Big Ten basketball preseason power rankings: Where do the former Pac-12 teams fit in?

• Key returning players: Payton Sandfort, Owen Freeman, Josh Dix
• Key losses: Tony Perkins, Ben Krikke, Patrick McCaffrey
• Incoming notable transfers: Drew Thelwell, Seydou Traore
• Incoming top 150 recruits: Cooper Koch

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey did not have the season he coveted in 2023-24, but he did keep his talented freshmen Payton Sandfort and Owen Freeman on the team for this season. However, two of their top three scorers, Tony Perkins and Ben Krikke, departed in the offseason. McCaffrey did not do much to retool his roster, landing just two transfers in Drew Thelwell and Seydou Traore. He did land top 100 recruit Cooper Koch to help Iowa’s fast-paced attack. This team will need players to step up and fill voids in the roster, which might be tough. Iowa slots in the middle to lower of the pack in the conference with tempered expectations due to low activity in the transfer portal.

• Key returning players: Ace Baldwin, Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, D’Marco Dunn
• Key losses: Kanye Clary, Qudus Wahab, Jameel Brown
• Incoming notable transfers: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Freddie Dilione, Kachi Nzeh, Eli Rice
• Incoming top 150 recruits: Miles Goodman

After losing former head coach Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame an offseason ago, Mike Rhoades began his journey to retool Penn State basketball. The Nittany Lions had a competitive year and will look to build off it for the 2024-25 season. They will be spearheaded yet again by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin, who opted to use his additional year of eligibility. Rhoades lost key contributors Kanye Clary and Qudus Wahab in the offseason and looked to replace them in the transfer portal with Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Freddie Dilione. Rhoades signed top 125 recruit Miles Goodman in the offseason, among other solid recruits. Penn State retaining their core of Baldwin, Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, and D’Marco Dunn will be key in their success this season. The familiarity with Rhoades’ unique system in year two will pay dividends, and expect the Nittany Lions to be competitive in conference play with their grueling playstyle.