Nebraska and Minnesota both exceeded expectations this season, moving up the most in the Kenpom.com computer rankings among Big Ten teams. Michigan had an epic fall, as did Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers. Here's a comparison of how it all started, and how it ended.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The 2023-24 college basketball season is in the books, and there was a lot of drama that played out out in the Big Ten this season. There was a lot of movement up and down by a handful of teams, and many were what we thought they were.
It's a good time to look at the preseason Kenpom.com computer rankings, and see who made the biggest moves.
Purdue, a preseason No. 1, was the highest ranked league team at the end, too, finishing No. 3. There's certainly no shame in that. They've been a consensus top-3 team all season with Houston and Connecticut.
The biggest movers up? That would be Fred Hoiberg's Nebraska Cornhuskers and Ben Johnson's Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota was the lowest ranked Big Ten team at the start, checking in at No. 112. So, to be fair, they had more room to move, but they've done that, going up 37 spots to No. 75.
Nebraska went from No. 58 to No. 32 and earned a No. 3 seed and double bye in the Big Ten Tournament that starts Wednesday in Minneapolis. That, to me, is probably the best move up, with no disrespect intended to Johnson's Gophers. Illinois' move from No. 19 to No. 10 is also impressive because it's really hard to move a lot at the top of the rankings. They've had a good season.
The biggest loser? That's obvious, and we've seen the horror show play out all year long in Ann Arbor with Michigan. They dropped from No. 44 to No. 127, a whopping 83 spots. Michigan was 8-23 overall and 3-17 in the Big Ten and were a complete disaster.
The other big drops were from Rutgers (39), Indiana (37) and Maryland (36). Here's the complete list.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- TREY GALLOWAY SENIOR DAY SPEECH: Indiana guard Trey Galloway used his Senior Day speech following the Hoosiers' 65-64 win over Michigan State to announce he's returning for his fifth season in 2024-25. CLICK HERE
- ANTHONY LEAL SENIOR DAY SPEECH: Indiana guard and Bloomington native Anthony Leal announced he'll return for his fifth year in 2024-25 during his Senior Day speech on Sunday after the Hoosiers' 65-64 win over Michigan State. CLICK HERE
- XAVIER JOHNSON SENIOR DAY SPEECH: Indiana is 4-0 since Xavier Johnson returned from an elbow injury, including Sunday's 65-64 win over Michigan State on Johnson's Senior Day. Here's the full video of his speech. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA-MICHIGAN STATE GAME STORY: Kel'el Ware had 28 points and 12 rebounds and made a free throw with 17 seconds to go after missing five straight, helping Indiana beat Michigan State 65-64 in the final regular season game of the year. It was the Hoosiers' fourth straight win. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana closed out its regular season in style on Sunday, beating Michigan State 65-64. The deciding point came on a Kel'el Ware free throw with 17 seconds left. Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media afterward. Here is the full video, plus the written transcript of his postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS: The 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament bracket is set. Here's a look at the matchups, dates, times and television information for every game from the Target Center in Minneapolis. CLICK HERE