The 10 things I'm most excited about as B1G basketball gets under way

With 7 teams in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, this could be an unprecedented season in the Big Ten, one in which parity should reign. And with parity should come plenty of dogfights.

So coming up with reasons this season in the Big Ten is exciting wasn’t difficult. Paring it down … that was the challenge.

Also, disclaimer time: I purposefully left out your team or star player simply to antagonize you because 2020 is the gift that keeps on giving, right?

Here are 10 things that excite me about this B1G men’s basketball season:

10. The potential for Nebraska to be in the mix

Last season was a mess for the Cornhuskers, who finished a disappointing but not terribly surprising 7-25 in their first season under Fred Hoiberg. The season before, Nebraska peaked at No. 24 in the AP Poll, but it lost a lot of talent as well as depth in the offseason.

And while the Huskers lost a number of rotation players this summer as well, including three guards who each averaged double digits in points, this is a talented team — albeit one that needs to get significantly better defensively.

The addition of Teddy Allen, the nation’s leading scorer in the junior college ranks last year with a gaudy 34.1 points per game, should help. They’ll be counting on a solid recruiting class, including center Eduardo Andre out of Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., to step up and contribute with heavy minutes.

It likely won’t be a return to the NCAA Tournament for Nebraska, but this season could and should see the team clamp down defensively and be more competitive. An early season test against Creighton will be a good measure for the ceiling in the second year under Hoiberg.

Call it a building block year, but one that could and should see Nebraska take a step forward.

9. Myreon Jones taking the next step

As a sophomore, Penn State guard Myreon Jones took a significant step forward in his development, tripling his output from his freshman season to 13.3 points per game. Jones has a good handle and can pop-and-shoot. He’s a talented player.

And Penn State, still hemorrhaging from coach Pat Chambers leaving the program, needs Jones to step forward not just on the court but as a leader.

He has good range, can cut to the basket and defensively is dedicated and quick. He is the one Big Ten player who doesn’t get enough credit around the conference but could and should be a star.

8. Seeing if Rutgers is legit

Last year was the culmination of coach Steve Pikiell’s program-building project from his previous two seasons. The Scarlet Knights now have a roster full of players with length and position versatility. Rutgers was always able to defend against the blueblood programs, but last year, solid and dependable scoring emerged.

Now there’s a buzz about Pikiell’s crew, who check in at No. 24 in the AP Poll, the first time since 1978-79 that they’ve cracked the preseason poll.

Before the previous season was cut short, Rutgers was poised to make the NCAA Tournament. With some bigtime additions from their recruiting class, including 4-star center Cliff Omoruyi and forward Oskar Palmquist, who joined the team midseason but didn’t play, there is depth and athleticism to complement stars Geo Baker, Ron Harper Jr. and the talented Jacob Young.

7: Tom Izzo

That’s it.

No really, Izzo is a national treasure. Does anything else need to be said?

The Michigan State head coach should be on the cusp of becoming a top 30 winningest coach in NCAA history by season’s end, if all goes well. And Michigan State, ranked No. 13 in the polls, has an intriguing mix of returning players and a bright recruiting class that should be ready to step up and see significant minutes in the rotation.

Izzo, coincidentally, is No. 34 all-time in wins with 628.

This team lost some talent this offseason, but Izzo keeps reloading year after year and will do so again, even with Xavier Tillman and Cassius Winston being taken in the NBA Draft last week. Izzo will have the next crew of young players, such as 4-star point guard AJ Hoggard, ready to step up. Watching him reload every year is impressive.

6: A deep tournament run for Iowa

This is a team that is built to have success this year. With returning seniors Luka Garza (center) and Joe Wieskamp (forward), the Hawkeyes have arguably the best frontcourt in the nation.

A season ago, Fran McCaffrey took this team to 20-11 and a No. 25 ranking at the end of the season. This year, the Hawkeyes enter as fifth in the nation, and for good reason. Iowa took some bumps and bruises last year but emerged a solid team.

