2016-17 Season Preview: Where Does Ohio State Fit Into the Big Ten Picture?

And, to be honest, the Buckeyes probably didn't deserve to make it. They had a couple of key non-conference losses that hurt their resume at the end of the season, and the large majority of their Big Ten wins were against teams that finished in the bottom third of the league.

With an 11-7 league record, Ohio State was the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament — the lowest in Thad Matta's tenure as head coach. In what's one of college basketball's strongest conferences year in and year out, the Buckeyes will certainly hope to improve on that mark for the 2016-17 campaign.

This year, the Big Ten figures to be a little more top heavy than previous seasons with three favorites to end the year as league champion. What follows is a breakdown of what to watch for in the Big Ten this season, and where Ohio State figures into the picture.

The Favorites

Indiana won the league last year with a 15-3 record in Big Ten play and the Hoosiers are loaded again this season despite losing all-everything point guard Yogi Ferrell. Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby return to lead the way and Indiana also welcomes back James Blackmon Jr., who missed most of last season with an injury.

But while the Hoosiers are the defending champions, it's Wisconsin that seems to be the top contender to claim this season's crown. The Badgers are coming off a season in which they made the Sweet 16 and return nearly everybody — including preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, Nigel Hayes. Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ give the Badgers as good a trio as you'll find in the league.

The final preseason favorite is Michigan State. The Spartans lost a ton of talent — Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and others — and this is a completely different team than Tom Izzo has really ever had, but there is a ridiculously talented freshman class in East Lansing that could make up for some inexperience. Miles Bridges, Josh Langford, Cassius Winston and Nick Ward were all top-40 prospects nationally.

The Next Tier

If there's going to be a logjam in the Big Ten standings, it's likely to come from the tier of teams after Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan State. It seems like spots four through seven could go any number of ways.

One team that has potential to crack the top three is Purdue. The Boilermakers lost big man A.J. Hammons and defensive stalwart Rapheal Davis, but Vince Edwards, Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas all return to give Purdue the Big Ten's best frontcourt.

Ohio State finds itself in this second tier. The Buckeyes return their top-six scorers from last year's team but have to find a way to beat some of the teams at the top of the league this season. If Ohio State made the necessary improvements, a top-four finish in the league is not out of the question.

The final two teams in this tier are Michigan and Maryland. The Wolverines are similar to the Buckeyes in the sense they bring almost their entire team back from a year ago, but the Terrapins might have some work to do as they lost four starters but returned star guard Melo Trimble.

Potential Sleepers

We're defining sleepers as teams we see finishing in the bottom half of the league, but have potential to finish seventh or better. It's not a particularly high bar, but it's a bar nonetheless.

We've included four teams in this tier: Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State and Illinois.

The Hawkeyes lost a ton of talent, but preseason All-Big Ten member Peter Jok could wind up being one of the league's best players. Illinois has been hampered by injuries the last few years, but the Illini have talent. If Illinois can stay healthy, there's certainly a chance for John Groce's team to surprise some folks.

Northwestern has a solid core of returning talent and one of the league's top guards in Bryant McIntosh. The question remains if the Wildcats can get over the hump and make the NCAA tournament. Penn State brought in a solid recruiting class and if it's better than expected the Nittany Lions could make some noise, as well.

Bottom Feeders

The final three teams are Minnesota, Nebraska and Rutgers.

The Gophers and Scarlet Knights were the two worst teams in the Big Ten last season and things might not be much better this year for Rutgers. Minnesota, on the other hand, could be much-improved, but for now it sits here.

Tim Miles' team lost his best player to a transfer in the offseason. It could be a long year in Lincoln.