Projected Big Ten Standings and Awards for 2026-27

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Projected Big Ten Standings and Awards for 2026-27

Robby Nardini

Wed, October 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC ·

4 min read

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The college basketball season officially begins Monday night, and the Big Ten should once again rank among the best conferences in the sport. Last season was arguably the league's best in years, as Michigan won the national championship and Illinois reached the Final Four.

The Big Ten had multiple lottery picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the conference could take a slight step back this season. However, it should still be a top-three conference in college basketball at a minimum.

Below are my projected Big Ten standings and conference awards for the 2026-27 season.

Big Ten Champion — Illinois

This might be a homer pick, but I have Illinois winning the Big Ten regular-season championship. It would be Brad Underwood's second conference title and further strengthen his case as one of the best coaches in school history.

In my eyes, the race could go either way between Illinois and Michigan State. However, I am siding with the Illini because they will host the Spartans on Feb. 5 in their only meeting of the season. Illinois should also have one of the best offenses in the country, giving it a slight edge in my projections.

Next Up — Michigan State

Michigan State and Illinois are in the same tier for me, and either team could come away with the regular-season championship. Tom Izzo is one of the best coaches of all time, and this team has the potential to be among his best. Jeremy Fears Jr. is my favorite to win National Player of the Year and could lead the Spartans to multiple championships this season.

I am leaning toward Illinois because of its lethal offense, but Michigan State should have a top-five defense in the country. The Spartans are right there with Illinois as the clear top two teams in the conference.

Triple-Bye Teams

3. Nebraska

I am higher on Nebraska than most and expect the Cornhuskers to build on their Sweet 16 run last season. Rienk Mast and Sam Hoiberg are no longer in Lincoln, but Nebraska returns Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager for another year.

Sandfort is one of the best shooters I have ever seen and has a chance to win Big Ten Player of the Year if Nebraska finishes this high in the standings. I am trusting Fred Hoiberg to keep things rolling and slotting Nebraska as my third-best team in the conference.

4. Purdue

Purdue is another team I may be higher on than most. The Boilermakers entered last season as the preseason No. 1 team before falling to Arizona in the Elite Eight.

Purdue's big three of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn are no longer in black and gold after four years, but the Boilermakers still return several key players, including CJ Cox, Daniel Jacobson, Jack Benter, Gicarri Harris and Omer Mayer.

Matt Painter may not have a team capable of making another Elite Eight run, but I expect Purdue to outperform expectations, as it so often does.

Middle of the Pack / Potential NCAA Tournament Teams

UCLA
USC
Michigan
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Maryland
Minnesota

There is a realistic chance that all nine of these teams make the NCAA Tournament, depending on how the expanded field takes shape. I am lower on Ohio State and Indiana than most, as I want to see their coaches get the job done before moving either team higher in my rankings. Wisconsin consistently outperforms its preseason expectations, so I have the Badgers inside my top 10.

I have 12 Big Ten teams making the NCAA Tournament, with Minnesota narrowly missing the cut. It would not surprise me if Iowa or Minnesota finished higher than expected, given the success their coaches have already enjoyed in college basketball.

Missing the NCAA Tournament

Northwestern
Washington
Oregon
Rutgers
Penn State

I do not see any of these teams making the NCAA Tournament or even coming particularly close to the field of 76. I gave Northwestern the edge over the rest of this group because Chris Collins has a history of doing more with less, but the Wildcats lack the talent to finish any higher in my projections.

Unfortunately, I believe Oregon, Rutgers and Penn State could be among the worst teams the Big Ten has seen in recent years.

Those are my projected Big Ten standings. Below are my predictions for the conference's postseason awards.

First Team All-Big Ten

Jeremy Fears Jr. — Michigan State (Player of the Year)
Trey McKinney — Michigan
Pryce Sandfort — Nebraska
David Mirkovic — Illinois
Nolan Winter — Wisconsin

Second Team All-Big Ten

Elliot Cadeau — Michigan
Trent Perry — UCLA
Andrej Stojakovic — Illinois
Rodney Rice — USC
Pharrel Payne — Maryland

Freshman of the Year

Quentin Coleman — Illinois

Coach of the Year

Brad Underwood — Illinois

The theme behind my postseason awards is team success. There are always plenty of players who put up big individual numbers, but team success often helps elevate them to first- or second-team All-Big Ten honors.

I have Jeremy Fears Jr. winning Big Ten Player of the Year because I expect him to put up big numbers while running the show in East Lansing. Illinois also features prominently in my awards predictions because I have the Illini winning the conference. If that happens, I expect several players and Underwood to be rewarded for the team's success.

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