2023-24 College Basketball Conference Preview: Big Ten Fantasy Outlook

The Big Ten Conference has arguably the best player in all of fantasy college basketball in Purdue's Zach Edey, who was last season's National Player of the Year following a campaign in which he posted 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per contest, good for sixth and second in the nation, respectively. Centers are typically the name of the game when it comes to fantasy Big Ten hoops, but the conference lost a great one when Michigan's Hunter Dickinson transferred to Kansas. Nobody can quite make up for Dickinson's impact on his team and the conference as a whole, but big men transfers like Olivier Nkamhoua and Qudus Wahab will give it their best shots. Experience and talent development is also key when it comes to this conference, as all of the top-10 overall fantasy players ranked below are upperclassmen.

While experience reigns supreme, there are several rosters in the league that have had to completely re-tool. Teams like the Wisconsin Badgers may be returning all five starters, but teams like the Penn State Nittany Lions are not returning a single one. Iowa has a completely new-look frontcourt, while Rutgers has two new and talented projected starters in its backcourt. Three of the six first-team all-Big Ten players have moved on to the professional level, perhaps none more impactful than Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis (20.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 4.0 apg). Four of the conference's top-5 scorers have also moved on. If there's one constant outside of the Badgers, it's reigning champion Purdue, where all five projected starters were key contributors last season, even if the backcourt did hit the freshman wall down the stretch. 

Nonetheless, this is still a fantasy-centric preview that will focus on players over teams, so there will be plenty of hidden gems to find, even on teams projected to finish in the bottom of the standings. Let's dive in.

Top Players

Overall: Zach Edey, C, Purdue

Edey isn't just the top asset in the Big Ten, but arguably the No. 1 pick in any fantasy college basketball player draft. Normally a player with these numbers is gone for the the NBA, especially after winning National Player of the Year. However, the 7-4 center's game doesn't really translate to the next level, and NIL rules allow Edey to at least cash some big checks while still on campus (an SB Nation report suggested he made just under $1 million last season). The big body also hasn't been too susceptible to injury, as he's played in 71 games over the last two seasons and only missed one. Motivation shouldn't be an issue either after Purdue's one-and-done NCAA Tournament showing last year. Simply put, he's the safest and most productive player in the conference -- you just can't poke holes here, whether statistical or narrative-based.

Also Considered: Terrence Shannon, G/F, Illinois; Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers; Boo Buie, G, Northwestern

Scoring: Terrence Shannon, G/F, Illinois

Edey could be No. 1 in any of these categories, so we'll move to the next top-projected Big Ten scorer in the RotoWire college basketball projections in Shannon. The Texas Tech transfer led the Illini in scoring last year at 17.2 ppg, and the team proceeded to lose second-leading scorer Matthew Mayer (12.5 ppg) this offseason, in addition to Jayden Epps (9.5 ppg) and Skyy Clark (7.0 ppr) to the transfer portal. On top of scoring, Shannon will provide you 4+ rebounds per game (which he's done in three of four collegiate seasons), as well as boosts in assists (a career-best 2.8 apg in 22-23) and steals (1.3 spg in 22-23). He's easily the best non-center in the conference from a fantasy perspective.

Also Considered: Zach Edey, C, Purdue; Boo Buie, G, Northwestern; Dawson Garcia, F, Minnesota; Jahmir Young, G, Maryland, Xavier Johnson, G, Indiana

Rebounding: Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers

Obviously, Zach Edey is the first choice here after averaging 12.9 rpg a season ago, and we have him projected for a similar mark in 2023-24 following his Big Ten POTY-winning campaign. So, we'll look to our second option in Omoruyi. While he did see a drop in efficiency last season via a 12-percent decrease in shooting percentage, it still was statistically his best collegiate season as far as counting stats, with averages of 13.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 rejections per contest. After withdrawing from the NBA Draft, the second-team All-Big Ten center can reasonably repeat and grow on this numbers, especially following the losses of Cam Spencer (13.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Caleb McConnell (9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg). 

