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Biggest Concern for Each Team in the Big Ten

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Dylan Harper is off to a strong start for Rutgers but will it last?

The new-look 18-team Big Ten Conference had plenty of hope in the 2024-2025 season. Thus far, there have been plenty of highlights and some points of struggle across the league. From injuries to inconsistent shooting, the Big Ten has many things to address across each of its 18 teams. The question this early is what is the biggest concern for each of those teams?

Some have already taken steps to address the glaring issues. For example, Purdue had an unforeseen injury in their front court that forced them to adapt their lineup. That worked pretty well in their convincing home win against second-ranked Alabama. A small ball lineup looks like it can work, but there are a lot of games left to be played. They are only two weeks into the season, so I’m sure some other concerns will show up across all 18 teams. For now, let’s take a closer look at those biggest concerns.

Biggest Concern for Each Team in the Big Ten

Illinois: Youth at Point Guard Has Some Growing Up to Do

The Illini have won all their games to this point. That is a good start, given that they have a completely new roster this season. Sure, all the transfers are going to do what they can. This year, however, the Illini have a lot of freshmen having to step up right away. That was the case for freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis. He looked very comfortable in his first two games in Champaign. That quickly changed in a tough battle with Greg Kampe’s Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The talented Lithuanian took some figurative bumps in the Illini’s 66-54 victory. Jakucionis’s first two games showcased how ready he already is to be a floor leader. That’s big, especially for a guy who is already hearing NBA Draft talk. He looked a little overwhelmed against Oakland, that can’t happen going forward. Especially as the Illini face even stiffer competition.

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Indiana: Who’s the Floor General

The Hoosiers have the talent to be a contender in the Big Ten this season. However, the same problem, that has been common during the Mike Woodson era, seems to be a factor once again. Team chemistry has always been a little questionable. Especially when the guard spot has had so much inconsistency over the past several years. Mackenzie Mgbako is starting to look like the All-American caliber player he was coming out of high school last year. He’s leading the Hoosiers in scoring and rebounds. Trey Galloway has given Indiana everything he has averaging 8.5 assists per game. The frontcourt seems to be clicking, but who’s the real floor general? Indiana hasn’t had a true point guard since Yogi Ferrell, and that was a decade ago.

Iowa: Defense is Golden, Offense Not So Much

Tell me if it sounds like a broken record. Iowa’s defense is good, but the offense is bad. Sounds just like Hawkeye football. Fran McCaffery has a problem. The team is 4-0 and has done so primarily by playing great defense. Don’t get me wrong having Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort scoring 16 or more points per game is great. But who else is going to step up? Yeah, Iowa won against Washington State, but the shooting percentage (41 percent from the field and 32 percent from three) was ugly for a team, that likes to hang around the three-point line. The defense is great, but if you can make the shots when you need to, that’s only going to cause trouble.

Maryland: Missed Free Throws Starting to Add Up

The Terrapins had a ranked Marquette team on the ropes, in their clash. That was until Maryland was forced to the free-throw line. That’s where it all fell apart for Kevin Willard’s team. This isn’t the first time the line has cost the Terps during Willard’s tenure. Senior big man Julian Reese has always struggled at the line. He’s stepped it up a bit this season shooting 68.3 percent. It’s not good enough, the team is shooting 68.3 percent as a team at the line. That’s not going to get them very far in their more competitive, games which was a perfect example of why they lost 78-74 against Marquette. If you can’t make the free ones, you’re not going to win very many close games.

Michigan: Turnovers Are Skyrocketing

Dusty May can’t be happy with the way his team is turning over the ball this season. Though the Wolverines recently got a nice home win against TCU, they didn’t do very well handling the ball. Sure, it’s a whole new Michigan team, but for their three most impactful transfers to all be averaging nearly three or more turnovers a game needs to be addressed. Danny Wolf is supposed to be the guy, and he’s averaging five turnovers a game. As a team, the average is up to 17.7 turnovers a game. They had 21 against the Horned Frogs alone. That’s unacceptable, especially if Michigan wants to spoil the rest of the Big Ten this year.

Michigan State: Three-Point Shooting

Tom Izzo’s Spartans had all the chances in the world to beat Kansas in the Champions Classic. But they just couldn’t knock down an outside shot. That has been the theme to start the season each of the last several seasons. The free throw shooting and post-play may have been a concern going into the season, but right now those aren’t the biggest concerns. Senior guard Jaden Akins was 1 for 8 against the Jayhawks, and Xavier Booker, who has showcased his three-point shooting as a big man couldn’t buy a bucket. The team is shooting 20 percent from the three. I like to think the shots are going to start falling, but this has been a rough trend for Michigan State for the better part of four consecutive years. It’s not like they aren’t taking good shots, they just aren’t falling right now.

