Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings 2024-25 - Hammer and Rails

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On the day that returns college basketball, let’s rank the Big Ten conference

Welcome in folks to the first power rankings of the 2024-25 basketball season. We are up to 18 Big Ten teams, so our rankings are now bigger than ever! We are gonna rank every team from 1 - 18 and maybe throw in some twist themes each week. Happy arguing.

Unit proven otherwise, this is the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. Yes, Purdue lost Zach Edey, Mason Gillis, and Lance Jones but can you really doubt Matt Painter who brings in a loaded freshman class and returns 3 starters on the national runner-up?

Of all teams to hit the transfer portal, Indiana hit it the hardest by reeling in Oumar Ballo, Kanaan Carlyle, Myles Rice, and Luke Goode. Retaining Trey Galloway, Malik Reneau, and Mackenzie Mgbako was also huge for the Hoosiers. If Mike Woodson can’t win with this team, it may be time to move on.

Losing Terrance Shannon, Coleman Hawkins, Marcus Domask, and Luke Goode hurts but Brad Underwood went out and got some really talented guys in Kylan Boswell, Tre White, Carey Booth, and Ben Humrichous. This was an Elite 8 team last year but still should be really good even after reloading.

Mick Cronin was busy in the transfer portal this offseason as his team transferred to the Big Ten. Adding guys like Skyy Clark, Kobe Johnson, and Eric Dailey should help reinvent a roster for the Bruins.

Is Tom Izzo fading? You might call that blasphemy, but MSU just seems to be trailing off. Sure, Izzo is bringing in 3 top 150 recruits, but he’s brought in 2-3 top recruits every year since 2015. The recruits are still coming in great, but MSU is not performing like a decade ago.

Brandon Angel and TJ Bamba are two big transfers for the Ducks. How will Dana Altman and his team adjust to the Big Ten, though?

This team will be ran or limited by the progression of the freshman class. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper really stamp how far this program has come since joining the Big Ten. Long gone are the days when a game against Rutgers was nearly and automatic victory.

Ohio State’s biggest move was likely retaining Jake Diebler as head coach. Diebler bringing in Meechie Johnson, Aaron Bradshaw, and Sean Stewart could springboard the Buckeyes even further.

The jury is obviously still out on the Wolverines but Dusty May is a really good coach and brought in a ton of new talent to Ann Arbor. This is not FAU though as expectations are going to be lofty.

An absolute roster overhaul occurred in LA for Eric Musselman. Oddly enough, Musselman brought in no transfers from Arkansas, but most players would say they would rather play for Coach Cal who slid into the Arkansas role. As for USC, I’m not sure that all of this talent will gel right away, but the talent is certainly there.

Losing Tony Perkins and his own son to the transfer portal may sting for Fran McCaffery, but if Peyton Sandfort can elevate his game even further, he could get over it.

AJ Storr, Chucky Hepburn, and Tyler Wahl are all gone. Bringing in Cameron Hunter and Xavier Amos won’t make up for the talent that got to the Big Ten Championship last year.

Boo Buie is gone. The heart and soul of Wildcat Hoops has finally moved on after a great run. Sure, Ty Berry and Brooks Barnhizer are still there but the three-headed monster lost its main head and two more will not grow back.

Will anybody step up for Jahmir Young, who seemingly had to carry the team on his back last season? Will that weight fall on Ja’Kobi Gillespie or will it be distributed more evenly this season?

Great Osobor was a really nice pickup for Washington alongside DJ Davis, Mekhi Mason, and Tyler Harris but again, this feels like a team reloading that didn’t do very well last season.

Love him or hate him, Keisei Tominaga was electric last season but he is not off to greener pastures. Brinning in Connor Essegian and Gavin Griffiths may help replace the lost shooting but it doesn’t feel like a big step forward.

Losing Kanye Clary puts more weight on the shoulders of Ace Baldwin this season. Like Jahmir Young, there’s just not enough surrounding him to elevate this team.

Take everything, I said about Jahmir Young and Ace Baldwin and apply it to Dawson Garcia. The difference is that Young and Baldwin are guards that can create on their own.