Where Michigan basketball stands in 2023-24 preseason Big Ten media poll
College basketball season is coming soon. The 2023-24 Michigan Wolverines basketball team will be in Minneapolis for its spot at Big Ten Media Days this week (Tuesday, Oct. 10), and The Athletic / Columbus Dispatch just released their joint annual “official unofficial” preseason media poll. The poll surveys two writers from each of the Big Ten’s 14 schools.
Michigan, which lost its top three scorers from last year’s team that missed the NCAA Tournament, checked in 11th in the poll. The Wolverines finished tied fifth in the Big Ten last season, earning the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, where they were bounced by Rutgers, dashing their hopes of making a seventh straight appearance in the Big Dance.
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Purdue topped the poll, earning 24 of 28 first-place votes after winning the league’s regular-season and conference crowns a year ago. Michigan State, which checked in second, is the only other school to have received first-place tallies (4). In order, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio State, Northwestern, Iowa, Rutgers, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and Minnesota round out the media-picked pecking order.
The Big Ten has had 14 teams beginning in the 2014-15 season. Since then, Michigan’s lowest finish was ninth in both 2014-15 and 2019-20. The last time the Maize and Blue concluded fourth-to-last or worse was in 2007-08, former head coach John Beilein’s first season at the helm, when they were ninth of 11 squads. Technically speaking, Michigan has never finished 11th in the Big Ten, the only league the men’s basketball program has ever competed in.
In 2022-23, Wisconsin and Nebraska tied for 11th in the Big Ten with a 9-11 conference record. Ohio State (5-15) and Minnesota (2-17) checked in 13th and 14th. If Michigan does finish 11th this coming season, it’s assumed it would post a sub-.500 league mark for just the seventh time this century and first time since 2014-15.
The group of 28 beat writers correctly predicted the Big Ten champion three straight seasons from 2018-20. In the 2020-21 campaign, though, Michigan was picked sixth, before going on to win the conference outright. In 2021-22, the Maize and Blue were tabbed No. 1, but they finished tied seventh and were the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin was picked 10th, and Illinois third, and both grabbed a share of the conference crown. In 2022-23, Michigan was selected third but finished tied fifth. Purdue was chosen fifth but won the league outright.
Michigan did not have any players on the poll’s preseason first- or second-team All-Big Ten lists. The only individual Wolverine to appear at all was graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua as receiving the second-most votes for ‘transfer of the year.’ Nkamhoua is an import from Tennessee. Penn State’s Ace Baldwin Jr. (VCU) was chosen as transfer of the year.
Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako were selected as the Big Ten’s player and freshman of the year, respectively.
Big Ten preseason awards
Player of the year: Purdue center Zach Edey
Freshman of the year: Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako
Transfer of the year: Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr.
First-team All-Big Ten: Purdue center Zach Edey (unanimous), Maryland guard Jahmir Young, Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr., Michigan State guard Tyson Walker, Northwestern guard Boo Bouie
Second-team All-Big Ten: Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi, Michigan State guard A.J. Hoggard, Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr., Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga, Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins
Big Ten preseason poll
- Purdue (24 first-place votes)
- Michigan State (4)
- Maryland
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
- Indiana
- Ohio State
- Northwestern
- Iowa
- Rutgers
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Penn State
- Minnesota
