2024-25 College Basketball Conference Preview: Big Ten Fantasy Outlook

The biggest story in the Big Ten this year of course coincides with the larger narrative of NCAA conference realignment, as the league has absorbed four former Pac-12 teams and would be more aptly named the "Big Eighteen". Joining the fold from out west are Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington, with UCLA and head coach Mick Cronin expected to make the biggest initial splash, as his defensive-oriented style matches up well with the traditional program style of the league.

Of those additions, Washington will enter with a new coach, as Danny Sprinkle is in from Utah State and brings with him an outstanding big man in Great Osobor, who will immediately be one of the top centers in the league. USC is also changing both leagues and coaches, and it will transition from Andy Enfield to transfer portal magician Eric Musselman (more on that in the 'transfers' section). Among the league's old guard, Juwan Howard is out at Michigan after an unspectacular five seasons, and Dusty May is in, looking to bring the Wolverines back to being a Final Four contender like he did with FAU.

From an individual player perspective, the biggest storyline is that there's no Zach Edey around to haunt the paint all season, as he'll now be suiting up for the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite having to replace his 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds, the Boilermakers were still voted as the top team in the Big Ten during the conferences media day, due likely to an experienced returning backcourt duo of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. There's far more parity, however, as six teams received first-place votes, and I truly believe 4-5 teams could come out on top.

Back to Edey, though. A two-time Wooden Award winner, Edey was a shoe-in for the top player in this column, but now the field is wide open, with multiple versatile centers and and experienced guards owning the potential to finish as the top fantasy producer. Other top fantasy assets moving on include Terrence Shannon, Jahmir Young, Boo Buie, Tyson Walker, Kel'el Ware, Clifford Omoruyi and AJ Storr -- so, no shortage of talent departing. Let's get things started by diving into the top contenders to replace the exiting starpower.

Top Players

Overall: Oumar Ballo, C, Indiana

While Braden Smith was voted preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by the media, this is a fantasy preview, and centers are the primary and most consistent producers in fantasy college basketball leagues. Effectively, we land on Ballo. In a conference known for centers, incoming transfers actually project to be tops at the position in 2024-25. This includes Ballo, a fifth-year senior coming in from Arizona. The 7-0 force averaged a double-double last year for a Wildcats team deep at the position, and he fills a much-needed void this year for Indiana, where he likely sees a big minutes bump from 25.9 mpg a season ago. Rotisserie leagues beware, however, as he was a sub-50 percent free-throw shooter in 2023-24. If he can improve that even a bit, along with maintaining his efficiency over greater minutes, we're looking at an All-American here.

Also Considered: Braden Smith, G, Purdue; Ace Baldwin, G, Penn State 

Scoring: Payton Sandfort, G, Iowa

It was between Sandfort and Dawson Garcia for this spot, but Sandfort gets the nod for two reasons. First, Iowa loses its second and third-leading scorers, Tony Perkins and Ben Krikke (not to mention the McCaffery brothers are finally gone as well). Second, Iowa is a better offensive team year in and year out. The fast-paced scheme leads to more opportunities, and this is a team expected to finish in the middle of the pack in terms of league standings, while the Gophers should once again be bottom-feeders. Sandfort saw career-bests in scoring (16.4 ppg), shooting percentage (44.6) and three-point percentage (37.9) in his first year as a full-time starter, and I expect him to take another leap as the face of the program.

Also Considered: Dawson Garcia, F, Minnesota; Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State; Brooks Barnhizer, F, Northwestern; Malik Reneau, F, Indiana; Frankie Fidler, F, Michigan State; Jeremiah Williams, G, Rutgers; Myles Rice, G, Indiana

Rebounding:  Julian Reese, C, Maryland

Ballo was my projected top rebounder as well, so instead we'll shift gears and look at the league's top returning option on the glass. The brother of the WNBA's Angel Reese, Julian is coming off a career best year of 9.5 boards per contest (to go along with a not-too-shabby 13.7 ppg). Experience is key, as 2024-25 will be Reese's fourth year with the program and third as a full-time starter. There's only one catch, and that's whether five-star freshman center Derik Queen -- ranked No. 8 on the 2024 ESPN 100 -- can cut into Reese's minutes and/or counting stats. True centers aren't always developed out of the gates, though, so I'm sticking to my pick here.