Also Considered: Zach Edey, C, Purdue; Qudus Wahab, C, Penn State; Julian Reese, F, Maryland, Dawson Garcia, F, Minnesota; Zed Key, C, Ohio State; Coleman Hawkins, F, Illinois

Assists: A.J. Hoggard, G, Michigan State

Finally, a category not led by Edey. Hoggard is the leading returning assist man in the conference after the departure of Jalen Pickett to the pros and Ta'lon Cooper and Paul Mulcahy to the transfer portal. He also returns to a similar set of circumstances in East Lansing, with the Spartans set to bring back four of their five starters. Northwestern's Boo Buie is another key assist man, and his scoring likely makes him more valuable in a pure points format, but Hoggard is on a tier of his own in pure passing stats, giving him a major boost in rotisserie league.

Also Considered: Adrian Baldwin, G, Penn St; Xavier Johnson, G, Indiana, Boo Buie, G, Northwestern, Elijah Hawkins, G, Minnesota; Dug McDaniel, G, Michigan; Braden Smith, G, Purdue; Noah Fernandes, G, Rutgers

Center: Steven Crowl, C, Wisconsin

With Edey and Omoruyi already profiled, we move on to the 7-0 Badger in Crowl for our center selection, who just edges out Penn State's Qudus Wahab due to the Penn State program's turnover and a first-year head coach in Mike Rhoades who hasn't typically worked with traditional big men. Crowl gets the nod here due to both the program's stability and its historical ability to develop big men. That development is happening before our eyes, as Crowl went from averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2021-22 (his first year as a starter) to 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds a season ago. The Minnesota native also offers fantasy managers some outside shooting production, going 27-for-88 (30.7 percent) from distance last year. I wouldn't expect a Frank Kaminsky-like leap due to five other key rotation players returning this season, but while there's arguably not much room to grow, the Badger offense should at least improve a bit on the whole. Crowl will be a more-than-reliable option should you miss out on the top guys in the draft.

Also Considered: Zach Edey, C, Purdue; Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers; Qudus Wahab, C, Penn State; Zed Key, C, Ohio State; Dain Dainja, C, Illinois

Freshman: Mackenzie Mgbako, F, Indiana

After de-committing from Duke and selecting the Hoosiers, Mgbako becomes the conference's first top-10 recruit since Caleb Houstan in 2021 (per ESPN). The 6-8 forward has massive shoes to fill following the departure of another five-star player in Trayce Jackson-Davis (20.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg), especially since their collective styles have some similarities. Like TJD, Mgbako has solid handles for his side and can create his own shot in space, but he's also comfortable using his strength to back down smaller wings. Unlike TJD, Mgbako is a capable mid-range shooter than can extend all the way out to the perimeter with consistency. Mgbako will probably play less center given the construct of the roster, as newcomers Kel'el Ware and Anthony Walker, as well as returnee Malik Reneau, all will all eat up the true frontcourt minutes, but you can expect plenty of boards from Mgbako as well. In a league known for developing talent, Mgbako should produce right away in what's likely a one-and-done season.

Also Considered: DeShawn Harris-Smith, F, Maryland; Coen Carr, F, Michigan State; Xavier Booker, C, Michigan State; Scotty Middleton, F, Ohio State; Taison Chatman, G, Ohio State; Devin Royal, F, Ohio State; Gavin Griffiths, F, Rutgers 

Sleepers

Dain Dainja, C, Illinois

Dainja needed only 20.3 mpg to rack up averages of 9.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg last season, so there's plenty of room to grow if he can avoid foul trouble and stay out on the court. He also hit a bit of a wall last year, getting held to single-digit scoring in five of his last six games (6.0 ppg average). Terrence Shannon should get most of the scoring looks, and Dainja will have to share a frontcourt with fellow scoring threat Coleman Hawkins, but there's plenty of room to grow, and that potential improvement puts him in firmly in "sleeper" category. 

Payton Sandfort, G, Iowa

Last year's Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, Sandfort now has an opportunity to step into the starting lineup and see significantly more shots following the departures of leading scorers Kris Murray (20.2 ppg) and Filip Rebraca (14.1 ppg). Coach Fran McCaffery has one of the fastest-paced offenses in the country, and last year, it nearly supported five double-digit scorers despite 20 coming in from Murray every night. Sandfort was one of those at 10.3 ppg, and he only needed 20.7 mpg to do it. Becoming a top-5 scorer in the conference is within reach.

Keisei Tominaga, G, Nebraska

Injuries completely derailed last season's Nebraska team, but that gave the Huskers an opportunity to see what they had in Tominaga. What emerged was a lights-out shooter from deep. From January 18 onward, Tominaga started 13 of the team's remaining 14 games, and he produced 17.4 ppg, making 2.7 three-pointers per contest at a rate of 40.4 percent. If he stays on track, he could very well lead the conference in three-point shooting despite not popping up on many stat sheets that take the full season into account.

