The 2020-21 Big Ten Watchability Index
This is the official guide to determine which teams you want on your television screen this winter.
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From top to bottom, the Big Ten is the best and deepest conference in college basketball. Conference play is a grind every single year, and every coach loves to harp on the fact that there are in fact “no days off in this league.”
With most of the conference having NCAA Tournament aspirations, there's going to be a quality matchup almost every night from now until March, and the early returns from the first few weeks of play have lived up to the billing.
But not every game is worth your precious time, so let’s help you optimize your viewing habits for maximum satisfaction.
Thanks to some inspiration from ESPN NBA Writer Zach Lowe’s Annual League Pass Rankings, the following criteria will be used to create the official 2020-21 Big Ten Watchability Index:
Zeitgeist: How relevant is this team to the national conversation and the average fan?
Highlight potential/Star power: Pretty self-explanatory. Does this team have cool and fun players?
Style of play: Does this team play an aesthetically pleasing brand of basketball?
Minutiae/X-Factor: The best of the rest. Cool jerseys, weird coach antics, etc. It’s all fair game.
Each team will be rated from 1-10 for the above criteria, and their total scores will determine how watchable they are. These rankings are official and not up for discussion. Take your complaints somewhere else.
14. Nebraska - 12 points
Nebraska stinks. There’s really no other way to put it.
There’s a non-zero percent chance that the Huskers don’t win a Big Ten game this season (KenPom has it at 4.8% as of Sunday). Based on your preferred metric of choice, Nebraska is roughly as good as a decent but not great Atlantic 10 team or among the top teams in the MAC. As one would expect with Hoiberg at the helm, the Huskers play fast and shoot a lot of threes. They just don’t happen to make them from deep, or anywhere on the court really. They’re as close to an off night in the league as there is. Naturally, they’ll probably play spoiler late in the season and have some impact on the title race and NCAA Tournament seeding.
There is some level of intrigue with Fred Hoiberg in his second season, but they’re not good enough to even make a ripple in the national conversation. On top of that, Huskers fans are still too busy crusading against the Very Rude and Unfair Big Ten Conference for their constitutional right to watch Scott Frost and the football team get stuffed in a toilet every Saturday.
13. Penn State - 14 points
Save for Nebraska, Penn State is the only sub-.500 team in the Big Ten in addition to being off to an 0-3 start in league play. After Pat Chambers’s abrupt resignation this offseason, Jim Ferry was left with a roster that was devoid of stars or all-conference caliber talent.
Even with fans, the Bryce Jordan Center has the ambiance of a moderately busy food court in a midwestern mall, so an empty BJC is profoundly bleak. The pink and black uniforms are a nice change of pace from the usually drab navy and white threads.
Stylistically, Penn State can fill it up with the best of them, but their defense is extremely prone to being scored on whenever and wherever. At best, they’re probably a fringe bubble team.
Penn State basketball: not quite good enough to really care about!
12. Maryland - 18 points
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that this is the worst Maryland team since joining the Big Ten in 2014. If not for a shocking road win against Wisconsin over the holidays, the Terps would still be searching for their first win over a top-100 team on KenPom.
Without an NBA-caliber talent in the paint like Jalen Smith or a dynamic point guard like Melo Trimble or Anthony Cowan, Mark Turgeon has opted to build almost the entire rotation out of wings that can maybe kind of shoot sometimes if you catch them on the right day. Their offense ranks 11th in efficiency, but a slow pace and porous defense makes them hard to watch if the offense isn’t humming.
Aesthetically, the red and yellow color scheme makes for an obnoxious trim on the court and the uniforms, and Under Armour continues to do their flagship school a disservice by splashing the checkers all jerseys.
11. Northwestern - 20 points
Despite a hot start to league play, we’re still too early in the Big Ten campaign to know if the Cats are legit or not. Luckily, that means that the swaths of Medill Grads in sports media haven’t come out of hibernation to remind everyone of how Special and Important this team is.
Unlike in years past, Northwestern is actually playing at a quicker tempo and has utilized a 5-out offense that shares the ball and bombs threes on its opponents. For that reason, the cats scored well in the Style of Play category. Miller Kopp is an absolute marksman with an all-time name that results in one of the most on the nose spoonerisms (Killer Mopp) in sports, and Boo Buie is a First Team All-Name guy that does a great job running the show.
Northwestern did itself a lot of favors by renovating Welsh-Ryan Arena and redoing the court by taking out the gauche purple paint job inside the arc and replacing it with a simpler and cleaner design inside the lane. The gothic uniforms rock, but their standard uniforms are pretty meh.
10. Purdue - 22 points
While some teams in the league have ramped up the pace, Purdue remains steadfast in its pursuit to always be Big Ten As Hell. They want to slow it down, dump it into the paint and grind out wins.
