Big Ten’s top 40 players for the 2025-26 season: 15-11

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With the official start of practice in September, UM Hoops and Inside the Hall have partnered to bring you our annual preseason breakdown of the top players in the Big Ten for the 13th straight season.

The series is broken into seven parts and we continue with our fifth installment of players 15-11 for the 2025-26 season: (Previously: 16-20, 21-25, 26-30, 31-40)

15. Tucker DeVries, Indiana (6-foot-7, forward, redshirt senior)

Why he could outperform this ranking: A two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year at Drake, DeVries is now at his third school in three seasons. Prior to the 2024-25 season, he followed his father, Darian DeVries, to West Virginia. In March, Darian DeVries accepted the IU job and Tucker, who utilized a medical redshirt after appearing in just eight games for the Mountaineers, is now in Bloomington for his final season.

DeVries is one of the top returning shooters in college basketball this season. Over 112 career games between Drake and West Virginia, he owns career averages of 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while making nearly 2.5 3-pointers per game.

While much of the offseason attention at IU was on the program’s other portal additions, DeVries is the best and most proven roster addition for the Hoosiers. He’s also a strong passer and an excellent free-throw shooter.

Why he could underperform this ranking: While health was never an issue for DeVries at Drake, he had to shut it down after eight games last season at West Virginia due to a shoulder injury. He was a full participant in IU’s August trip to Puerto Rico and averaged double figures over three exhibitions. He did struggle with his shooting on the trip – 22.2 percent on 3s – while shaking off rust from time missed due to injury.

There’s a high floor with DeVries, but he must prove the injury is behind him and stay healthy to end up on one of the All-Big Ten teams by season’s end.

14. Rodney Rice, USC (6-foot-5, guard, junior)

Why he could outperform this ranking: Rice makes the rare coast-to-coast transfer in the same conference from Maryland to USC after a breakout year under Kevin Willard. He was a pleasant surprise for the Terps after two years at Virginia Tech where he only played eight games total.

Rice is one of the best shooters in the Big Ten. He hit 80 3-pointers at a 37.4 percent clip last year. He was good off the catch, but even better off the dribble at 44.2 percent on pull-up threes. He can shoot off movement, in transition, or spotting up, and played an integral role in Maryland’s Sweet Sixteen campaign.

The Terps were 14 points per 100 possessions better when Rice was on the floor, per CBB Analytics, which was the best mark on the roster. Rice should be a foundational building block for Eric Musselman at USC on yet another completely rebuilt roster.

Why he could underperform this ranking: Rice seemed to have the perfect role for Maryland last year. The Terps leaned on their starting five as aggressively as any team in the conference, and Rice played with an excellent point guard and big men that demanded double-teams in the post. It was the perfect recipe for a shooting specialist.

It feels unlikely that Rice’s role will be as finely tuned or consistent in Los Angeles. Musselman’s rosters are never short on options, but they are generally based a bit more on chaos theory than lineup consistency. Rice will have to find a comfort zone in a rotation that probably will change multiple times before Big Ten play even begins.

13. Chad Baker-Mazara, USC (6-foot-7, wing, graduate senior)

Why he could outperform this ranking: A native of the Dominican Republic, Baker-Mazara will be one of the oldest players in college basketball next season. He will turn 26 in late January. USC is now his fifth stop in college basketball after previous stints at Duquesne, San Diego State, Northwest Florida State College and Auburn.

Baker-Mazara has excellent size for a wing and is a disruptive defender who can guard multiple positions when he’s fully engaged. His length allows him to contest shots by smaller guards and he’s got the strength to hold his own defensively against more physical players.

He’s a confident 3-point shooter – 39.8 percent for his career – and is coming off his best offensive season yet at Auburn. He averaged 12.3 points and shot 88.8 percent from the free throw line, 50.9 percent on 2s and 38.1 percent on 3s for a Final Four team.

Why he could underperform this ranking: Baker-Mazara plays with a lot of emotion and while it can sometimes be a strength, it can also be a detriment if not channeled properly.

He’s received numerous technical fouls over his career and was ejected from an NCAA tournament game against Yale in 2024. In one stretch last season for Auburn, he had a technical or flagrant foul in five of six games. USC needs Baker-Mazara to be a leader and that means staying on the floor and avoiding regular technicals and flagrant fouls.

12. Nolan Winter, Wisconsin (6-foot-11, forward, junior)

Why he could outperform this ranking: Winter is one of the most intriguing breakout candidates in the Big Ten. He demonstrated his size, skill, and efficiency last year as a sophomore. He posted a 132 offensive rating on 19.1 percent usage. He shot 72 percent on twos and 36 percent on threes, along with top-15 offensive and defensive rebounding rates in the Big Ten.

With Steven Crowl’s graduation, Winter also has the opportunity to take on significantly more responsibilities as a junior and follow a script that we’ve seen from Wisconsin big men for decades. He’s going to be the focal point of the Badger frontcourt, not just a supplemental piece, and he should play more minutes and take more shots than he did last season.

Why he could underperform this ranking: Winter’s sophomore production was solid but not at an All-Big Ten level. He averaged 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game. If he doesn’t make a statistical leap as a junior, he could easily fall short of this ranking.

He’ll also have to prove that he can hold up physically inside against the Big Ten without Crowl as a reinforcer alongside him.

11. Tomislav Ivišić, Illinois (7-foot-1, center, junior)

Why he could outperform this ranking: The 22-year-old Croatian big man didn’t play like a newcomer to the Big Ten last winter.

Ivisic is one of the best shooting big men in the country, as he made 55 3-pointers last season and shot 35.7 percent from distance. He’s one of the few bigs in the league that has to be accounted for everywhere on the floor and his ability to stretch the floor really opens up driving lanes for his Illini teammates. He also made 60.5 percent of his 2s last season, which ranked in the top 20 in the league.

He’s also a respectable rebounder – he ranked in the top 25 in the conference in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage – and a capable passer, averaging 2.3 assists per game last season as a sophomore. On a revamped Illinois roster, Ivisic is the centerpiece Brad Underwood will build around in Champaign.

Why he could underperform this ranking: Rim protection isn’t a strong suit for Ivisic, who blocked just 39 shots all season. He’s very limited defensively and while blocked shots aren’t the only indicator of a solid defender in the paint, the reality is that Ivisic doesn’t offer enough resistance at the rim for his size and lacks athleticism.

He’ll also likely be playing without an NBA first-round draft pick as his point guard. Ivisic and Kasparas Jakucionis had excellent chemistry. The Lithuanian point guard knew how to find Ivisic and get him the ball where he wanted. Will that continue to be the case with Ivisic and newcomer Mihailo Petrovic?