Big Ten Basketball New Year’s Resolutions

As the calendar has turned to 2026, it’s time to take a look at some New Year’s resolutions for each of the 18 teams in the Big Ten. A handful of the teams likely don’t have much they wish to change, especially near the top of the conference. Michigan continues to roll over foes, while teams like Oregon and Maryland are far from where they were just a season ago. Did I forget that Nebraska is currently on a 13-0 run?

In talking about some New Year’s resolutions, that could be anything for each of the teams. Some are probably just looking for stability as conference play kicks into full gear.

Big Ten Basketball New Year’s Resolutions

Illinois – Can a Floor General Please Stand Up?

There is no doubt that Illinois has a talented team. It just seems like they lack the tools to stay consistent. Not to mention, they have lacked a true floor leader throughout Brad Underwood’s tenure. It’s nice to have a massive talent pull from Europe, but the Illini always seem to come up short because they don’t have a true point guard. That is by no means a knock on senior guard Kylan Boswell. He’s provided important minutes and scoring during his time in Champaign. Not to mention the emergence of Keaton Wagler. But what this team doesn’t have, like say Michigan State, Purdue, or Michigan at this point, is a floor general. You have to have a true point guard to run the ship. Illinois has players that can be that, they just haven’t stood up to this point.

Indiana – Rebounding

Tucker DeVries is clearly a great all-around player, but the Hoosiers need more production on the glass. They sit tied for 176th in the country in team rebounds. That mark is 37.2 per game for the team. DeVries leads the way at 5.4 boards per game. They have some big foes to face ahead in the coming Big Ten schedule, with far superior rebounders. In no way am I doubting Indiana, as they sit at 10-3 in Darian DeVries’ first season, but if they are going to stay in contention, this group needs DeVries and Sam Alexis to continue to crash the glass.

Iowa – Leveling Up

It was going to be a drastically different team in the new era at Iowa. That has been very clear. The Hawkeyes are far and away different under Ben McCollum. They are one of the slowest-paced teams in the country. Not to mention most of the roster were players leveling up from a much smaller school. They have, for the most part, played well, getting to 11 wins through the first half of the season. However, their two biggest games against Top 10 teams both ended in defeat. First, the Hawkeyes stood no chance against Michigan State, with the Spartans having a clear size advantage. They showed much more hope in their rivalry clash with Iowa State. losing by just four points to the Cyclones. Can they level up more moving forward?

Maryland – Finding a Rhythm

It has been a less-than-successful run to start the Buzz Williams era in College Park. The Terps sit 7-6 to begin 2026. However, they find themsleves 0-2 to start the Big Ten, which is only going to get harder. For a team that had a very dramatic offseason, Maryland added some nice pieces. That included flipping high-profile freshman Darius Adams from UConn. Adams has had a good run of games throughout the season, including the Terps’ final game of 2025, where he had 18 points. Can he help the Terps find a rhythm to dig out of the hole moving forward? Time will tell.

Michigan – Keep Doing What You’re Doing, but Don’t Peak Too Early

The country’s favorite team right now is clearly Michigan. Heck, they’ve moved to the favorite to win it all according to FanDuel Sportsbook. It isn’t hard to see why. This team has been demolishing teams throughout the season. Since an early scare against TCU, Michigan has just been throttling foes left and right. They continue to pummel teams by 30 or more. That included a very impressive 40-point win over Gonzaga in Las Vegas back in November. Right now, Michigan looks like the clear favorite not only in the Big Ten but nationally. However, you can’t count games before they happen. The Big Ten hasn’t won the National title in college basketball in 26 years now, and many have tried and come close. Is Michigan on pace to break it, perhaps, but they have to avoid peaking too early. Keep doing what you’re doing, obviously, but don’t sign it all in yet.

Michigan State – A Shooting Guard Must Step Forward

It was the biggest question coming into the 2025-26 season for the defending Big Ten champions. Who was going to step up at the shooting guard spot? Thus far, the Spartans have had three players start at the two-guard spot: Kur Teng, Trey Fort, and Divine Ugochukwu. Any one of the three has proven they can score and shoot the ball. But while the Spartans have been experimenting with who ‘the guy’ is at that spot, it has been a bit frustrating for the Spartan faithful. So the biggest question that the Spartans need to answer is which one will step up and be the full-time starter at the spot. Ugochukwu has earned the nod as of late, but he seems to give this team the best shot to make a deep run, as the guy coming off the bench to give starting point guard Jeremy Fears Jr a breather.  Teng has been the most consistent at knocking down shots, and he seems to have the upside of a shooting guard. Shooters have to shoot, and in the last several games, Kur hasn’t been afraid to let it fly.

Minnesota – Show Some Grit

Who would have thought Minnesota would find itself at 1-1 in the Big Ten in year one of the Niko Medved era? They have shown some real toughness so far this season. The best thing is they aren’t at the very bottom of the league, like they were for the past handful of seasons. That is a massive leap in the right direction. Not to mention, they might have one of the biggest surprises in the conference. Cade Tyson has proven to be one of the best pure scorers in the Big Ten. He’s scored 21 or more points in seven games so far this season. Including 38 in early December. This group appears to have some toughness and grit that have to continue to show in 2026.