Also Considered: Oumar Ballo, C, Indiana; Great Osobor, C, Washington; Brooks Barnhizer, F, Northwestern; Steven Crowl, C, Wisconsin; Julian Reese, C, Wisconsin; Saint Thomas, F, USC; Owen Freeman, F, Iowa

Assists: Braden Smith, G, Purdue

Smith was the only unanimous selection in this year's preseason All-Big Ten Team, and it comes with good reason after a sophomore season that saw career bests in scoring (12.0 ppg), assists (7.5 apg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg). Now in his third year as a full-time starter, it's the scoring that will stand to improve the most. Gone are 14 field-goal attempts per game from Edey and 10 more from the departing Lance Jones, so expect a bit of a shift to scoring with Smith not having an automatic bucket down low at his disposal. That being said, it's a down year for point guards in the conference, with the only threat to Smith's assist title being Penn State guard Ace Baldwin. I don't think the change in circumstances is enough to close last year's 1.5 apg gap.

Also Considered: Ace Baldwin, G, Penn State; Drew Thelwell, G, Iowa; Rollie Worster, G, Nebraska; Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State; Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers; Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State

Center: Great Osobor, C, Washington

Osobor could have easily been the rebounding option here as well, but given he put up 17.7 points, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game as well last year, he's better suited for the center section as a superior all-around player to Reese. Granted, those numbers came in the Mountain West with Utah State, but he followed Aggies' coach Danny Sprinkle to Washington, where he'll take on a similar role for a program that's beginning a new era. The matchups may get far tougher when the calendar turns over, but Osobor has an NBA-ready body ready to contend in a more physical league.

Also Considered: Oumar Ballo, C, Indiana; Julian Reese, C, Maryland; Steven Crowl, C, Wisconsin; Carson Cooper, C, Michigan State; Owen Freeman, C, Iowa; Derik Queen, C, Maryland; Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan; Franck Kepnang, C, Washington

Freshman: Ace Bailey, F, Rutgers

In terms of 2025 NBA Mock Drafts, the consensus No. 1 pick is Duke's Cooper Flagg, but he's followed by a surprise bid from Airious "Ace" Bailey at Rutgers. Athleticism is the first word that comes to mind when watching the 6-9 forward, as he's a stellar offensive creator capable of scoring at all three levels and playing multiple positions. His play, along with five-star guard Dylan Harper, will determine how far the Scarlet Knights can go this season, and some think it could be enough to take them to the top of the league. Bailey was the selection over Harper here due to his projected multi-category production, but it was really a 1a/1b situation.

Also Considered: Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers; Derik Queen, F, Maryland; Will Riley, F, Illinois; Bryson Tucker, F, Indiana; Morez Johnson, F, Illinois; John Mobley, G, Ohio State; Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State; Vazoumana Diallo, G, Washington; Jamari Phillips, G, Oregon; Jalen Shelley, F, USC

Transfers

Myles Rice, G, Indiana

Every time I found myself watching Pac-12 after dark last season, Rice looked to me like an NBA point guard. Much to my surprise, instead of going pro, Rice instead transferred from Washington State to Indiana, where he'll slot in the same role for a historic program. Rice can create when called upon, but this year, he'll have Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau in the frontcourt (and don't forget about former five-star recruit Mackenzie Mgbako at the wing). With another year of development and a far better roster, it would surprise me zero if Rice finds himself with first-team all-conference considerations.

Frankie Fidler, F, Michigan State

Any time a 20 ppg scorer enters the conference, fantasy managers must take note. That's the case with Fidler, who is coming off three years as a full-time starter and primary scorer for Omaha in the Summit League. How those skills transfer to a slower-paced, defensive-oriented league is a mystery, but Fidler has the skills to league the Spartans in scoring. He's no Dalton Knect -- that's once in a generation -- but he should absolutely be on your fantasy radar.

Saint Thomas, F, USC

Coming out of the Big Sky, Thomas is the prized transfer portal acquisition for new head coach Eric Musselman after the 6-7 forward put up 19.7 points and 9.8 rebounds at Northern Colorado. The Trojans are essentially building a roster from scratch this year, but Thomas will be the focal point and leading scorer. I might be selling it short, as my colleague Chris Drumwright recently ranked Thomas the No. 1 overall most impactful transfer in his preseason NCAAB transfer rankings column. Also joining Thomas for the new-look Trojans are Josh Cohen (Umass), Bryce Pope (San Diego) and Rashaun Agee (Bowling Green), Clark Slajchert (Penn) and Desmond Claude (Xavier), among others.

Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan

Goldin was a three-year starter at FAU and is coming off the best season of his career with 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds across only 25.0 minutes per contest. He'll follow head coach Dusty May to Ann Arbor, where he'll share the frontcourt with fellow seven-footer and Yale transfer Danny Wolf. In leagues that value defensive categories, Goldin also chipped in 1.6 rejections per contest a season ago.

Also Considered: Conner Essegian, Nebraska; Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maryland; Tyson Acuff, Rutgers; Ques Glover, Ohio State; Josh Cohen, USC; Danny Wolf, Michigan; Ra'Heim Moss, Oregon; Bryce Pope, USC; Roddy Gayle, Michigan

Sleepers

Jeremiah Williams, G, Rutgers

The five-star freshman get most of the attention for the Scarlet Knights, but let's not forget about the massive impact Williams made after suing the NCAA for reinstatement and returning immediately to the starting lineup in his February return. In the remaining 12 games, Williams put up 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals, and now the super senior will run it back alongside a superior roster. He'll be the go-to option when his team needs a bucket and will surprise some fantasy managers along the way.

Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State

Fears missed all but 12 games his freshman season due to a leg injury but looks to be fully recovered after a redshirt year. It was reported this summer that he would transition to the full-time point guard role, filling the shoes of A.J. Hoggard. That, along with his health, was confirmed with his starting role in MSU's offseason international scrimmage. The Spartans floor general is often the most consistent and productive fantasy asset on the team, and Fears is a name that can be snagged in the final picks of drafts as a relatively unknown commodity.

John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin

It's not often a freshman gets a role with the Badgers, but Blackwell's defensive capability immediately gained him the sixth-man job over sharpshooter Connor Essegian, who is now headed for Nebraska. He only needed 18.4 mpg last year to end up with 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds, and an expected spot in the starting lineup should greatly expand the counting stats. For those in shallower leagues or nationwide formats, take a look at Max Klesmit as well, as he should pick up a bigger chunk of the backcourt scoring.

Top-10 Players*

1. Oumar Ballo, C, Indiana
2. Braden Smith, G, Purdue
3. Ace Bailey, G, Penn State
4. Great Osobor, C, Washington
5. Brooks Barnhizer, F, Northwestern
6. Dawson Garcia, C, Minnesota
7. Julian Reese, C, Maryland
8. Payton Sandfort, F, Iowa
9. Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State
10. Malik Reneau, F, Indiana

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author, and may not necessarily correspond with RotoWire's official 2024-25 player rankings.

Projected Team Standings

1. Indiana
2. Purdue
3. Michigan State
4. UCLA
5. Rutgers
6. Illinois
7. Ohio State
8. Oregon
9. Wisconsin
10. Iowa
11. Nebraska
12. Michigan
13. Maryland
14. USC
15. Washington
16. Penn State
17. Northwestern
18. Minnesota

The top-5 teams here are in a tier of their own, and all of them have a legitimate change to win the league. I picked Indiana based on talent, particularly from the portal, but Purdue, Michigan State and UCLA are all steady programs that win with coaching, experience and continuity. Rutgers could finish first or 10th depending on how its five-star talent plays out, but I'm leaning towards the higher end.

Illinois and Ohio State are next up as programs with coaching stability and a couple key pieces returning, but also at least one significant loss. The same can be said of Oregon and Wisconsin -- both programs in recent years who have been on the fringes of NCAA Tournament contention and will likely be in a similar state.

Then, there are the programs in transition. Iowa and Nebraska both lost a significant portion of their scoring and will have new point guards and drastically newer starting lineups. USC loses its entire backcourt, and Maryland has to replace do-it-all point guard Jahmir Young. Michigan and Washington are both undergoing coaching changes. Expect these teams to be jumbled in the middle of the back.

At the bottom lies Penn State, Northwestern and Minnesota. Each team has a star in Ace Baldwin, Brooks Barnhizer and Dawson Garcia, respectively, but the overall rosters won't be nearly enough to keep these programs out of the cellar.

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 2024-25 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!