Previously: Part One (Illinois-Minnesota)

Today's post will cover the back half of the Big Ten and next week I'll post a part three that (finally) ranks the league by current roster outlook. Let's get this going before anyone else moves.

Nebraska

Key departures: W Teddy Allen (left team during season, transfer), F Yvan Ouedraogo (Grand Canyon transfer), G Elijah Wood (transfer), W Akol Arop (transfer)
Key additions/super seniors: G Kobe Webster (super senior), W Keon Edwards (DePaul transfer), W CJ Wilcher (Xavier transfer), G Keisei Tominaga (JuCo transfer), 5* W Bryce McGowens (2021 signee), 4* F Wilhelm Breidenbach (2021 signee), 3* C Oleg Kojenets (2021 signee)
Up in the air: F Thorir Thorbjarnarson (possible super senior), F Shameil Stevenson (considering pros)

Color me shocked, there's a lot of transfer action in a Fred Hoiberg program. While that reflected a poor Nebrasketball program the last couple years, however, this offseason shows some promise for the Huskers.

Hoiberg did a good job of holding the roster together after leading scorer Teddy Allen left the program midway through the season. The only other rotation player to leave is backup big Yvan Ouedraogo, while the other players who've transferred or are considering their futures either didn't play significant minutes or are fringe Big Ten talents. Starting guard Kobe Webster, a good outside shooter, decided to use the COVID exemption for an extra senior year.

Meanwhile, the players coming in look like they'll move the program forward. Hoiberg isn't shying away from heaping expectations on freshman wing Bryce McGowens, the #22 overall player in the 2021 class—easily the highest-ranked signee in Huskers history—and younger brother of senior guard Trey McGowens:

"I believe that signing Bryce changes the whole trajectory of our program." Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He is the centerpiece of what I believe is the strongest class that Nebraska basketball has ever signed. Since I've been here, we have talked about building a program that can have sustained success, and adding a player of Bryce's caliber shows that we building something special here. It shows that Nebraska can compete for some of the top players in the country. It also says a lot about the type of person that Bryce is. He wanted to go to a place where he can create a legacy and help Nebraska basketball reach new heights.

He's on the skinny side and his outside shot is reportedly streaky but he has the look of a high-level scorer from day one. Top-100 big man Wilhelm Breidenbach is merely the third-highest ranked signee in program history; at 6'9, 200 pounds, his lack of bulk may matter more than McGowens' because of their respective positions.

DePaul transfer Keon Edwards is, in effect, another top-100 commit. The lanky 6'7 wing was ranked in the 40-80 range depending on the evaluator after he gave up his senior season of high school to reclassify to 2020 and enroll in December. Edwards played only a handful of minutes over five games as a freshman. The Huskers say he'll have four years of eligibility and he had some high-level programs after him as a transfer, including Alabama and Florida State.

Xavier transfer CJ Wilcher is in a similar position. The #113 prospect in the 2020 class rode the pine for most of the season before emerging as a useful rotation player and even a spot starter on the wing in its final month. He, too, will have four years of eligibility. While limited as an athlete, he was touted as one of the better shooters in his class.

Speaking of shooters, top-ten JuCo transfer Keisei Tominaga is touted as "the Japanese Steph Curry" after shooting 48% from downtown for Ranger (TX) College, which is coached by Billy Gillespie(!). His range and quick release are evident on film and he should at the very least be a fun player to track.

[Hit THE JUMP for teams with a bit less change except for... Wisconsin?]

Northwestern

Miller Kopp is now a Hoosier [Campredon]

Key departures: W Miller Kopp (Indiana transfer), W Anthony Gaines (Siena transfer)
Key additions: F Elyjah Williams (Fairleigh Dickinson grad transfer), 4* G Casey Simmons (2021 signee), 3* W Brooks Barnhizer (2021 signee), 3* G Julian Roper (2021 signee)

Chris Collins landed the #100 overall 2021 prospect in guard Casey Simmons and two three-stars ranked one spot apart at #152 and #153. (Brooks Barnhizer is a five-star "most Northwestern basketball name" prospect, however.)  Fairleigh Dickinson grad transfer Elyjah Williams put up good numbers as, effectively, a 6'7 big man against lower-level competition, though he's flashed enough of an outside shot that his game could translate to the Big Ten as a power forward.

Otherwise, this is the same team that lost 13 consecutive Big Ten games between their six conference wins last season, except without starting wing Miller Kopp (Indiana) and backup wing Anthony Gaines (Siena), the team's top defensive specialist. Kopp may have disappointed last year but if his absence means another year of heavy offensive burdens for Chase Audige and Boo Buie it's difficult to see Northwestern faring much better without him.

Ohio State

EJ Liddell (32) and Duane Washington Jr. (4) are both testing the draft [Campredon]

Key departures: PG CJ Walker (draft w/ agent), W Musa Jallow (transfer)
Key additions/super seniors: F Kyle Young (super senior), PG Jimmy Sotos (super senior), G Jamari Wheeler (Penn State grad transfer), F Joey Brunk (Indiana transfer), 4* G Malaki Branham (2021 signee), 3* F Kalen Etzler (2021 signee)
Up in the air: F EJ Liddell (draft w/o agent), G Duane Washington Jr. (draft w/o agent), F Seth Towns (possible super senior, appears it's assumed he's coming back)

While Ohio State has to wait out the draft process for at least a little while, they're likely to have one of the better rosters in the conference so long as stars EJ Liddell and Duane Washington Jr. withdraw, which seems the most likely outcome. Neither player would be a lock to be selected if they stayed in the draft.

