2021–22 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season

The 2021–22 Big Ten men's basketball season was the season for Big Ten Conference basketball teams that began with practices in October 2021, followed by the start of the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November 2021. The regular season ended in March 2022.

With a win over Purdue on March 1, 2022, Wisconsin clinched at least a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. Illinois clinched a share of the regular season titled on March 6 when Wisconsin lost its final game to Nebraska and the Illini held on to beat Iowa. It marked the first conference championship for Illinois since 2005.

The Big Ten tournament was held March 9 through March 13, 2022 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Iowa won the tournament, defeating Purdue in the championship game.

Wisconsin forward Johnny Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Year. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

In addition to Iowa, who received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the conference's tied the previous year's record with nine teams receiving bids to the tournament: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.

Head coaches

Coaching changes

Indiana On March 15, 2021, Indiana fired Archie Miller after four years as head basketball coach. Two weeks later, the school named former Indiana player and New York Knicks assistant Mike Woodson as the new head coach.

Minnesota Following the season, Minnesota fired head coach Richard Pitino after eight years at the school. On March 23, the school named Minnesota alum and former Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson the new head coach.

Penn State Shortly before the start of the 2020–21 season, Penn State head coach Pat Chambers resigned due to allegations of inappropriate conduct. The school named assistant coach Jim Ferry interim coach. Following the season, the school hired Purdue assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry as the new head coach.

Maryland On December 3, 2021, Maryland and Mark Turgeon agreed to part ways effective immediately. Assistant coach Danny Manning was named interim coach.

Coaches Team Head coach Previous job Years at school Overall record Big Ten record Big Ten titles Big Ten tournament titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA ChampionshipsIllinois Oklahoma State5 0 1 1 0 0Indiana Mike Woodson 1 0 0 0 0 0Iowa Fran McCaffery Siena12 0 0 5 0 0Maryland (interim) (Asst.)11/1* 1 0 5 0 0Michigan Juwan Howard Miami Heat (Asst.)3 1 0 1 0 0Michigan State Tom Izzo 27 10 6 23 8 1Minnesota Ben Johnson Xavier (Asst.)1 0 0 0 0 0Nebraska Fred Hoiberg Chicago Bulls3 0 0 0 0 0Northwestern Chris Collins 9 0 0 1 0 0Ohio State Butler 5 0 0 3 0 0Penn State Purdue (Asst.) 1 0 0 0 0 0Purdue Matt Painter 17 3 1 12 0 0Rutgers Steve Pikiell Stony Brook 6 0 0 1 0 0Wisconsin Greg Gard 7 1 0 4 0 0 Notes: All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only. Year at school includes 2021–22 season. Overall and Big Ten records are from time at current school only and are through the beginning of the season. Turgeon's ACC conference record excluded since Maryland began Big Ten Conference play in 2014–15. Turgeon left Maryland on December 3, 2021. Source:

Preseason

Preseason Big Ten poll Prior to the conference's annual media day, unofficial awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of writers. RankTeam1Michigan (13)2 Purdue (12)3Illinois (3)4Ohio State5Maryland6Michigan State7Indiana8Rutgers9Iowa10Wisconsin11Nebraska12T Northwestern12TPenn State14Minnesota(first place votes) Preseason All-Big Ten Prior to the conference's annual media day, unofficial awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of writers. Honor Recipient Preseason Player of the Year Kofi Cockburn, Illinois Preseason All-Big Ten Team Kofi Cockburn, Illinois Hunter Dickinson, Michigan Jaden Ivey, Purdue EJ Liddell, Ohio State Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana Preseason Freshman of the Year Caleb Houstan, Michigan

Preseason watchlists Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists. WoodenNaismithRobertsonCousyWestErvingMaloneAbdul-JabbarEric Ayala, MarylandEli Brooks, MichiganKofi Cockburn, IllinoisAndre Curbelo, IllinoisHunter Dickinson, MichiganZach Edey, PurdueRon Harper Jr., RutgersCaleb Houstan, MichiganJaden Ivey, PurdueTrayce Jackson-Davis, IndianaDeVante' Jones, MichiganEJ Liddell, Ohio StateDonta Scott, MarylandJustice Sueing, Ohio StateTrevion Williams, PurdueQudus Wahab, Maryland

Preseason national polls

AP AthlonSports Blue RibbonYearbook CBS Sports Coaches ESPN Lindy'sSports Sporting NewsIllinois 11 15 18 7 10 13 20 3Indiana RV 23 RV Iowa Maryland 21 19 22 22 21 20 22Michigan 6 5 6 5 6 8 3 9Michigan State RV 24 21 RV 22 21Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern Ohio State 17 14 20 18 17 19 17 16Penn State Purdue 7 11 9 2 7 6 5 5Rutgers RV RV Wisconsin