Also Considered: Jaden Akins, G, Michigan State; Aundre Hyatt, G, Rutgers; Luke Goode, G, Illinois; Puff Johnson, G, Penn State

Transfers

Jamison Battle, F, Ohio State

Battle may have done the Gophers dirty by transferring within the conference, but it was clear something wasn't clicking at Minnesota. After averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds his first season there, Battle's numbers dipped to 12.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg despite seeing nearly the same amount of minutes. He'll now be asked to fill the role of Brice Sensabaugh, a 6-6 wing who put up a team-high 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds before going pro.

Olivier Nkamhoua, F, Michigan

Speaking of big shoes to fill, Nkamhoua will be taking over the starting center role left behind by one of the best players in the country in Hunter Dickinson. The biggest struggle for Nkamhoua last season was consistency -- from Jan. 28 onward, he has two 27-point games but also eight separate contests in which he was held to single digits. With reasonable improvement in a faster-paced offensive scheme, Nkamhoua could develop into a nightly double-double threat.

Noah Fernandes, G, Rutgers

After three consecutive years of double-digit scoring and four-plus assists at Massachusetts, Fernandes moves to Piscataway to help replace the point guard void created by the departures of Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer. Provided the ankle injury that shut down his 2022-23 season early doesn't pop back up, Fernandes will be given every opportunity to take the reins. He'll have offensive weapons at his disposal as well, in the form of star big man Clifford Omoruyi and four-star freshman Gavin Griffiths.

Adrian Baldwin, G, Penn State

"Ace" Baldwin is a stud point guard from VCU who will follow his coach Mike Rhoades over to Penn State by way of the transfer portal. He's coming off a season in which he posted career-bests in scoring (12.7 ppg), assists (5.8 spg) and shooting percentage (42.1). Bonus points if you're in a rotisserie league that counts steals, as Baldwin has put up two-plus steals in each of his three collegiate seasons. The highest returning scorer on this roster averaged 3.7 points a season ago, so it's wide open for a new leader to fill up the stat sheet.

Also Considered: Ben Krikke, F, Iowa; Qudus Wahab, C, Penn State; AJ Storr, G, Wisconsin; Rienk Mast, F, Nebraska; Kel'el Ware, C, Indiana; Jordan Geronimo, G, Maryland; Elijah Hawkins, G, Minnesota; Ryan Langborg, G, Northwestern; Nimari Burnett, G, Michigan

Top-10 Players*

1. Zach Edey, C, Purdue
2. Terrence Shannon, G/F, Illinois
3. Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers
4. Boo Buie, G, Northwestern
5. Dawson Garcia, F, Illinois
6. Jahmir Young, G, Maryland
7. Tyler Wahl, F, Wisconsin
8. Coleman Hawkins, F, Illinois
9. Xavier Johnson, G, Indiana
10. Tyson Walker, G, Michigan

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author, and may not necessarily correspond with RotoWire's official 2023-24 player rankings.

Projected Team Standings

1. Purdue
2. Michigan State
3. Wisconsin
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
6. Maryland
7. Ohio State
8. Michigan
9. Iowa
10. Rutgers
11. Northwestern
12. Nebraska
13. Penn State
14. Minnesota

Team Notes: These rankings largely come down to experience, as each of the top-3 teams return a high percentage of their minutes and scoring from a season ago. The next three rosters had a bit more turnover, but returning superstars like Terrence Shannon, Xavier Johnson and Jahmir Young will lead the way. The 7-10 teams are all in need of bounce-back seasons, which will be made difficult by having to replace players like Brice Sensabaugh, Hunter Dickinson and Kris Murray. Then, we get into some of the more traditional bottom-dwellers -- all of which continue to have significant turnover and a lack of major roster improvements.

Projected Team Rotations

Other College Basketball Resources:

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• Season-long College Basketball projections for nearly 800 players and counting.
• Complete college basketball depth charts for power conference teams and more.
• Comprehensive college basketball injury report with estimated return dates.
• The most complete collection of college basketball player news on the internet.
• Early fantasy college basketball rankings for the 2023-24 season.
• Plus, player/team stats, ability to import your team via MyLeagues, and complete access to polls and box scores in-season. Don't miss it!

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