There are few big men in college basketball like Trevion Williams. He’s a burly post player with all of the tricks in the bag and one of the highest usage rates in the country, while also happening to be an elite passer and rebounder. And he’s not even the most intriguing guy in the frontcourt. At 7’4”, Zach Edey is the latest product of Matt Painter’s Lab For Monstrous Basketball Boys that he runs in the basement of Mackey Arena.
They would usually score better in the minutiae category with a packed Mackey Arena, and the black and gold color scheme isn’t all that appealing to the eyes. Their games are usually going to be competitive, but there are other teams in the Big Ten that are just better and more stylistically appealing than the Boilermakers.
9. Ohio State - 24 points
With the College Football Playoff Championship on the horizon next week, Buckeye fans can kick the can down the road for another week before remembering the basketball team exists.
Ever since Chris Holtmann took over, the Buckeyes have been a solid but un-exciting team to watch. This year’s team is much of the same. They slow the game down and beat teams up on the offensive glass and at the free-throw line, and without the star power of a guy like Kaleb Wesson, it’s just a collective bludgeoning with a solid rotation from top to bottom.
They’ll hover around the top 25 of the AP Poll all season and probably make the NCAA Tournament comfortably with a solid seed. However, they’re still slightly below the top tier of contenders. The Buckeyes are good but boring, and that’s perfectly okay.
8. Indiana - 26 points
This is the part where I disclose that I’m an Indiana fan at heart and generally do not have an enjoyable experience watching this team. They always seem to play up or down to their level of competition, and the inconsistency on the offensive end can be maddening to watch.
HOWEVER!
Trayce Jackson-Davis is an All-American caliber player that would be considered the best big in the conference if not for Luka Garza’s existence. He’s capable of highlight-reel blocks and dunks and can go through stretches where he can score at will in the paint even if the defense knows what’s coming. Armaan Franklin has been one of the best breakout sophomores in the conference, and the Hoosiers make up for their offensive woes with a stifling defense that is one of the best in the conference when it’s locked in.
The category in which Indiana gets a boost is the Minutiae category. The crimson road jerseys are, in my humble opinion, one of the best uniforms in the sport, and Assembly Hall is still easy on the viewer’s eyes. Jackson-Davis and aesthetics are reason enough to watch the Hoosiers.
7. Michigan State - 28 points
When I wrote this piece last year on a different blog, Michigan State was the runaway winner. The loss of Cassius Winston was a huge blow to not only how good the Spartans are this year, but also to how much fun they are to watch.
The Spartans have still been a big part of the national conversation, but much of the conversation has been centered around how underwhelming they’ve performed so far this season. The talent level just isn’t quite as strong as it’s been in past years for Tom Izzo. There are still some redeeming qualities though.
Sparty still pushes the tempo as well as any team in the conference, and over 70% of their field goals come off of an assist. Aaron Henry can still be one of the most versatile wings in the league, and Rocket Watts can be an entertaining Irrational Confidence guy for better or for worse.
Their rotation of uniforms is as deep as any in college basketball, and the home whites with the script font are as good as they come.
On top of all of that, there’s always the possibility of a Tom Izzo explosion on the sidelines rife with exasperated faces. Michigan State is this year’s box of chocolates: you never know what you’ll get on a given night.
6. Rutgers - 29 points
I don’t think the nation is ready for the reckoning that is the emergence of Rutgers basketball. A loss to Iowa on Saturday will go a long way in avoiding talking to your loved ones about the possibility of a Final Four contending Rutgers team. The times are truly unprecedented.
Ron Harper Jr. has established himself as one of the best pure bucket getters in college basketball carrying the torch for all of the Dad Bod Havers out there. There are only a handful of guys in college basketball that can score from anywhere on the court, and he’s one of them. Jacob Young has stepped up as a great facilitator, knock-down shooter, and is an absolute pest as an on-ball defender. Geo Baker is singlehandedly trying to keep the mid-range game alive.
Rutgers falls a little bit short in the Zeitgeist and Minutiae categories when compared to the other elite teams in the conference. They’re not quite the national draw as a team like Wisconsin or Michigan, and their uniforms aren’t anything to write home about. When it comes to the Watchability Index, the margins matter and the teams above them eke them out in other categories.
5. Wisconsin - 30 points
At the time of writing, Wisconsin is the highest-ranked team on KenPom at No. 4 overall. So theoretically, shouldn’t the “best” team also be the most watchable?
NO. Not when it’s Wisconsin.
Even though this the Badgers’ best squad since the 2015 team that made the National Championship, it’s still Wisconsin basketball. That means a slow, methodical approach with a roster that consists of guys that are mere months away from no longer being covered by their parents’ health insurance.