Regular season

2021 ACC–Big Ten Challenge Big Ten 8–6 DateTimeACC teamB1G teamScoreLocationTelevisionAttendanceChallengeleader Nov 29 7:00 p.m. 74–75 John Paul Jones Arena • Charlottesville, Virginia ESPN2 13,542 B1G 1–0 9:00 p.m. 72–82 State Farm Center • Champaign, Illinois 14,907 B1G 2–0 Nov 30 7:00 p.m. 112–1102OT Carrier Dome • Syracuse, New York ESPN2 21,330 B1G 2–1 53–54 Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ESPNU 7,736 B1G 3–1 7:30 p.m. 65–93 Mackey Arena • West Lafayette, Indiana ESPN 14,804 B1G 4–1 9:00 p.m. 64–74 Jersey Mike's Arena • Piscataway, New Jersey ESPN2 8,050 B1G 5–1 77–73 OT LJVM Coliseum • Winston-Salem, North Carolina ESPNU 3,711 B1G 5–2 9:30 p.m. 66–71 Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio ESPN 18,809 B1G 6–2 Dec 1 7:15 p.m. 64–73 Breslin Center • East Lansing, Michigan ESPN 14,797 B1G 7–2 62–58 Xfinity Center • College Park, Maryland ESPN2 15,988 B1G 7–3 104–1004OT PNC Arena • Raleigh, North Carolina ESPNU 19,722 B1G 7–4 9:15 p.m. 72–51 Dean Smith Center • Chapel Hill, North Carolina ESPN 19,938 B1G 7–5 63–58 Bryce Jordan Center • University Park, Pennsylvania ESPNU 8,221 B1G 7–6 66–70 McCamish Pavilion • Atlanta, Georgia ESPN2 6,302 B1G 8–6 Winners are in boldGame times in ESTBoston College did not play due to the ACC having one more team than the B1G.

Source:

2021 Gavitt Tipoff Games (Big East 6–2) DateTimeBig East teamBig Ten teamScoreLocationTelevisionAttendanceLeader Mon., Nov. 15 Marquette No. 10 Illinois 67–66 Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, WI FS1 14,631 Providence Wisconsin 63–58 Kohl Center • Madison, WI FS1 15,773 Tue., Nov. 16 Creighton Nebraska 77–69 Pinnacle Bank Arena • Lincoln, NE FS1 15,939 Seton Hall No. 4 Michigan67–65 Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, MI FS1 12,536 Butler Michigan State 73–52 Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, IN FS1 9,100 St. John's Indiana 76–74 Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, IN FS1 17,222 Thu., Nov. 18 Xavier No. 19 Ohio State 71–65 Cintas Center • Cincinnati, OH FS1 10,379 DePaul Rutgers 73–70 Wintrust Arena • Chicago, IL FS1 2,844 WINNERS ARE IN BOLD. Game Times in EST. Rankings from AP Poll.Did not participate: Connecticut, Georgetown, Villanova (Big East); Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue (Big Ten)

Rankings

+ Legend     Improvement in ranking   Drop in ranking   Not ranked previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll (Italics) Number of first place votes

  Pre/Wk 1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 Wk15 Wk16 Wk17 Wk18 Wk19 FinalIllinois AP 11 10 14 RV RVRV RV RV RV 25 17 24 18 13 12 15 20 16 19 *C 10 10 15 RV RV RV RV RV RV 24 17 21 18 13 12 14 17 15 16т 19Indiana AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV *C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV Iowa AP RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 24 24 16 *C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 25т 23 19 21Maryland AP 21 20 RV *C 21 21 RV Michigan AP 6 4 20 24 RV RV RV RV *C 6 6 13 24 RV NR RV RV 25Michigan State AP RV RV RV 22 19 12 11 10 10 10 14 1013 17 19 RV RV RV *C RV RV RV 22 20 12 10 10 10 9 13 10 13 17 19 24 25т RV RV RVMinnesota AP RV RV RV RV *C RV RV RV RV RV Nebraska AP *C Northwestern AP *C Ohio State AP 17 19 RV RV 21 15 14 13 13 16 19 16 16 16 18 22 23 RV RV *C 17 17 RV RV 22 15 13 12 12 15 18 16 16 16 18 19 23 25 RV RVPenn State AP *C Purdue AP 7 6 3 2 (9) 1 (61) 3 3 3 3 7 4 6 4 3 5 4 8 9т 10 *C 7 7 4 2 (10) 1 (29) 3 3 3 3 5 4 6 3 3 7 7 9 9 9 10Rutgers AP RV RV RV RV *C RV RV RV RV RVWisconsin AP 23 22 RV 24 24 23 13 8 11 11 14 15 13 10 12 14 *C 21 17 RV 24 23 23 13 8 11 11 14 16 12 10 12 14 18 AP does not release a post-tournament poll.

