Connor Cagley, Big Sports Radio Basketball Writer
October 27, 2022
It's time to take a spin around the Big Ten to take a quick look across the conference to set up the upcoming 2022-23 men's basketball season. I'll take a look at two teams on Mondays and Thursdays for the next few weeks as we get ready for college basketball games to tip off.
Kris Murray B1G Media Day courtesy Iowa Athletics
Key Departures: Keegan Murray, Jordan Bohannon
Other Departures: Joe Toussaint, Austin Ash
Key Additions: Dasonte Bowen, Josh Dix
Other Departures: Amarion Nimmers, Carter Kingsbury
The Iowa Hawkeyes again, under Fran McCaffery, look to be a very competitive squad within the Big Ten conference. While they don’t return Keegan Murray, who took a gigantic sophomore leap that landed him in the NBA, they will return his twin brother, Kris. Alongside Murray will be Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins, giving them a very potent Big 3 on the offensive side of the ball.
Outside of the big names, the Hawkeyes also return some very solid role players. Filip Rebraca provides solid rim protection and should be a very solid rebounder at the center position. Payton Sandfort is a 6’7 wing who excels as a shooter, but has some defensive limitations. Connor McCaffery is a tough, defensive wing that can make some shots offensively, but isn’t the best shooter from deep.
The biggest keys for this team are how well they can defend as a team and if their guard play from junior Ahron Ulis and their 2 freshmen guards will be good enough in conference play. Every year, Iowa has one of the best offensive teams in the country, but their defense is significantly less effective than their potent offense. It seems they have the personnel to be better on that end this year, but until the Hawkeyes demonstrate defensive effectiveness on the court, it’s tough to trust that defensive improvements will become reality.
Ceiling: 3rd
Floor: 8th
Steven Crowl, Chucky Hepburn, and Tyler Wahl at B1G Media Day courtesy Wisconsin Athletics.
Key Departures: Johnny Davis, Brad Davison
Other Departures: Ben Carlson, Chris Vogt, Lorne Bowman II
Key Additions: Max Klesmit, Connor Essegian, Kamari McGee
Other Additions: Luke Haertle, Ross Candelino, Isaac Gard
Like most recent years, Wisconsin isn’t receiving a ton of hype through the off-season/coming into the season. It will certainly be tough replacing Johnny Davis’ production from last year, but counting this Wisconsin team out before the season starts would be unwise. If there is one team in this conference that finds a way to win ugly basketball games that they shouldn’t win, it’s the Wisconsin Badgers.
Leading the way for the Badgers are 6’9 senior Tyler Wahl and 6’2 sophomore Chucky Hepburn. These two should provide a solid inside-out duo that are good on both ends of the court. Junior Steven Crowl could be another player who breaks out as a upperclassman, as many Wisconsin bigs have before him. He has potential as a stretch big, as he shot 31.7% from 3 as a sophomore on 86 attempts.
Outside of those 3 players, Wisconsin will need some unproven players to take a step up to continue their success. Wofford transfer Max Klesmit is a solid depth addition who has experience at the college level, albeit not at the B1G level. Sophomore Markus Ilver, red-shirt freshman Chris Hodges, and freshman Connor Essegian all flash potential, but have yet to display it for the Badgers on the court. As long as they get solid play from 2 of these 4, Wisconsin should have no trouble finishing in the top half of the conference.
Ceiling: 3rd
Floor: 7th
https://bigsportsradio.com/splashes-dunks-dimes-big-ten-mens-basketball-previews-illinois-rutgers/
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