2025–26 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season

The 2025–26 Big Ten men's basketball season is for the Big Ten Conference in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The teams began practicing in October 2025, and started the season in November 2025. The regular season concluded on March 8, 2026.

Purdue was the preseason AP and Coaches Poll No. 1 ranked team for the first time in school history.

On February 24, 2026, Michigan clinched at least a share of the regular season championship with a win against Minnesota. On February 27, Michigan secured the outright Big Ten title against Illinois on the road. It was the Wolverines first regular season championship since 2021. Michigan finished the regular season with a 19–1 record in the conference, setting a Big Ten record for the most wins while surpassing the 1974–75 and 1975–76 Indiana Hoosiers (18–0).

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg was named Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Michigan's head coach Dusty May (media) and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg (coaches) were named the co-Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year.

The Big Ten tournament was held from March 10 through March 15 at United Center in Chicago. Purdue defeated the defending champions, Michigan, to win the tournament.

Purdue received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In addition, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, UCLA, and Wisconsin received at-large bids to the tournament. Through the Sweet Sixteen, the Big Ten had a combined 17–5 record and advanced four teams to the Elite Eight; Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Purdue. The SEC in 2025 is the only other conference in NCAA tournament history to do so. Illinois won the South Region, and Michigan won the Midwest Region, as the Big Ten advanced two teams to the Final Four for the fourth time since 2000. Michigan advanced to the national championship game, defeating UConn to win the Big Ten's first national title since Michigan State in 2000.

Head coaches Coaching changes Indiana On February 8, 2025, the school announced that head coach Mike Woodson would not return as head coach. On March 18, the school named West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries the team's new head coach.

Iowa On March 14, 2025, the school fired head coach Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons. He finished with a 297–207 overall record with Iowa. On March 24, the school named Drake head coach Ben McCollum the team's new coach.

Maryland Following the season, head coach Kevin Willard left the team to take the head coaching position at Villanova. On April 1, the school named Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams the team's new head coach.

Minnesota On March 13, 2025, the school fired head coach Ben Johnson. On March 24, the school named Colorado State head coach Niko Medved the team's new coach.

Coaches TeamHead coachPrevious jobYears at schoolOverall recordBig Ten recordBig Ten titlesBig Ten tournament titlesNCAA TournamentsNCAA Final FoursNCAA ChampionshipsIllinoisOklahoma State912500IndianaDarian DeVriesWest Virginia100000IowaBen McCollumDrake100000Maryland100000MichiganDusty MayFlorida Atlantic201100Michigan StateTom Izzo311162781MinnesotaNiko MedvedColorado State100000NebraskaFred HoibergChicago Bulls700100NorthwesternChris Collins1300300Ohio StateJake Diebler300000OregonDana AltmanCreighton1600910Penn StateMike RhoadesVCU300000PurdueMatt Painter21521510RutgersSteve PikiellStony Brook1000200UCLAMick CroninCincinnati700410USCEric MusselmanArkansas200000WashingtonDanny SprinkleUtah State200000WisconsinGreg Gard1120700 Notes:

All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time as head coach with current school only. Year at school includes 2025–26 season. Overall and Big Ten records are from time as head coach at current school only and are through the beginning of the season.

Preseason Preseason Big Ten poll The Big Ten Media poll was released on October 7, 2025.

RankTeam1Purdue2Michigan 3UCLA4Illinois5Oregon6Michigan State7Wisconsin8Iowa 9Ohio State10Indiana11Washington12USC13Maryland14Nebraska15Northwestern16Minnesota17Rutgers18Penn State

Preseason All-Big Ten A select media panel named a preseason All-Big Ten team and player of the year.