Early season tournaments Of the 14 Big Ten teams, 10 participated in early season tournaments. All Big Ten teams participated in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge against Atlantic Coast Conference teams, the 21st year for the event. Eight teams participated in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Team Tournament Finish IllinoisHall of Fame Classic3rdMarylandBaha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship2ndMichiganRoman Main Event2ndMichigan StateBattle 4 Atlantis2ndMinnesotaAsheville Championship1stNorthwesternLegends Classic3rdOhio StateFort Myers Tip-Off2ndPenn StateEmerald Coast Classic3rdPurdueHall of Fame Tip Off1stWisconsinMaui Invitational Tournament1st

Players of the week Throughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices named one or two players of the week and one or two freshmen of the week each Monday. Week Player of the week Freshman of the weekNovember 15, 2021Trayce Jackson-Davis, IndianaBryce McGowens, NebraskaNovember 22, 2021Keegan Murray, Iowa Caleb Furst, PurdueTrevion Williams, PurdueNovember 29, 2021Johnny Davis, WisconsinBryce McGowens (2), NebraskaDecember 6, 2021Brad Davison, WisconsinMax Christie, Michigan StatePayton Willis, MinnesotaChucky Hepburn, WisconsinDecember 13, 2021E. J. Liddell, Ohio State Max Christie (2), Michigan StateTrevion Williams (2), PurdueDecember 20, 2021 Keegan Murray (2), IowaKobe Bufkin, MichiganBryce McGowens (3), NebraskaDecember 27, 2021Kofi Cockburn, IllinoisMax Christie (3), Michigan StateJanuary 3, 2022Keegan Murray (3), IowaMalaki Branham, Ohio StateJanuary 10, 2022Kofi Cockburn (2), IllinoisMax Christie (4), Michigan StateJohnny Davis (2), WisconsinMalaki Branham (2), Ohio StateJanuary 17, 2022Trent Frazier, IllinoisMax Christie (5), Michigan StateJanuary 24, 2022Payton Willis, Minnesota Caleb Houstan, MichiganHunter Dickinson, MichiganJanuary 31, 2022Jaden Ivey, PurdueBryce McGowens (4), NebraskaFebruary 7, 2022Kofi Cockburn (3), IllinoisBryce McGowens (5), NebraskaFebruary 14, 2022Geo Baker, Rutgers Byrce McGowens (6), NebraskaKeegan Murray (4), IowaFebruary 21, 2022Johnny Davis (3), WisconsinBryce McGowens (7), NebraskaFebruary 28, 2022Keegan Murray (5), IowaMalaki Branham (3), Ohio StateMarch 7, 2022Keegan Murray (6), Iowa Byrce McGowens (8), NebraskaAlonzo Verge Jr., Nebraska

Conference matrix This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. Each team will play 20 conference games, and at least one game against each opponent.

Illinois Indiana Iowa Maryland Michigan Michigan St Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern Ohio St Penn St Purdue Rutgers Wisconsin vs. Illinois – 0–1 0–2 1–1 0–20–20–1 0–1 0–2 1–0 0–12–0 1–1 0–1 vs. Indiana 1–0 – 1–0 0–2 1–01–00–2 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–11–1 1–0 2–0 vs. Iowa 2–00–1 – 0–21–1 0–1 0–20–20–10–1 1–1 2–01–0 1–0 vs. Maryland 1–1 2–0 2–0 – 1–0 2–00–1 0–1 1–11–10–11–01–11–0 vs. Michigan 2–00–11–1 0–1 – 1–11–0 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–11–0 vs. Michigan St 2–0 0–11–00–21–1 – 0–2 0–1 1–1 1–01–1 0–11–0 1–1 vs. Minnesota 1–02–02–01–00–1 2–0 – 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–11–00–12–0 vs. Nebraska 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–01–00–1 – 2–01–10–21–02–01–1 vs. Northwestern 2–01–11–01–11–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 – 1–02–02–00–11–0 vs. Ohio State 0–1 1–11–01–11–10–10–21–10–1 – 0–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 vs. Penn State 1–01–11–11–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–10–2 2–0 – 1–01–11–0 vs. Purdue 0–21–1 0–2 0–01–11–0 0–1 0–10–2 0–1 0–1 – 1–1 2–0 vs. Rutgers 1–1 0–1 0–11–11–10–11–00–21–00–11–01–1 – 1–1 vs. Wisconsin 1–00–20–10–20–11–10–21–10–1 1–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 – Total 15–59–1112–87–1311–911–94–164–167–1312–87–1314–612–815–5)