As part of its 2024–25 men’s basketball preseason coverage, Sports Illustrated is rolling out previews for the five high-major conferences, plus the top mid-majors nationally. Previously: ACC and Big East. Next up is the Big Ten.
The Big Ten did send a team to the Final Four for the first time since the pandemic hit, but its national title drought stretched closer to a quarter-decade as Purdue came up short against UConn. So we ask again: Is this the season for a breakthrough? On paper, the league’s strength is more its depth of quality teams (all 18 could conceivably be top-75 teams) than its top-tier title contenders, but March is unpredictable. Here’s a top-to-bottom look at the conference and which teams could rise above the rest.