Honor RecipientPreseason Player of the YearBraden Smith, PurduePreseason All-Big Ten TeamBennett Stirtz, IowaYaxel Lendeborg, MichiganNick Martinelli, NorthwesternBruce Thornton, Ohio StateNate Bittle, OregonJackson Shelstad, OregonTrey Kaufman-Renn, PurdueBraden Smith, PurdueDonovan Dent, UCLAJohn Blackwell, Wisconsin Preseason national polls

AP Blue RibbonYearbook CBS Sports Coaches ESPN FOX Sports Lindy'sSports Sporting NewsSports IllustratedIllinois 17 20 24 14 16 20 23 1315Indiana Iowa 31 25Maryland Michigan 7 9 8 7 8 6 4 11 11Michigan State 22 16 21 27 18 25 22Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern Ohio State 38 Oregon 25 17 30Penn State Purdue 1 2 4 1 1 1 2 2 5Rutgers UCLA 12 12 10 12 15 12 16 10 19USC 30 Washington Wisconsin 24 21 26 24 20 21 33 18 23

Preseason watchlists Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.

PlayerWoodenNaismithNaismith DPOYRobertsonCousyWestErvingMaloneAbdul-JabbarChad Baker-Mazara, USCTyler Bilodeau, UCLANate Bittle, OregonJohn Blackwell, WisconsinKylan Boswell, IllinoisElliot Cadeau, MichiganCoen Carr, Michigan StateOscar Cluff, PurdueEric Dailey Jr., UCLADonovan Dent, UCLATucker DeVries, IndianaAlvaro Folgueiras, IowaTomislav Ivišić, IllinoisTrey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Yaxel Lendeborg, MichiganFletcher Loyer, PurdueAday Mara, MichiganRienk Mast, NebraskaNick Martinelli, NorthwesternRodney Rice, USCDevin Royal, Ohio StateJackson Shelstad, OregonBraden Smith, PurdueBennett Stirtz, IowaAndrej Stojaković, IllinoisBruce Thornton, Ohio StateWesley Yates III, Washington

Preseason All-American teams PlayerAPCBSUSA TodaySports IllustratedSB NationSporting NewsBraden Smith, Purdue1st team1st team1st team1st team1st team1st teamYaxel Lendeborg , Michigan1st team2nd team2nd team2nd team1st team2nd teamTrey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue1st team2nd team2nd team3rd teamDonovan Dent, UCLA1st team2nd team1st team2nd teamBennett Stirtz, Iowa2nd team2nd team3rd team

Regular season 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 Wk20 FinalIllinois AP17148131413182020*1613119581010119135C1414814151318191916131110671011119125Indiana AP RVRVRV2522RVRVRVRV*RVCRV252419TRVRVRVRVIowa AP RVRVRVRVRVRVRV2525*19RVRVRVRVRVRV15CRVRVRVRV25232523231923RV25RV25RVRV19Maryland AP*CMichigan AP76773 (15)2 (19)2 (15)2 (19)2 (19)*2 (29)433221 (60)333 (1)31 (57)C75662 (6)1 (17)1 (16)1 (20)1 (20)1 (24)3 (1)2222 (1)1 (31)33331 (31)Michigan State AP2217171179999*121210710101513881111C2117181289999131210810101513881111Minnesota AP*C Nebraska APRVRV23151313*10875979129111514CRVRV22151313111075989109101414Northwestern AP*C Ohio State AP RVRVRVRV*RVRVRVRVCRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVOregon AP RVRVRVRV*CRVRVRVRVPenn State AP*C Purdue AP1 (35)2 (36)1 (44)1 (46)1 (40)6655*55412121378151886C1 (18)1 (21)1 (20)1 (23)1 (21)6656554121212781418137Rutgers AP*CUCLA AP12151918RV25RVRVRV*RVRVRVRVC12152019RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVUSC APRVRVRVRV242424*RVRVCRVRVRVRVRVRVRV25RVRVRV Washington AP RV*CRV Wisconsin AP242423RVRVRVRV*RVRVRVRV24RVRV231925C242221RVRVRVRVRVRV25RVRV232025 *AP did not release a week 9 poll.

