So which programs rank next after Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Michigan in regards to their current state......part II will take a look at the next best group of programs which are the X-Factors.
The X-Factors are three teams that have been the most unpredictable and likely will stay that way for a while. They have had a good years and bad years......disappointing seasons and then also seasons where they clearly overachieved from where they were predicted to finish.......they could finish this year in the Top Five of the Big Ten or further down depending on a variety of factors.......essentially these three programs are solid but usually the toughest to predict.
IOWA
Fran McCaffrey is hated one year in Iowa City and then loved the next......this year the Hawkeyes should be a solid team due to a solid starting line-up and a deep bench due to some solid newcomers.
Likely starting line-up:
SO F Tyler Cook
JR F Nicholas Baer
SO C Cordell Pemsl
SO G Isaiah Moss
SO G Jordan Bohannon
So they have a very young starting line-up that should be solid the next few years but they also add 4-star center Luke Garza (6-11, 230-pound) and 3-star forward Jack Nunge (6-10, 200-pounder who shot 43% from 3-point range during his senior season). Along with those two, Iowa also has Dom Uhl and Ahmad Wagner back up front along with sophomore center Ryan Kriener (6-10).....at guard they only have Christian Williams and Maishe Dailey because McCaffrey's son Conor (4-star wing) will redshirt due to his focus being on baseball. This year he hit .407 for the state runner-up team playing 1B and OF. Former post player Dale Jones gets a 6 year but has transferred to North Dakota.
The Hawkeyes already have a commitment for 2018 from SG Joe Wieskamp who is a 4-star player.
MARYLAND
There is some that feel the Terps losing Melo Trimble could be addition by subtraction......we will find that out come November and December. Many people probably feel that Terps will take a big step back but this team could be very strong. They have an underrated starting five and some really strong newcomers arriving for the upcoming season.
The likely starters are:
SO F Justin Jackson
SO F Kevin Huerter
SR C Michael Cekovsky
SR G Jared Nickens
SO G Anthony Cowan
If Jared Nickens and Dion Wiley stay inconsistent on the wing position, look for 4-star freshman SG Darryl Morsell to take some minutes at the two but he will also have to play back-up point guard behind Cowan because Jaylen Brantley transferred to UMASS as a grad transfer. The Terps are supposedly looking for a grad transfer to fill that role. They also return power forward redshirt freshman Joshua Tomaic who is a 6-9 stretch 4 from Spain via the Canary Island and Ivan Bender up front. Cekovsky will probably be backed up by Duke (former Rice transfer) grad transfer Sean Obi, who is about 6-8, 250 and was a great rebounder as a freshman at Rice but due to injuries and talent level, he was not able to crack the Blue Devils line-up. If Obi struggles look for 4-star 6-11 freshman Bruno Fernando to also play in the post off the bench.
Overall, this team has a lot of talent and they have size to match up with anyone. If Turgeon can keep them consistent (which he couldn't last season late), this team could make a run in March.
Maryland has already landed one 2018 recruit and that is 4-star wing Aaron Wiggins.
PURDUE
Matt Painter has had a very strange career at Purdue as he was the golden boy when he landed his 2007 class of Moore, Johnson, and Hummel but then things got weird later down the line and he almost left for Missouri and then they got bad and then they improved but took a horrible first round loss in the NCAA tournament two years ago blowing a 13-point lead with 3:13 left to Arkansas Little-Rock and so they are also an X-factor because you just never know with the Boilermakers.
The likely starters are:
SR F Vincent Edwards
JR F Ryan Cline
SR C Isaac Haas
SR G Dakota Mathias
SR G P.J. Thompson
This team should be solid as 4-starters are seniors and that usually bodes well for a team. Edwards is a really underrated player and Haas can cause a lot of problems with his size. Just like last year, a lot of their success will be based on how Cline, Mathias, and Thompson shoot the ball. If Thompson struggles, sophomore guard Carsen Edwards could start ahead of him and will obviously see a lot of minutes.
If you were getting sad that we would be losing a 7-foot-2 inch giant with two aa's his name (Isaac Haas) don't be because Painter is bringing in freshman giant Matt Haarms who is also 7-foot-2 but unlike Haas who likes to be a tree trunk down in the post, Haarms likes to sit outside and shoot three-pointers (he is reportedly pretty good at it). The key to their season could be the play of JC All-American Eden Ewing who is 6-9, 215 and should see a lot of minutes. The Boilers also bring in Evanston freshman Nojel Eastern who should help a lot off the bench and freshmen forward Aaron Wheeler (6-7 wing) and guard Sasha Stefanovic (6-5 wing). Center Jacquil Taylor rounds out their bench.
Purdue currently has no commitments for 2018.
Bonus.....one of the great names of the Big Ten.....Basil Smotherman is leaving us as a grad transfer to Georgia State......Good Luck Smotherman!!
