Connor Cagley, Big Sports Radio Basketball Writer
October 24, 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.
A.J. Hoggard courtesy Michigan State Athletics
Key Departures: Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham, Jr., Max Christie
Key Additions: Tre Holloman, Jaxon Kohler
Other Addition: Carson Cooper
Michigan State lost their top three scorers from last year’s squad. While they picked up two top 100 recruits, neither will likely get starter minutes early as freshmen. Returning players will be relied upon to step up. Of those players, the three most likely to act in starring roles are Malik Hall, A.J. Hoggard, and Tyson Walker. While none of them will likely be a strong number one option, it won’t be surprising to see any one or all of these players jump up into double digit points per game.
For Michigan State to exceed expectations, they will need one of their two sophomores to make a leap in production and for junior center Mady Sissoko to finally live up to his rating coming into college. Neither Jaden Akins nor Pierre Brooks played significant minutes as freshmen. But this year, there will be no Max Christie or Gabe Brown to rely upon, so opportunity will be there for the taking if either can provide an offensive punch and be a passable defender.
Sissoko arguably has the most riding on him. Michigan State has no other options on their roster that can be a positive impact guarding the five and rebounding the ball. While Joey Hauser, Julius Marble, and newcomer, Jaxon Kohler will get spot minutes at the five, none of them are ready for full time duties at that position.
Ceiling: 5th in conference
Floor: 9th in conference
Boo Buie and Robbie Beran courtesy Northwestern Athletics
Key Departures: Pete Nance, Ryan Young
Other Departures: Casey Simmons, Elyjah Williams, Ryan Greer
Additions: Tydus Verhoeven, Luke Hunger, Gus Hurlburt, Nick Martinelli, Blake Smith
Northwestern holds little promise for having a good season. They are bringing back their starting back court from last season. Boo Buie and Chase Audige form a solid senior tandem for the Wildcats. Neither shoots at high efficiency, but they are often the ones taking tough shots because no one else on the roster can create their own shot. 6’9” senior Robbie Beran will likely be getting full time minutes at the power forward, but it’s unclear who will play the center position and how effective that person will be.
Unfortunately for Northwestern, they lost both of their post players to North Carolina and Duke in the off season. In a league with arguably the best returning post players, it will be imperative for them to get good, consistent post play. The most likely candidates are returning 7’0” junior Matthew Nicholson, 6’9” senior Tydus Verhoeven who transferred from University of Texas at El Paso, and 6’10” freshman Luke Hunger from Montreal. If this group can’t find a way to be effective on the glass and protect the rim, it’s likely going to be a long season regardless of how effective the rest of the team is on the other end of the court.
Ceiling: 11th in conference
Floor: 14th in conference
https://bigsportsradio.com/splashes-dunks-dimes-big-ten-mens-basketball-previews-illinois-rutgers/
https://bigsportsradio.com/splashes-dunks-dimes-big-ten-mens-basketball-previews-michigan-minnesota/