Chris Holtmann swiped guard Jamari Wheeler, one of the league's best perimeter defenders, from Penn State for his final year of eligibility, as well as Indiana backup big man Joey Brunk. Wheeler has quietly improved his offense from bad to average over the last couple years and should be a valuable rotation piece or starter depending on how the point guard position shakes out (Washington could start as the lead guard without a true point in the lineup, especially with wing Justice Sueing providing capable playmaking).

While point guard CJ Walker declined an extra year to start his professional career, backup Jimmy Sotos took his and will have  a chance to play a bigger role after recovering from in-season shoulder surgery. More importantly, Kyle Young decided to take his extra year—he was an ideal complement to Liddell in the frontcourt last season. While I haven't seen an official announcement or article mentioning a decision by super senior Seth Towns, it appears assumed he's coming back, too.

Top-40 2021 guard Malaki Branham should add some instant scoring punch. If Liddell and Washington return, and perhaps even if they only get one of the two back, the Buckeyes should be one of the better teams in the conference.

Penn State

if John Harrar hadn't withdrawn from the portal this would be brutal [Campredon]

Key departures: G Jamari Wheeler (Ohio State transfer), G Myreon Jones (Florida transfer), W Izaiah Brockington (transfer), F Trent Buttrick (UMass transfer), W Patrick Kelly (Fordham transfer), interim head coach Jim Ferry
Key additions/super seniors: F John Harrar (super senior/withdrew from portal), head coach Micah Shrewsberry

As mentioned above, PSU lost a potential key returnee when Wheeler defected to Columbus. Leading scorer Myreon Jones and backup big Trent Buttrick also transferred out, then starting wing and #2 scorer Izaiah Brockington entered the portal yesterday. 

First-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry, who most recently has two stints as a Purdue assistant sandwiched around five years in the same role with the Boston Celtics, is in a tough spot even after convincing senior starting center John Harrar to remove his name from the transfer portal. The 2021 class, well...

...it doesn't exist. There aren't any incoming transfers at the moment, either.

This roster should change quite a bit in the upcoming weeks and months. For now, it's a much lesser version of last year's team, and it's going to take some deft maneuvering to stay out of the conference basement. 

Purdue

if Trevion Williams withdraws from the draft, Purdue looks like a contender [Campredon]

Key departures: W Aaron Wheeler (St. John's transfer)
Key additions: 4* F Trey Kaufman (2021 signee), 4* F Caleb Furst (2021 signee)
Up in the air: C Trevion Williams (draft w/o agent)

Trevion Williams isn't a major NBA prospect and is a good bet to return to West Lafayette. If that happens, Purdue will have every rotation players back except wing Aaron Wheeler, who transferred to St. John's after two years of painful shooting struggles followed a promising debut campaign. With a pair of four-star freshman incoming, Matt Painter did more than enough to cover for Wheeler's absence.

Those two freshmen are potential immediate contributors: Trey Kaufman and Caleb Furst are the third- and sixth-best prospects to commit to Painter, respectively, ranking #34 and #56 overall on the 247 Composite. Both are listed at 6'8 and around 215 pounds; both have the profiles of high-floor, multi-year college contributors.

After a surprise run to a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and four-seed in the NCAAs, Purdue is going to get a ton of preseason love as a conference favorite. If Williams is back in the fold and Jaden Ivey plays like he did down the stretch, they could be a legit top-ten team.

Rutgers

farewell, sweet disaster prince [Campredon]

Key departures: C Myles Johnson (UCLA grad transfer), W Montez Mathis (St. John's transfer), G Jacob Young (transfer), C Mamadou Doucoure (La Salle transfer)
Key additions: 3* PG Jalen Miller (2021 signee)
Up in the air: F Ron Harper Jr. (draft w/o agent), G Geo Baker (draft w/o agent)

Damn.

After finally reaching the NCAA Tournament, Rutgers experienced... an exodus? Three major contributors, including standout center Myles Johnson and blog favorite Jacob Young, are among those transferring out. They could lose two more if Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker choose to stay in the draft.

Meanwhile, their lone 2021 signee is ranked outside the top 200. Even if Harper and Baker come back, Steve Pikiell needs a transfer or two to bolster depth and raise the talent level.

Wisconsin

from the 2019-20 season with some Chaundee Brown cameos

Key departures: PG D'Mitrik Trice (draft/declined fifth year), C Micah Potter (draft/declined fifth year), C Nate Reuvers (draft/declined fifth year), F Aleem Ford (draft/declined fifth year), PG Trevor Anderson (Valparaiso transfer), C Joe Hedstrom (transfer)
Key additions/super seniors: G Brad Davison (super senior), G Jahcobi Neath (Wake Forest transfer), G Isaac Lindsay (UNLV transfer as preferred walk-on), 3* PG Chucky Hepburn (2021 signee), 3* F Matthew Mors (2021 signee), 3* F Chris Hodges (2021 signee), 3* F Marcus Ilver (2021 signee)

Zombie Wisconsin did not come to pass. Only one of the team's six scholarship seniors announced a return.

That exception is Brad Davison. Of course. Maybe this year he'll accomplish the Sisyphean task of making a layup without elbowing an opponent in the face.

Wisconsin also returns promising sophomore forward Jonathan Davis, classic Badger try-hard Tyler Wahl, and a couple large dudes who didn't play real minutes as freshmen last year. That's it. The recruiting class is comprised of three-stars. Wake Forest transfer Jahcobi Neath had major shooting and turnover problems on his way to a paltry 78 O-Rating in 2020-21.

This is another program in need of at least one more impact transfer to feel good about where they stand heading into next season.