With the start of the season rapidly approaching, 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 14th straight season.
We excluded potential 5-in-5 additions, like Minnesota’s Cade Tyson, because of uncertainty around eligibility and legal processes.
The series is broken into six parts, and we begin with our first installment of players 40-31 for the 2026-27 season:
Also considered (alphabetical): Dwayne Aristode (Oregon), Bishop Boswell (Maryland), Christian Collins (USC), Luke Ertel (Purdue), Kaleb Glenn (Michigan State), Gicarri Harris (Purdue), Zvonimir Ivisic (Illinois), Cam Manyawu (Iowa), Andrew McKeever (Iowa), Baba Oladotun (Maryland), Sam Orme (Nebraska), Caden Pierce (Purdue), Tate Sage (Iowa), Jordan Scott (Michigan State), Jake West (Northwestern)
40. Ty’Reek Coleman, Iowa (Guard, 6-foot-4, sophomore)
Coleman transferred from Illinois State to Iowa after averaging 10 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Coleman shot 55 percent on 2s and 41 percent on 3s as a freshman, while also showing the ability to get to the line.
He’s making a big transfer up in competition level, but Iowa’s Ben McCollum is one of the best in the business at role optimization and ball screen offense. Coleman was an adept ball screen player in his first season and could have untapped potential in Iowa City.
39. Eian Elmer, Wisconsin (Guard, 6-foot-6, senior)
Elmer will be a key piece in a new-look backcourt for the Badgers, who lost Nick Boyd, John Blackwell and Andrew Rohde. An All-MAC second team selection last season, Elmer averaged 12.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on a Miami (OH) team that won 32 games and beat SMU in the NCAA First Four last March in Dayton.
A career 41.3 percent 3-point shooter, Elmer should be a perfect fit in a Wisconsin offense that attempts the most perimeter shots in the conference.
38. Andre Mills, Maryland (Guard, 6-foot-4, sophomore)
Mills averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a freshman, and scored over 30 points twice in the final month of the season. He knocked down 55 3-pointers at 34 percent.
He wasn’t always consistent, but he averaged 17.9 points per game over his final 13 games last season and should be poised to step into an elevated role in a Buzz Williams offense built for score-first guards to put up big numbers.
37. Justin Pippen, Ohio State (Guard, 6-foot-4, junior)
The son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is back in the Big Ten and is at his third school in three seasons. Pippen began his career at Michigan in the 2024-25 season before transferring to Cal last season for a bigger opportunity.
That move paid off, as Pippen averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 assists for the Bears to go along with 61 steals. He should slide right into the Ohio State lineup alongside John Mobley Jr. to form one of the conference’s better backcourts.
36. Tariq Francis, Rutgers (Guard, 6-foot-1, senior)
Francis was the bright spot for a Rutgers team that finished 14-20 (6-14 Big Ten) last season. He averaged 17 points, 2.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game and earned KenPom MVP honors in six of Rutgers’ seven Big Ten wins (including the conference tournament). He went for 20+ points in 11 games last season and topped 30 three times.
The former NJIT guard is elite at drawing fouls (41.7 FTA/FGA) and converting free throws. He shot 91 percent at the stripe on 180 attempts last season.
35. Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue (Center, 7-foot-4, junior)
Jacobsen’s inclusion on the list is a bet on his potential rather than what he’s produced over his first two seasons in West Lafayette. After only appearing in two games as a freshman in the 2024-25 campaign before suffering a season-ending lower leg injury, Jacobsen played in all 39 games last season for the Boilermakers.
His production was modest – 5.5 points, three rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots – but he only logged 12.9 minutes per game as a backup to Oscar Cluff. With the graduation of Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn, Jacobsen will be the focal point up front for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers are expecting him to take a step forward this winter.
34. Owen Foxwell, Wisconsin (Guard, 6-foot-2, 5th year)
Wisconsin’s offensive system has consistently generated breakout stars in recent seasons. The Badgers’ continuity ball screen scheme has led to three straight top-20 offenses, each one built around a ball-dominant guard like Nick Boyd, John Tonje and AJ Storr.
Foxwell isn’t a transfer like the last three breakout Badgers, but he comes to Wisconsin from the NBL – the top professional league in Australia – with an impressive playmaking repertoire.
33. Tomislav Buljan, Maryland (Forward, 6-foot-9, sophomore)
Buljan, a native of Croatia, isn’t a household name among Big Ten fans, but he arrives in College Park as one of the best frontcourt additions in the conference from the portal. A second-team All-Mountain West honoree last season at New Mexico, Buljan averaged a double-double last season as a freshman: 13.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
He was one of the nation’s best rebounders, ranking 5th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage and 15th in defensive rebounding percentage, per KenPom.com. For the Terps, he’ll start alongside Pharrel Payne to give Buzz Williams a legitimate frontcourt duo, something that was desperately lacking a season ago.
32. Quentin Coleman, Illinois (Guard, 6-foot-4, freshman)
Coleman is a freshman guard who played himself from outside the top-100 to into five-star status during his senior year of high school. The former Wake Forest commit now comes to Illinois hoping to fill some of the void left by one-and-done freshman Keaton Wagler’s departure.
It’s hard to project freshmen in such a portal-heavy environment, but Coleman should step into an immediate and important role for one of the league’s best teams.
31. Wesley Yates III, Washington (Guard, 6-foot-4, junior)
One of the biggest disappointments in the Big Ten last season, Yates enters a prove-it season in Seattle. With his coach Danny Sprinkle moving toward the hot seat, Yates needs to bounce back from a disastrous 2025-26 season in which his shooting percentages fell off significantly.
Talent has never been a question with Yates, who was a top-50 prospect out of high school. After shooting nearly 44 percent on 3s as a freshman at USC in the 2024-25 season, Yates connected on just 31.2 percent of his triples last season while also missing six games due to injury. If the Huskies are going to outperform expectations, Yates needs to be the catalyst.
Notable Replies
Discuss the Article
7 more replies
Guest
We are almost back when this list comes out!
umhoops
Especially this year, because we are about a month later than we usually publish it.
umhoops
So last year we had a guy in 31-40 who was All-Big Ten Second Team (Nick Boyd) and a guy who barely even played (Petrovic).
Who are your picks for those guys this year?
umhoops
I’m personally worried some “also considered” guys pop too (Jake West, Luke Ertel, Tate Sage, McKeever?).
It’s hard to rank guys after like 25+.
dirk
Seeing Foxwell’s bio, and noting his status as fifth year, feeling rather confused …
Fifth year of what? He has been playing pro ball for five years. He doesnt have a major listed on his official bio - unlike most players. Super curious about his academic affiliations within a great Big Ten University.
And struggling to understand why there is so much uncertainty w Roddy’s eligibility, honestly. Like, at least we know that RG Jr will get a degree. Which seems like a nice thing when you play for an institute of higher education.