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Minnesota: Injury Plagued Roster

The Gophers didn’t have many expectations going into the 2024-25 season, and they are having a very rough start to the season. Injuries have already plagued Minnesota, with Mike Mitchell Jr having already missed games this season. Dawson Garcia who has been the best player for the Gophers for the better part of three years, has also been dealing with some bumps and bruises along the way. This team just doesn’t have the depth to make much noise, and coming up on the losing end against North Texas earlier this week isn’t helping the feelings around Minneapolis.

Nebraska: Offense Has to Find Consistency

The Huskers had a rough first week on the offensive end of the floor. They couldn’t get much done against Bethune-Cookman in their second game, as they only managed to outscore them 63-58. That’s flirting with disaster. Coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t lacked scoring in the past, but for some reason, it has been a bit of a slow start this season. Juwan Gary seemed to respond to the team’s struggles with a 19-point performance in the Huskers’ last game. If Gary can continue to score, Nebraska should be just fine.

Northwestern: Getting Barnhizer Healthy

The Northwestern Wildcats have performed pretty well, despite missing one of the captains. Brooks Barnhizer has yet to play for the Wildcats this season, and it’s starting to be concerning. You’re talking about a guy who averaged 14 points per game last season. At least Coach Collins has been able to lean on Nick Martinelli so far this season, who is delivering with 25.2 points per game. Northwestern needs Barnhizer back on the floor as soon as possible if they want to replicate their run from last season.

Ohio State: Rebounding Needs a Boost

The Buckeyes started the season with one of the biggest wins at that time when they knocked off Texas. Things crashed back to reality this week as Ohio State fell flat against Texas A&M. For all the pieces the Buckeyes added this offseason, I expected their rebounding to be in the top half of the Big Ten. While they are tied for 10th currently in the Big Ten, I didn’t foresee Devin Royal being the top rebounder for this squad. Why aren’t Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart crashing the boards? They are both a bit bigger than Royal. Overall, so far they have been a pretty big disappointment on the boards.

Oregon: Clean up the Defense

The Ducks are unbeaten to this point, but they have flirted with disaster a couple of times already. The Ducks had to rally from behind in their most recent game, as the Portland Pilots had Oregon on the ropes. Luckily Jadrian Tracey showed up with a 19-point performance, to help the Ducks escape in overtime. Despite blowing out Montana, the Ducks have given up over seventy points in their other two games this season. That means they have to clean up on the defensive end of the floor. Oregon State is coming up on the schedule and the Beavers have had a great start to the season.

Penn State: Can They Keep up the Explosiveness?

The Nittany Lions have put themselves at the front of the Big Ten’s highest-scoring teams this season. Their recent 86-64 route of Virginia Tech, has them full of confidence. However, will they be able to keep up that explosiveness once they reach conference play? Ace Baldwin Jr and Zach Hicks are playing at their best. Baldwin has a chance to be one of the best in the conference.

Purdue: Lineup Rotation

The injury to Daniel Jacobsen completely changed the outlook in the frontcourt for Purdue. They have had to make plenty of changes, but Coach Matt Painter has made the right moves thus far. Going to a small-ball lineup has been a great move. Then again he started their game against Alabama with Will Berg on the floor. Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn showcased that their paring can work moving forward, so the biggest concern for the Boilermakers is Painter’s rotation. Will small-ball continue or will he revert to his big-man?

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Rutgers: Phenoms Are Great, But Will it last?

Ace Bailey made his long-anticipated debut for Rutgers. He didn’t disappoint scoring 17 points in his first collegiate game. He and Dylan Harper are true phenoms, but in their win game against Monmouth, they gave up 81 points. That same Hawks team only scored 57 points against fellow Big Ten team Michigan State on opening night. It’s great to have young studs on your basketball team, but the concern will be if both can play at that level all season.

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UCLA: New Conference Growing Pains

The Bruins looked ready to be a player in the Big Ten this season. That quickly changed when they got punched in the mouth by New Mexico in their second game of the season. Their next several games are pretty inferior opponents, so it’s still too early to see if they will have issues adjusting to Big Ten basketball.

USC: Is Early Success Believable

Not only are the Trojans in a new conference, but they also have a new coach. It’s impressive that USC is 4-0 thus far. They have plenty of talent, and Desmond Claude showed off in their victory against UT Arlington with 26 points. Their next game is against California which should give them a better eye test, than their opponents thus far. It still doesn’t prove if their early success is believable.

Washington: Osobor Needs Help

Great Osobor had big expectations surrounding him going into the season. The Washington Huskies certainly have some work to do from the rest of the lineup. They aren’t going to get very far on Osobor alone. DJ Davis showed up in Washington’s come-from-behind win against Seattle Pacific, but that is far from promising. Ultimately, it’s clear that Osobor needs help and fast.

Wisconsin: Is Tonje the Next Great Badger

On a night Wisconsin honored their 2014-15 Final Four team, John Tonje took it upon himself to perform like former Badger legend Frank Kaminsky. His 41 points helped lead the Badgers to a win against ninth-ranked Arizona. The sixth-year player Tonje looked like a legit star. Will he be able to continue at that level? He famously got hurt last season eight games in while he was at Missouri. Is Tonje ready to deliver in the Big Ten?

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