Big Ten Basketball preseason power rankings: Where Does Penn State stand?

Maryland fans probably think Mark Turgeon should be on the hot seat again this year, after he was last year, and the year before, and the year before … seriously, does any fan base in B1G basketball have more warped expectations?

But, there’s no karma as Maryland projects to be pretty good again this year.

While Morsell and Wiggins are no longer with the team, Turgeon won big in the transfer portal securing coveted starting PG Fatts Russell from Rhode Island.

Former Penn State Basketball target Donta Scott will likely continue to torment the Lions again as a Sweet 16 ceiling seems more than reasonable for Maryland this year.

Michigan State had a pretty pathetic 15-13 season a year ago.

We’ll leave aside the fact that Penn State Basketball would kill for that type of season, but we expect MSU to bounce back quite a bit this year.

Tom Izzo got the No. 2 recruiting class in the B1G, and expects big things out of SF Pierre Brooks and SG Max Christie.

This still may not be the most talented Izzo team of all time, but they’ll make the NCAA Tournament and bet vs Izzo in March at your own peril.

Fair or unfair, Shrewsberry will always be connected at the hip with Mike Woodson.

When Penn State Basketball has an opening, they get a coach who’s never been a head coach before, when the Hoosiers have an opening, they get a former NBA Coach.

Now, Indiana can compete with Maryland in the ‘unrealistic expectations’ game, but Woodson has made a giant impact recruiting right away and perhaps his best work, was keeping potential conference player of the year, Trayce Jackson-Davis.

An NCAA Tournament win is a reasonable expectation for Woodson’s first year.

There’s a bit of a gap bewteen No. 6 and No. 7 in the conference, as this is likely the most insanely optimistic Penn State Basketball fan’s landing spot for the Nittany Lions, but VBR is going with the school that ended our year last year, Wisconsin.

The Badgers had an odd year last year, finishing just 10-10 in conference including a regular season split with the Nits.

Bucky returns Brad Davison for his 14th year starting for the Badgers.

Outside of Davison and Vogt, the Badgers are incredibly young but with their infuriatingly boring style of basketball, never count out Wisconsin to win an NCAA Tournament game or two.