With the official start of practice next month, UMHoops and Inside the Hall have partnered to bring you our annual preseason breakdown of the top players in the Big Ten. This year, the list has been expanded after the addition of four programs to the conference. The series is broken into seven parts with one post each weekday through Friday, August 30.
Our third installment looking at players 21-25 for the 2024-25 season is available below: 2023-24 stats (39 games): 10.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.
9 apg, 41.6% FG, 44.4% 3PFG in 27.
8 mins Why he could outperform this ranking: With two-time national player of the year Zach Edey now in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, Purdue’s offense won’t be as post-centric. And Loyer, the best 3-point shooter in the conference last season, should see his usage rise. Loyer shot 48.
5 percent on 3s in Big Ten play last season. Loyer was terrific in most of the NCAA tournament last season leading up to the national championship game, where he went scoreless in 30 minutes. Why he could underperform this ranking: Braden Smith will be Purdue’s go-to guy, but several underclassmen on the roster could boost their roles in the post-Edey area.
Chief among them are Myles Colvin and Cam Heide, two potential breakout candidates who are both guards. Perhaps Loyer will remain a complementary piece and Purdue will be OK with his usage staying in the 17 percent range where it was last season. 2023-24 stats (39 games): 6.
4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 51.
1% FG, 33.3% 3PFG in 16.9 mins Why he could outperform this ranking: Edey’s departure leaves a significant role in the Purdue frontcourt and Kaufman-Renn is the most logical choice for shouldering some of that scoring load.
He was the Big Ten’s second-best offensive rebounder last season and drew fouls at a solid clip, although he has work to do when he gets to the line (55.7 percent). Kaufman-Renn is also an efficient finisher.
He shot 66.7 percent at the rim last season. With his size, he does a very good job using his body to create space and finish plays.
Why he could underperform this ranking: How much of Kaufman-Renn’s production resulted from defenses keying on Edey? We’ll find out this season. Despite his stellar field goal percentage at the rim, he shot 53.7 percent overall on twos.
He also struggled with the limited attempts he took on threes (33.3 percent) and, as noted, isn’t a great free throw shooter. 2023-24 stats (25 games at Belmont): 17.
2 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.
2 spg, 56.1% FG, 38.7% 3PFG in 31.
4 mins Why he could outperform this ranking: Up transfers are always tricky to project but Gillespie has a game that looks well suited to translate to the Big Ten. Gillespie arrives in College Park after a sophomore season in which he was one of the top guards in the Missouri Valley Conference. Gillespie was fourth in the MVC in assist rate, second in steal percentage and second in 2-point field goal percentage at 72.
4 percent. And he also shot 39 percent on threes on 105 attempts. With Jahmir Young’s graduation, it is Gillespie’s team to run at Maryland and he looks more than capable of taking on that challenge.
Why he could underperform this ranking: While MVC guards have had success moving to the Big Ten in recent seasons, there’s always a risk that moving to a higher level doesn’t work out. In Gillespie’s case, much of his offensive success last season was a result of using his speed and quickness to get downhill. Will that still be a strength in the Big Ten against better competition? 2023-24 stats (34 games): 8.
0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 44.6% FG, 45.
5% 3PFG in 18.5 mins Why he could outperform this ranking: It wasn’t a strong crop of freshmen last season in the Big Ten, but Blackwell was among the league’s best. He was a spark plug off the bench for Greg Gard and will now be counted on to take on a larger role in his second season.
His production last season suggests he’s ready for that challenge. Blackwell is a sturdy guard who makes threes, draws fouls and converts from the free-throw line. He shot 45.
5 percent from deep last season and made 82.1 percent of his free throws. In Big Ten play, he was eighth in fouls drawn per 40 minutes.
With AJ Storr’s transfer to Kansas, Blackwell will be Wisconsin’s go-to scorer on the wing and should play as many minutes as he can handle. Why he could underperform this ranking: Blackwell shot worse on twos (44.1 percent) than he did on threes last season (45.
5 percent). With Storr, Chucky Hepburn, and Tyler Wahl all gone, Blackwell has the opportunity to grow his role, but he needs to become more efficient with his offense inside the arc. With less talent around him and no proven point guard, Blackwell could be forced into taking on a more prominent ball-handling role for a Wisconsin team that could struggle to stay relevant in the Big Ten race.
2023-24 stats (34 games): 13.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.
5 apg, 1.1 spg, 44.4% FG, 38.
8% 3PFG in 29.7 mins Why he could outperform this ranking: Williams was one of the more productive transfers in the Big Ten last season and helped Nebraska to the NCAA tournament. The 6-foot-7 wing shot 48 percent on twos and 39 percent on threes as a senior, and now is back for a graduate season.
He ended the year on a terrific stretch of three straight 20-plus point games after only topping 20 points twice in the regular season. We’ve seen several Big Ten up-transfers who have reached another level in their second year. Williams should have the opportunity to boost his output without Keisei Tominaga and Reink Mast in the lineup.
Why he could underperform this ranking: The absence of Tominaga and Mast provides Williams with opportunities to grow but might also stretch his role beyond his natural abilities. Tominaga’s gravity and Mast’s perimeter inverted passing helped open things up for Williams to space the floor but he won’t have the same luxury this season. He’ll need to improve his 2-point scoring – 48 percent last year, down from 54 percent at Charlotte the prior year – to round out his game as potentially the focal point of Nebraska’s offense.
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