The X-Factors are three teams that have been the most unpredictable and likely will stay that way for a while. They have had a good years and bad years......disappointing seasons and then also seasons where they clearly overachieved from where they were predicted to finish.......they could finish this year in the Top Five of the Big Ten or further down depending on a variety of factors.......essentially these three programs are solid but usually the toughest to predict.
IOWA
Fran McCaffrey is hated one year in Iowa City and then loved the next......this year the Hawkeyes should be a solid team due to a solid starting line-up and a deep bench due to some solid newcomers.
Likely starting line-up:
SO F Tyler Cook
JR F Nicholas Baer
SO C Cordell Pemsl
SO G Isaiah Moss
SO G Jordan Bohannon
So they have a very young starting line-up that should be solid the next few years but they also add 4-star center Luke Garza (6-11, 230-pound) and 3-star forward Jack Nunge (6-10, 200-pounder who shot 43% from 3-point range during his senior season). Along with those two, Iowa also has Dom Uhl and Ahmad Wagner back up front along with sophomore center Ryan Kriener (6-10).....at guard they only have Christian Williams and Maishe Dailey because McCaffrey's son Conor (4-star wing) will redshirt due to his focus being on baseball. This year he hit .407 for the state runner-up team playing 1B and OF. Former post player Dale Jones gets a 6 year but has transferred to North Dakota.
The Hawkeyes already have a commitment for 2018 from SG Joe Wieskamp who is a 4-star player.
MARYLAND
There is some that feel the Terps losing Melo Trimble could be addition by subtraction......we will find that out come November and December. Many people probably feel that Terps will take a big step back but this team could be very strong. They have an underrated starting five and some really strong newcomers arriving for the upcoming season.
The likely starters are:
SO F Justin Jackson
SO F Kevin Huerter
SR C Michael Cekovsky
SR G Jared Nickens
SO G Anthony Cowan
If Jared Nickens and Dion Wiley stay inconsistent on the wing position, look for 4-star freshman SG Darryl Morsell to take some minutes at the two but he will also have to play back-up point guard behind Cowan because Jaylen Brantley transferred to UMASS as a grad transfer. The Terps are supposedly looking for a grad transfer to fill that role. They also return power forward redshirt freshman Joshua Tomaic who is a 6-9 stretch 4 from Spain via the Canary Island and Ivan Bender up front. Cekovsky will probably be backed up by Duke (former Rice transfer) grad transfer Sean Obi, who is about 6-8, 250 and was a great rebounder as a freshman at Rice but due to injuries and talent level, he was not able to crack the Blue Devils line-up. If Obi struggles look for 4-star 6-11 freshman Bruno Fernando to also play in the post off the bench.
Overall, this team has a lot of talent and they have size to match up with anyone. If Turgeon can keep them consistent (which he couldn't last season late), this team could make a run in March.
Maryland has already landed one 2018 recruit and that is 4-star wing Aaron Wiggins.
PURDUE
Matt Painter has had a very strange career at Purdue as he was the golden boy when he landed his 2007 class of Moore, Johnson, and Hummel but then things got weird later down the line and he almost left for Missouri and then they got bad and then they improved but took a horrible first round loss in the NCAA tournament two years ago blowing a 13-point lead with 3:13 left to Arkansas Little-Rock and so they are also an X-factor because you just never know with the Boilermakers.
The likely starters are:
SR F Vincent Edwards
JR F Ryan Cline
SR C Isaac Haas
SR G Dakota Mathias
SR G P.J. Thompson
This team should be solid as 4-starters are seniors and that usually bodes well for a team. Edwards is a really underrated player and Haas can cause a lot of problems with his size. Just like last year, a lot of their success will be based on how Cline, Mathias, and Thompson shoot the ball. If Thompson struggles, sophomore guard Carsen Edwards could start ahead of him and will obviously see a lot of minutes.
If you were getting sad that we would be losing a 7-foot-2 inch giant with two aa's his name (Isaac Haas) don't be because Painter is bringing in freshman giant Matt Haarms who is also 7-foot-2 but unlike Haas who likes to be a tree trunk down in the post, Haarms likes to sit outside and shoot three-pointers (he is reportedly pretty good at it). The key to their season could be the play of JC All-American Eden Ewing who is 6-9, 215 and should see a lot of minutes. The Boilers also bring in Evanston freshman Nojel Eastern who should help a lot off the bench and freshmen forward Aaron Wheeler (6-7 wing) and guard Sasha Stefanovic (6-5 wing). Center Jacquil Taylor rounds out their bench.
Purdue currently has no commitments for 2018.
Bonus.....one of the great names of the Big Ten.....Basil Smotherman is leaving us as a grad transfer to Georgia State......Good Luck Smotherman!!
