Every Big Ten coach gathered for media day in Chicago and, with the exception of Bo Ryan, they're all probably asking themselves the same question: "How are we going to replace our most talented players from a year ago?"
The conference lost seven players to the NBA Draft – Nik Stauskas, Noah Vonleh, Adreian Payne, Gary Harris, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III and Roy Devyn Marble. At Michigan State, Tom Izzo is looking to a fill huge void left by the departure of Keith Appling, in addition to Harris and Payne. John Beilein is left with a sliver of a Michigan team that finished third in the country in points per possession, last season.
Thad Matta has to replace three, key contributors to teams which made deep postseason runs – Aaron Craft, LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith Jr. That will be a significant narrative in the early part of the season, if not all year long.
"From the standpoint of losing three starters, I've told people we're going to be a different team," Matta said at Big Ten Media Day. "We'll play a little bit different, but I've been very pleased with one week down now in the season with the direction we're heading."
The Columbus Dispatch recently polled 27 writers who cover Big Ten schools, asking them to rank each team heading into this season. Wisconsin was the unanimous No. 1, as they should be. According to this poll, the Buckeyes are predicted to finish second in the conference.
Ohio State has two seniors in their starting lineup but such optimism is largely a result of their young pieces and how well Thad Matta has recruited – not to mention the general, unknown factors at play with the B1G's typical powerhouse programs.
Michigan's recruiting classes generally receive little fanfare, but Beilein is known for finding three-star gems, such as Caris LeVert. Izzo's last two recruiting classes failed to bring in a "top-100" player but no one is doubting his ability to develop the lesser-touted recruits. Matta's last two classes, on the other hand, brought in a total of five top-100 recruits – Marc Loving, Kam Williams, D'Angelo Russell, Keita Bates-Diop and Jae'Sean Tate. The 2015 group consists of four more four-star talents.
It's largely an educated guess, but the hype surrounding OSU's underclassmen is the reason why they're predicted to finish among the top three in the Big Ten.
Buckeyes Chasing Funderburk
Considering the overwhelming number of quality players in both their 2014 and 2015 classes, Ohio State will have to be selective in recruiting current high school juniors. Regardless, St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) center Derek Funderburk is clearly a part of Matta's plans for the 2016 class.
In a recent interview with Cleveland.com, Funderburk made it seem like he can be a perfect fit for Matta's offense at the "four" spot.
"They absolutely love my game," he said. "Coach Matta, Coach (Jeff) Boals, they're great guys. They want me to be a Buckeye pretty bad."
Funderburk has offers from Iowa, Penn State and Xavier, among others. According to 247Sports' composite rankings, he is the No. 42 player in the country and, now, second in Ohio behind Syracuse commit Matthew Moyer – he was fourth until OSU offerees V.J. King and Omari Spellman transferred out of state.
This past weekend, Funderburk competed at the John Lucas Midwest camp against what many consider to be the top recruit in the country:
Thon Maker and Derek Funderburk got a little too physical with each other. Both had to sit and now back in. Loving the intensity.
— N.D. Kendrick (@NDkendrick) October 11, 2014
Ward Visiting Ohio State
Ohio State is showing interest in another 2016 Ohio big man prospect.
Nick Ward, a powerful low-post player, currently has offers from Michigan State, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue and Wisconsin. This weekend, according to NextUpRecruits, he'll take the short trip from Gahanna and visit OSU's campus:
2016 Lincoln & @all_ohio F/C Nick Ward (@best_at_hoopin) will visit Ohio State on Saturday per the family #B1G http://t.co/vtozET8pDK
— NextUpRecruits.com (@NextUpRecruits) October 16, 2014
Around The B1G
Despite Northwestern's troubled basketball history – hey, here's something you probably didn't know: they haven't made the NCAA Tournament in, like, the entire history of their program – head coach Chris Collins continues to recruit well.
Earlier this week, the Wildcats picked up a commitment from Aaron Falzon, a four-star recruit in the class of 2015. He stands 6 feet, 8 inches tall but plays more like a two-guard than a low-post player.
"Aaron is a small forward prospect with skills capable to play some shooting guard, as well," Future150.com's scouting report said. "He is an excellent perimeter shooter who has the size to shoot over defenders."
