Purdue is the overwhelming favorite (picked to win league by all but one voter) and will also be a lot of people’s preseason national No. 1 picks. Is this the year Matt Painter and the Boilermakers finally break through? Dusty May and Michigan’s reloaded squad will have something to say about it. Last year’s Big Ten champion Michigan State brings back an experienced core. And we’ve got new coaches at Indiana (Darian DeVries), Iowa (Ben McCollum), Maryland (Buzz Williams) and Minnesota (Niko Medved).
We polled writers within the USA TODAY Network who cover Big Ten schools for their preseason predictions, all-conference teams and preseason awards.
USA TODAY Network Big Ten basketball preseason poll
Purdue
Michigan
Illinois
UCLA
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Oregon
Ohio State
Iowa
Indiana
USC
Maryland
Washington
Northwestern
Nebraska
Minnesota
Rutgers
Penn State
2025-26 preseason All-Big Ten basketball team
FIRST TEAM
Braden Smith, Purdue, guard, Sr. (unanimous selection)
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue, forward, Sr. (unanimous selection)
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan, forward, Sr.
Donovan Dent, UCLA, guard, Sr.
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa, guard, Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State, guard, Sr.
John Blackwell, Wisconsin, guard, Jr.
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern, forward, Sr.
Nate Bittle, Oregon, center, Sr.
Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois, guard, Jr.
HONORABLE MENTION
Illinois: Tomislav Ivisic
Indiana: Tucker DeVries, Lamar Wilkerson
Michigan State: Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears, Jaxon Kohler
Oregon: Jackson Shelstad
UCLA: Tyler Bilodeau
Washington: Wesley Yates Jr.
Big Ten basketball preseason Player of the Year
Purdue point guard Braden Smith was a near unanimous pick — all but one vote went to the Boilermakers’ floor general. The lone dissenting voice was for Smith’s teammate, Trey Kaufman-Renn. Last season’s Big Ten player of the year, Smith Smith needs just 125 points and 242 assists to become the first player in NCAA history with 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
Big Ten basketball preseason Newcomer of the Year
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg received 46% of the vote. UCLA guard Donovan Dent (New Mexico transfer) and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (Drake transfer) also received multiple votes. Lendeborg opted for Ann Arbor instead of the NBA draft. He spending three years in community college before transferring to UAB for two seasons. He averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals last year and was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Big Ten basketball preseason Freshman of the Year
Michigan guard Trey McKenney received 38% of the vote. Purdue’s Omer Mayer and Michigan State’s Cam Ward also received multiple votes. McKenney was Michigan’s Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All American and is the first Flint, Mich., product to commit to the Wolverines since Glen Rice.
