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56 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED in waiting and sophomore O.G. Anunoby looks like a bud- ding star. Big man De'Ron Davis could be one of the league's top freshmen. Injured veteran Collin Hartman's long-term loss hurts, but IU will miss his experience and his chemistry value more than his ability. Indiana needs to become a better defensive team — Blackmon's loss actually helped it last season, whether Indiana would admit it or not — but the materials are in place for IU to be very good again. Different, but very good. Michigan State: This will be one of Tom Izzo's youngest teams ever at Michigan State. But it's all kinds of talented, welcoming an outstanding recruiting class led by former five-star re- cruits Miles Bridges and Josh Langford. That comes on top of an existing corps led by junior point guard Tum Tum Nairn and senior shooting guard Eron Harris, along with sophomore Matt McQuaid. The Spartans have significant questions on their front line, with a dearth of size. They signed UNLV graduate transfer Ben Carter to address that issue, but he hurt his knee in preseason practice and is out long-term. So is returnee Gavin Schilling, who went down in preseason practice. That means Michigan State will rely heavily on freshman Nick Ward in the post. Michigan State may not have much experience, but it is one of the league's most talented teams. And its track record is certainly such that it should very much be taken seriously as a prime league contender. Purdue: Purdue needs a new defensive identity and has to prove itself in the back- court, especially in crucial situations, but again, the Boilermakers have a lot of pieces in place. Isaac Haas, Caleb Swanigan and Vincent Edwards give Matt Painter's team side-by-side-by-side All-Big Ten can- didates and one of the best frontcourts in the game. Purdue's banking on increased experience and im- proved skill in its backcourt to complement that front line. Long story short: Purdue hopes it can be a better offen- sive team than it was last season. That may come with a defensive tradeoff, but rebounding shouldn't be an issue. Wisconsin: The Badgers bring back vir- tually 100 percent of their productivity from a team that turned a corner big-time when Gard took over for troubled Bo Ryan midsea- son. Now, with Player-of-the-Year candidate Nigel Hayes and all-league candidates Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ back, expectations are sky-high in Madison. Wis- consin is considered by many to be the preseason class of the Big Ten and a top-10 team nationally. But Gard probably still has to prove himself. Though he turned the Badgers around dramatically last winter, it also felt like Ryan's situation was holding Wisconsin back prior to the transition. This is the Badgers' first full season under their new staff and that does make for a slightly different situation, especially considering the expectations. THE SECOND TIER These teams have potential to be contenders but have to be considered a notch below some other teams until they prove otherwise. Maryland: The Terps put a starting five on the floor last season with five pros. Four of them are gone. But back is all-league point guard Trimble, who didn't have a great season by his high standards last season but should be the proverbial franchise for Mark Turgeon's team now. He won't have the supporting cast he had last season — Diamond Stone and Jake Layman were NBA draft picks and Robert Carter and Rasheed Suliamon easily could have been — but Trimble has some good young talent coming in to play alongside him, including wing Kevin Huerter and forward Justin Jackson. It helps that the Terps get talented guard Dion Wiley back from injury also. Up front, the Terps need senior big man Damonte Dodd's best season.