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Where Michigan basketball stands in 2024-25 preseason Big Ten media poll

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•10/02/24•

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Michigan Wolverines basketball big men Danny Wolf (Yale) and Vladislav Goldin (Florida Atlantic) both transferred in ahead of the 2024-25 season. (Photo courtesy Michigan basketball)
Michigan Wolverines basketball big men Danny Wolf (Yale) and Vladislav Goldin (Florida Atlantic) both transferred in ahead of the 2024-25 season. (Photo courtesy Michigan basketball)

Michigan Wolverines basketball has high hopes despite coming off an eight-win season and having a new head coach in Dusty May. But in the eighth-annual “unofficial official” media poll released by The Columbus Dispatch, the Maize and Blue were picked to finish ninth of 18 teams in the league. The poll surveyed 33 basketball writers across the Big Ten.

Michigan finished dead last in the Big Ten last season, going 8-24 before head coach Juwan Howard was fired following his fifth year at the helm.

Purdue was picked to win the conference, with 20 of a possible 33 first-place votes, followed by No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Michigan State, No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Rutgers and No. 8 Ohio State. Michigan checked in next, ahead of No. 10 Maryland, No. 11 Iowa, tied No. 12 Wisconsin, tied No. 12 Nebraska, No. 14 USC, No. 15 Washington, No. 16 Northwestern, No. 17 Penn State and No. 18 Minnesota.

Six teams received first-place votes, including Purdue, with Indiana (7), UCLA (2), Illinois (2), Michigan State (1) and Ohio State (1) all receiving at least one top tally.

May is one of four first-year coaches in the Big Ten, and Michigan was picked second among teams with new men at the top of the program. Ohio State (Jake Diebler) came in eighth, while USC (Eric Musselman) and Washington (Danny Sprinkle) were selected 14th and 15th, respectively.

Purdue guard Braden Smith was selected as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Rutgers’ Dylan Harper was chosen as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. While Indiana big man Oumar Ballo, an Arizona import, was listed as the Big Ten Transfer of the Year, Michigan graduate center Vladislav Goldin, who followed May from Florida Atlantic, received three votes in that category.

Michigan didn’t have any players on the first or second team preseason All-Big Ten lists.

First team: Braden Smith, Purdue (64)Payton Sandford, Iowa (48)Oumar Ballo, Indiana (47)Bruce Thornton, Ohio State (34)Dylan Harper, Rutgers (32)

Second team: Jackson Shelstad, Oregon (30)Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State (26)Great Osobor, Washington (26)Ace Bailey, Rutgers (25)Dawson Garcia, Minnesota (23)

Goldin received 11 votes for preseason All-Big Ten, the only Michigan player to rack up any votes.

Here’s a look at how Michigan has finished relative to its preseason placement.

SeasonPreseason Big Ten RankPostseason PlacementRecord (Conf. Record)
2023-2411th14th8-24 (3-17)
2022-233rdT-5th18-16 (11-9)
2021-221T-719-15 (11-9)
2020-216123-5 (14-3)
2019-205919-12 (10-10)
2018-192330-7 (15-5)
2017-18T-5T-433-8 (13-5)

Big Ten basketball preseason media poll

1. Purdue, 572 points (20 first-place votes)
2. Indiana, 549 (7)
3. UCLA, 510 (2)
4. Illinois, 458 (2)
5. Michigan State, 448 (1)
6. Oregon, 412
7. Rutgers, 391
8. Ohio State, 369 (1)
9. Michigan, 342
10. Maryland, 263
11. Iowa, 249
T-12. Wisconsin, 212
T-12 Nebraska, 212
14. USC, 196
15. Washington, 158
16. Northwestern, 153
17. Penn State, 87
18. Minnesota, 62

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