just this May, Underwood added two international prospects: center Tomislav Ivisic and shooting guard Kasparas Jakucionis, both of whom are capable of entering the starting five come November.

In addition to the international additions, Illinois will welcome the top-ranked prospect in Illinois, four-star center Morez Johnson, to Champaign, another probable (or potential) starter capable of filling in big minutes for a team that has made positional size a priority in the 2024-25 offseason.

7. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue may look different next season without Zach Edey manning the paint, but the nucleus of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn returns, giving Matt Painter a reliable core to work within 2024-25. In addition, the Boilermakers got to work on the recruiting trail, adding six total recruits and compiling the 10th-best composite recruiting class, according to 24/7 Sports.

Four-star forward Kanon Catchings and four-star combo-guard Gicarri Harris are freshmen to keep an eye out for come November, but to minimal surprise, 7-foot-3 center Daniel Jacobsen might take the cake, who recently earned a spot on the USA Basketball U18 team and turned many heads while at training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With a strong recruiting class in place, the Boilermakers make themselves one of the biggest winners of the 2024 recruiting class both in the Big Ten and nationally.