Nebraska – Avoiding Significant Injuries

By far the biggest surprise of the Big Ten is Nebraska. They are unbeaten and looking like a well-oiled machine. Coach Hoiberg may have cast his early ballot for Big Ten coach of the year. They have a massive clash with Michigan State for their first game of 2026, and a win in that game on Friday night could send this team into an even bigger expectation. Rienk Mast missed all of last season and has been a key driving force in the Cornhuskers’ big step this season. For a group that already lost a knockdown shooter, Connor Essegian, for the rest of this season, because of a leg injury, the New Year’s Resolution for Nebraska is simple: avoid any more significant injuries, and the Huskers will be dancing come March.

Northwestern – Win Games

The Wildcats’ biggest need in 2026 is to find some wins. The Big Ten is clearly top-heavy, but the middle of the pack is going to be a grind. That’s why Northwestern has to find a way to win some games. Head Coach Chris Collins might need every win they can find. I’m not saying he’s going to get canned, given he’s the only coach to ever get the program to its two NCAA tournament appearances, but the Wildcats are treading dangerous waters right now. Nick Martinelli is phenomenal as a scorer, but he can’t do it alone.

Ohio State – Avoid a Free-Fall

The Buckeyes continue to be one of the questionable teams amongst the top dozen in the Big Ten. They have games where they look like a tournament-caliber team, then they have nights where the lights seem too bright. That has been the theme in their three losses thus far. Two of which were to ranked foes. The other was a buzzer-beater loss to a subpar Pittsburgh team. Most would say that the Jake Diebler era hasn’t been too great, and realistically, that’s correct, as Ohio State sits in an almost four-year NCAA tournament drought. They are 9-3 and far from falling out of the fight, but they can’t have a free-fall, like they had last season.

Oregon – Find a Way to Right the Ship

By far the biggest disappointment in the conference. The Ducks find themsleves in no man’s land. Not only are they winless in the Big Ten so far, but they are also 7-6 overall. Nate Bittle looked far more comfortable in the last two games, but it’s very clear that Oregon has a lot of work to do to overcome the massive hole they dug themsleves into. They have to right the ship quickly, or this could spell the end of the Dana Altman era in Eugene.

Penn State – Keep Growing as a Team

A very young team for Mike Rhoades and Penn State has taken its lumps this season. Despite the youth, the Nittany Lions find themselves with nine wins at the turn of the calendar. Kayden Mingo is going to be a name to remember down the road, and he’s got plenty of time to continue to grow. That’s what seems special about this group. Their biggest resolution for 2026 has to be growth as a team.

Purdue – Seniors Lead the Way

Purdue is once again one of the top teams in the Big Ten. They have their three senior leaders to thank for that. As they prepare for the gauntlet of a schedule ahead, Braden Smith is about to make conference history. He is three assists away from tying Cassius Winston for the Big Ten all-time assist mark. Something he has had his eyes set on for some time. Winston was special and was on his way to something impressive when he set the mark in 2020. Now with Smith on the brink of history, Purdue can kick it into a high gear, with Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn blazing.

Rutgers – Avoid a Last-Place Finish

It all but seems like Steve Pikiell is on his last legs at Rutgers. It’s certainly a team with no juice or direction at this point. The real question will be can the Scarlet Knights can find a way to win some Big Ten games. They have to avoid a second-straight last-place finish in the Big Ten. Things have been trending in the wrong direction for Rutgers over the past several seasons, despite high-level recruiting efforts from Pikiell. At this point, it appears Rutgers is back to its standard ways.

UCLA – Get Booker Going

The Bruins are still among the top teams in the Big Ten despite some slip-ups against high-level opponents. They have an experienced roster with talent across the board, but like many teams before, UCLA needs some of those players to take a big step. Xavier Booker was a massive transfer addition in the offseason from Michigan State. But he appears to be having the same issues he had in East Lansing under Tom Izzo. He lacks the drive to use his length and size to outhustle others. A 6-foot-11 big man who is averaging 8.8 points and just under five rebounds a night. That’s not good enough. The former All-American has eight points and only two rebounds in his last three games combined. Pretty pathetic at this point. He’s a junior, and he’s still pretty lazy for a player that many thought could be like Jaren Jackson Jr, rebound, defend, and make threes at his size.

USC – Don’t Ruin Hot Start

The Trojans had a breakout start to the season, winning the Maui Invitational and rolling to a 12-1 (1-1) start. The completely rebuilt roster has a huge stretch ahead with stops in Ann Arbor and East Lansing for the next two games. They have to find a way to make a statement during this early January slate. But most of all, they can ruin their hot start. These games aren’t must-win, but they can ill afford not to play both teams close.

Washington – Keep Pace

The Huskies have looked far superior to their first season in the Big Ten. Not to mention, year two of the Danny Sprinkle era is off to a much better start. With plenty of talent, both experienced and youthful, Washington has a chance to compete for an NCAA tournament birth come March. Zoom Diallo, Desmond Claude, and Hannes Steinbach give them a three-headed attack that can carry them on their home floor. But can it find some road wins in this tough conference?

Wisconsin- Make the Big Dance

The Badgers look like a bubble team. Their four losses are two teams amongst the power conferences, so it’s nothing to fret about. However, it’s the margin of defeat that hurts this team the most. Despite a lot of hype this season, John Blackwell appears to have fallen behind a transfer player, as the number two guy, not the top guy. In fact, Nick Boyd is averaging almost 20 points a night, while Blackwell is still second on the team in scoring, but not quite at an All-American type level, as he was hyped to be this season. With so many new faces, the Badgers have to find a way to keep competing and make the Big Dance. Nothing like feeling like a bubble team.