Nonetheless, the Badgers are ruthlessly efficient on both sides of the ball. All five of their starters are threats to score from behind the arc or in the post, and each of them scores in double figures. As a team, the Badgers are hitting over 40% of their threes, and even if there is some negative regression, a low turnover rate will still allow them to have one of the best offenses in the conference.
Their new player-designed alternate jerseys do a lot of heavy lifting in the Minutiae department, but that goodwill is unfortunately diminished every time Brad Davison does Brad Davison things.
4. Minnesota - 31 points
Two words: Marcus Carr.
The junior guard gives Ayo Dosunmu a run for his money as the best clutch guard in the Big Ten, and he already has one game-winner to his name this season against Loyola Marymount. He’s the engine for the fast-paced Gophers who’s capable of getting to the rim at will, creating for his teammates, or scoring from deep. He’s the total package as a point guard. He’s played like an All-American all season and might be as important to his team’s success as any player in the Big Ten.
As a team, the Gophers play faster than any other team in the conference, ranking 35th nationally in tempo. Their gameplan is simple: try to turn every game into a track meet and tell other teams to keep up if they can.
Richard Pitino is always a candidate for a meltdown on the sidelines, and it’s a shame that the masks are preventing us from getting a heavy dose of Kendall Roy (real Succession heads sound off) cosplay.
3. Michigan - 33 points
Don’t look now, but Michigan is the only undefeated team in the conference and has climbed into the top 10 of KenPom after a red-hot start to Big Ten play.
It’s only a matter of time before Hunter Dickinson is a household name. It took him five games, but Juwan Howard finally came to his senses and decided to unleash the rowdy lad by inserting him into the starting lineup at the start of Big Ten play. The result? A freshman center that’s averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting over 70% from the floor on the season and telling opponents that they can’t guard him. Extremely good shit.
With stalwarts like Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner, Juwan Howard has the Wolverines’ offense operating at a top 10 efficiency nationally for the first time since the 2016-17 season when John Beilein was still at the helm. Defensively, Michigan has been solid, but especially so inside the arc where opponents are shooting just 38.2%, which ranks 2nd nationally.
As far as Minutiae goes, Michigan’s pivot from Adidas to Jordan Brand did wonders. The old highlighter yellow uniforms were an absolute eyesore and replacing them with a clean, crisp home white uniform goes a long way for the viewing experience.
2. Illinois - 37 points
There are few—if any—players in college basketball that are more electric than Ayo Dosunmu. He’s one of the game’s biggest stars and nobody takes over a game like he does when his team needs a bucket. Here’s a list of players that have averaged at least 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists per game over the last 20 seasons:
Ayo Dosunmu.
That’s it. That’s the list. He’s putting together a historic season for a team with legitimate Final Four aspirations, and he just might be good enough to carry the Illini there by himself if he has to.
Kofi Cockburn is always a treasure to watch. It’s not very often that you get to see an Actual Mountain play basketball, and he impacts both ends of the floor by simply being Big As Hell. Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo have proven to be exciting freshman guards that are worthy of the hype. Giorgi Bezhanishvili is a solid bench big, and there’s always the added entertainment factor of hearing broadcasters trip over pronouncing his name.
The orange alternates are always a nice change of pace and Brad Underwood is an underrated college basketball Wet Guy in the coaching box. Illinois checks all the boxes for excitement: star power, fun style of play, and something exciting every game.
1. Iowa - 39 points
If a Watchability Index existed for all of college basketball, Iowa could very well rank at the top of that list too.
It obviously all starts with Luka Garza. The best player in college basketball lumbers all over the court giving out old man buckets to helpless defenders. Nobody looks like they’re working harder while simultaneously doing whatever the hell he wants on offense like Garza. He’s the most dominant offensive force in the sport since Jimmer.
Fran McCaffrey has unleashed his legion of Extremely Iowa Guys to the tune of the most efficient offense in college basketball. The Hawkeyes get up and down the floor bombing threes from all over the court when Garza isn’t feasting on fools in the paint. Joe Weiskamp scores at every level, Jordan Bohannon is STILL around as a great heat check guy when he gets it going, and CJ Fredrick can casually wait around to splash home open shots as he pleases. Who needs defense when you can simply outscore everyone (except for Gonzaga)?
Iowa’s jerseys are simple yet appealing, especially the script golds.
We haven’t gotten one yet, but nobody melts down better than Fran does on the sideline. He’s a ticking time bomb that’s always waiting to erupt.
Iowa is appointment viewing each and every night, and that’s why they’re rated higher than the rest of the league in the Watchability Index.
See you next Monday. Enjoy the hoops.
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