The return of Jordan Bohannon, who had hip surgery in December, is huge. The point guard is key for Iowa on both ends of the court.

If the Hawkeyes are going to make a run to the Sweet 16, something they’ve never done under McCaffrey, they will need to get strong contributions from the complementary pieces around Garza and Wieskamp.

If Bohannon can stay healthy, this team can be special.

5. The future Illinois backcourt

This last recruiting cycle saw Illinois bring in the best backcourt in the country. With Adam Miller (No. 33 player in the country) and Andre Curbelo (no. 44), Illinois has two players who can play either guard position. Both, not shockingly, were 4-star recruits.

And while minutes won’t come easy, there is reason to be excited to see what Miller and Curbelo can do together and individually at Illinois.

Both can penetrate, both have good court vision and both can score in bunches. This season might only provide a glimpse of their potential, but it will be fun to see what the future of the Illinois backcourt looks like.

4. The present Illinois backcourt

Illinois is No. 8 in the polls in large part due to guard Ayo Dosunmu, their exciting shooting guard. He is capable of lighting up the scoreboard, going for double-digits in 26 games last year.

There is excitement about the future of Illinois at the guard position. The present moment is certainly none too shabby.

The thought was that Dosunmu might jump to the NBA. Instead, he returned, which will cut into the minutes for the aforementioned Miller and Curbelo but is good news for the Illini.

A consensus preseason All-Big Ten pick, Dosunmu is worth the price of admission. Sadly, this year, few will be able to actually see him in-person.

Dosunmu, who averaged 16.6 points per game last year, can rebound and distribute as well as score. Oft-overlooked is his effort on defense, where he is relentless.

He is a joy to watch on the court, just a blur of poetry. He wasn’t supposed to come back but he did.

And that can make Illinois a very dangerous team in March.

3. Garza is back

It was a bit of a surprise to see Luka Garza, like Dosunmu, return this season. But Garza’s return gives Iowa a major lift. He is the primary reason the Hawkeyes are ranked fifth in the nation.

Garza needs to do some work to jump into the latter portion of the first round of the NBA Draft, which one scout told me he thinks he can do. He improved defensively last season but needs to improve both his presence around the rim and his ability to trail out and be adequate in challenging on the perimeter.

He can score, that is known, but if Garza can round out his game, that could be the difference between another early upending in the NCAA Tournament or Iowa making a run at the Elite 8.

2. Wisconsin has Final Four potential

The Badgers are good, loaded with quality talent, depth and upperclassmen. Are they explosive enough? That’s the question.

There is center Nate Reuvers, who took a big step last year as a junior. Fellow seniors Brad Davison, petulant and promising at the same time, and D’Mitrik Trice make up the Wisconsin backcourt.

The bench is deep and oozing with potential.

There is plenty of reason to believe that Wisconsin is the best team in the Big Ten. I’d buy that.

I also will buy that they can make the Final Four this year and are the best-built team in the conference to challenge for a national championship in terms of depth.

If they can be a bit more dynamic, this team can be the best in the Big Ten.

1. One more normal thing

In a year as wacky as this one has been, the return of Big Ten football a month ago was nice. Even without a true fan presence at games, just the visuals of these storied programs playing football again is something to look forward to on Saturday afternoons.

Or in the case of Michigan’s triple-overtime win at Rutgers this past weekend, not Saturday at all but the wee hours of Sunday morning.

But all kidding aside, having basketball back, and almost on schedule, just helps it feel like we’ve turned the proverbial corner. Sure, it looks like a winter of lockdowns and more takeout orders. The holidays will feel maybe a little less cheery to some.

At least, though, having the Big Ten back on the hardwood will help. This is always a fun conference, but this year, with so much depth and talent in nearly every program, it will likely be a season of upheaval and constant flux.

Nice to see the conference back. A lot of people need just this little bit of normal.