Big Ten expert picks: 2024-25 preview, projected order of finish, preseason predictions, top players to watch

The Big Ten will look drastically different during the 2024-25 college basketball season with Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington joining the league. The additions of the four West Coast-based programs will swell league membership to 18, tying it with the ACC for the largest power conference in the nation. 

Because of conference realignment and expansion, the Big Ten Tournament will also look different, with the bottom three from the regular-season standings left out of the 15-team bracket.

Purdue reached the NCAA Tournament title game this spring but fell short to the juggernaut that is UConn in the final game of the 2023-24 season. The Boilermakers’ loss in the national title game extended the Big Ten’s national title drought to 24 years. Michigan State (2000) remains the last program from the Big Ten to win a national championship.

The Big Ten is wide open, which is reflected in our CBS Sports expert picks. While Purdue remains the favorite to win the regular season title for the third consecutive year, Indiana, UCLA and Illinois are popular picks to finish at the top of the standings. 

The Big Ten received six bids to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and there is a strong possibility the number this season could be double-digits because of the expected parity in the new-look conference. The conference sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022.

Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year

Braden Smith | Purdue | G | Junior 

Zach Edey may be gone, but Purdue does have the luxury of returning one of the best guards in the country. Smith averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals last season and served as a perfect second option to Edey en route to the Boilermakers reaching the national title game.

Smith ranked second in the country (tied with former Minnesota guard Elijah Hawkins) in assists. With Edey gone, look for Smith to take on a more prominent role in scoring the basketball. Smith shot 43.1% from distance on 3.3 attempts per game, and his overall volume should increase with Edey off to the NBA. Smith is now the star of the show for the Boilermakers and his play will be the deciding factor in Purdue’s success.

Big Ten Preseason Freshman of the Year

Dylan Harper | Rutgers | G

The hype around the Rutgers program is real because of the additions of Harper and Ace Bailey, two star freshmen. Rutgers is one of 10 recruiting classes in the 247Sports era that features two top-five signees, but subsequent success won’t be guaranteed. Five of the eight teams that signed two top-five players from the same class failed to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Harper, the No. 3 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, is a skilled southpaw capable of taking over a game. He was a strong rebounder for his size on the AAU circuit and will be one of the best guards in the sport from Day 1. Harper underwent a voluntary procedure on his right knee earlier this summer, but all signs point to him being 100% for the season. Rutgers might have the biggest “boom” or “bust” potential as a team in the conference, and its success will be dictated by its star freshman living up to the lofty expectations set.

Four more players to watch

Great Osobor | F | Washington: Washington’s “$2 million man” was first-year coach Danny Sprinkle’s biggest offseason win. Osobor played for Sprinkle at Montana State and Utah State and followed his coach to his next destination for the second consecutive offseason when he transferred to Washington. Osobor is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.7 points. 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. His style of play is perfect for the Big Ten.

Myles Rice | G | Indiana: Indiana coach Mike Woodson had a busy offseason recruiting the transfer portal and one of the biggest additions was Rice from Washington State. Rice was one of the best feel-good stories in the sport last season. Rice didn’t play during the 2022-23 season, as he was receiving chemotherapy treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He immediately becomes one of the best point guards in the Big Ten.

Ace Bailey | F | Rutgers: Rutgers has two highly-touted first-year players entering the program giving Steve Pikiell a solid foundation of talent to potentially reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons. Bailey is a skilled forward who projects as an early lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. If he puts it together early, Rutgers could be in store for its best season in decades.

Kobe Johnson | F | UCLA: Johnson didn’t have to go far to find his next destination. Johnson transferred from USC to crosstown rival UCLA to give coach Mick Cronin a defensive anchor. Johnson should be one of the early favorites to win conference (and potentially even national) Defensive Player of the Year. Johnson has averaged 2.2 steals per game the last two seasons, and his presence on the defensive end is one of the many reasons why UCLA is poised to have success in Year 1 of the Big Ten.

Big Ten predicted order of finish

Big Ten expert picks