Last season, Dusty May and his dominant Michigan club destroyed the usual preseason think pieces and talking points about why the Big Ten has not won an NCAA Tournament championship in a quarter-century. The Big Ten led the way with six teams earning a top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament. It had six Sweet 16 teams, two Final Four clubs and the clear best team in the sport.
It was the best league in America last year, even if kenpom.com's ratings favored the SEC. That's a tough act to follow, but the investment in basketball is widespread across the conference. Contenders like Illinois and Michigan spent over $20 million on their respective rosters.
Teams like Maryland and Indiana were spending real-deal money to revamp their teams after missing the NCAA Tournament last year. Outside of a few Big Ten locations, the stakes are high and the investment is real. Let's dive into some of the Big Ten's best players followed by a preview of each team's strengths, weaknesses, outlook for 2026-27 and predicted order of finish as voted on by CBS Sports' college basketball experts.
No Big Ten player has ever averaged north of 10 assists in a single season. Fears could change that this season and put his name in the Big Ten record books forever. Oh, and he guards his yard and has grown as a shooter every single year.
Fears is way too smart to keep putting his team in harm's way with unnecessary antics. He's promised those days are behind him for good, and if that comes to fruition, Fears' sky-high basketball IQ can become his calling card. Mick Cronin joked that he needed his staff to find him "the biggest, nastiest, vodka-drinking Eastern European" or "some guy that used to wrestle bears in Lithuania." The Serbian product is only 17 (he can buy Vodka in Serbia in April), but he's got so much game.
Kusturica averaged a whopping 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while excelling defensively in the FIBA U17 World Cup. He shined against a Team USA outfit that had Duke's Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje and a horde of 2027 five-stars including Cayden Daughtry, NaVorro Bowman Jr. and Beckham Black. Although Kusturica is young, the 6-9 forward has the tools (and mindset) to be an impact player from the beginning.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
