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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 64 7-footer who can really shoot — move into more prominent roles. Three-point shooting could be a strength for this Badger team. In that regard, watch out for sophomore Brevin Pritzl, who shot 67 percent from three-point range during Wisconsin's foreign tour this summer. Iowa: Peter Jok is no more at Iowa, as the Big Ten's best pure backcourt scorer from last season graduated. But much like Maryland, a strong sophomore class returns as its team's nucleus for years to come. Bohannon was a Big Ten All-Freshman honoree last season and forwards Cook and Pemsl were in that mix, also. And the Hawkeyes welcome some potentially impactful big men in 6-foot-11 center Luka Garza and multi-skilled 6-10 for- ward Jack Nunge. Big Ten Sixth-Man-of-the-Year Nicholas Baer should play a particularly prominent role for the Hawkeyes this season and thus probably won't have the opportunity to defend his award. Iowa's a bit of an unknown coming into this season, because it's so young, but with that youth comes such significant prom- ise. The Hawkeyes might not be a whole lot of fun to play, for that reason. Indiana: IU's hard reset under Miller begins with a roster that incurred heavy losses, as guard James Blackmon, center Thomas Bryant and for- ward O.G. Anunoby each left school early. Someone's going to have to emerge. Senior guard Robert Johnson is going to have to take on an expanded role, Josh Newkirk is going to have to play like the fifth-year senior that he is at point guard, and the time would seem to be now for players like junior Juwan Morgan and par- ticularly sophomore De'Ron Davis. Miller retained each of Tom Crean's recruits — big man Clif- ton Moore, forward Justin Smith and guard Al Durham — and added forward Race Thompson. There's no way around the Hoo- siers' needing their young players ready. Miller comes to IU from Dayton with a reputation for coach- ing effective defense. Anyone who watched the Hoosiers play in recent years knows how urgent a need that is. ALSO-RANS We'll see about these teams. Illinois: In Year 1 under Underwood, Illinois figures to be starting over following John Groce's luke-warm run with the Fighting Illini. Underwood is known to coach a more spread- out, position-less style of basketball, so novelty could work to his team's advantage. It remains to be seen, though, if he has the players. The addition of Illinois Mr. Basketball and top-50-level re- cruit Mark Smith in the spring was a massive one, and the 6-4, 225-pound guard will be counted on accordingly, but Il- linois might be prohibitively young, with four of its top five scorers gone from last season's 20-win team and only No. 4, Leron Black (8.1 points), back. Young players Smith, Te'Jon Lucas, Da'Monte Williams and Trent Frazier will be particularly important in the backcourt as Illinois figures to play small. Really small. The Illini have very little size to speak of, and its biggest play- er is perimeter-oriented big man Michael Finke. Illinois will play small and could find an advantage that way, but that will be a double-edged sword against the Big Ten's big- ger teams. Ohio State: Former Butler coach Holtmann finds himself in something of the same position as Underwood, taking over a program that doesn't return much in terms of known commodities. Jae'Sean Tate is an All-Big Ten sort of performer and a solid building block, but Ohio State is going to have to rely heavi- ly, too, on forward Keita Bates-Diop as he returns from injury. Prior to his injury, he'd only shown glimpses of the significant potential many feel he possesses. In the backcourt, C.J. Jackson moves into a more prominent role as the Buckeyes' point guard and Kam Williams will want to be more consistent than he's been in the past. He can really score, but has been streaky. The Buckeyes do have some interesting young size: Sopho- more Micah Potter, a 240-pounder who can step out and shoot, and wide-bodied 6-9, 270-pound center Kaleb Wesson. Kyle Young, a versatile forward who followed Holtmann from Butler, highlights a freshman class Ohio State may need imme- diate contributions from. Michigan Purdue knows firsthand the skill level of Mo Wagner. His decision to return for another season keeps the Wolverines in the champion- ship conversation.