Players of the week Throughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices will name one or two players of the week and one or two freshmen of the week each Monday. Week Date Player of the week School Freshman of the week School1November 10, 2025Tucker DeVriesIndianaDavid MirkovićIllinoisBruce ThorntonOhio State2November 17, 2025Braden SmithPurdueDavid Mirkovic (2)3November 24, 2025Diggy CoitMarylandBraden FragerNebraska4December 1, 2025Yaxel LendeborgMichiganKayden MingoPenn State5December 8, 2025John BlackwellWisconsinHannes SteinbachWashington6December 15, 2025Pryce Sandfort NebraskaKeaton WaglerIllinoisLamar WilkersonIndiana7December 22, 2025Skyy ClarkUCLABraden Frager (2)NebraskaTariq FrancisRutgers8December 29, 2025Not Awarded9January 5, 2026Morez Johnson Jr.MichiganKeaton Wagler (2)IllinoisBraden Smith (2)PurdueHannes Steinbach (2)Washington10January 12, 2026Nick BoydWisconsinKeaton Wagler (3)IllinoisBraden Smith (3)Purdue11January 19, 2026Diggy Coit (2)MarylandBraden Frager (3)NebraskaJohn Blackwell (2)Wisconsin12January 26, 2026Jeremy Fears Jr.Michigan StateKeaton Wagler (4)IllinoisKeaton WaglerIllinois13February 2, 2026Bennett StirtzIowaKeaton Wagler (5)Jeremy Fears Jr. (2)Michigan State14February 9, 2026Lamar Wilkerson (2)IndianaAlijah ArenasUSCBennett Stirtz (2)Iowa15February 16, 2026Nick Boyd (2)WisconsinKeaton Wagler (6)Illinois16February 23, 2026Bruce Thornton (2)Ohio State Andre MillsMaryland17March 2, 2026Pryce Sandfort (2)NebraskaHannes Steinbach (3)WashingtonNick MartinelliNorthwestern18March 9, 2026Bruce Thornton (3)Ohio State Hannes Steinbach (4)Washington

Early season tournaments Of the 18 Big Ten teams, 11 participated in early season bracketed tournaments. TeamTournamentFinishIowaAcrisure Series (Classic)1stMarylandPlayers Era FestivalLost consolation gameMichiganPlayers Era Festival1stMinnesotaAcrisure Series (Invitational)4thNebraskaHall of Fame Classic 1stOregonPlayers Era FestivalLost consolation gamePurdueBahamas Championship 1stRutgersPlayers Era FestivalWon consolation gameUSCMaui Invitational1stWashingtonAcrisure Series (Holiday Classic)2ndWisconsinRady Children's Invitational2nd

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

vs. Illinois – 0–10–1 0–2 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–10–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 vs. Indiana 1–0 –1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–11–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 vs. Iowa 1–0 0–1– 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–02–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 vs. Maryland 2–0 1–01–1 – 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–11–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 vs. Michigan 0–1 0–10–1 0–1 – 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–2 0–1 0–20–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0– 1–0 vs. Michigan St 0–1 0–20–1 0–1 2–0 – 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–10–1 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 vs. Minnesota 1–0 1–10–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 – 1–0 0–2 1–0 0–1 1–01–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 vs. Nebraska 1–1 0–11–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 – 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–11–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 vs. Northwestern 2–0 0–11–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 – 1–0 0–1 0–11–0 1–0 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 vs. Ohio State 1–0 0–11–0 0–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 – 0–1 0–20–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 vs. Oregon 1–0 1–01–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 – 0–11–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–1 vs. Penn State 1–0 1–00–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 –1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 vs. Purdue 1–0 1–10–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1– 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–1 vs. Rutgers 1–0 1–01–0 0–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–21–0 – 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 vs. UCLA 0–1 1–01–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–2 0–10–1 0–1 – 0–2 0–2 1–0 vs. USC 1–0 0–11–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–11–0 0–1 2–0 – 2–0 0–1 vs. Washington 1–0 1–01–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–01–0 0–1 2–0 0–2 – 1–0 vs. Wisconsin 0–1 1–00–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–2 1–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–11–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 – Total 15–59–1110–104–1619–115–58–1215–55–1512–85–153–1713–76–1413–77–137–1314–6 Through March 2, 2026

All-Big Ten awards and teams On March 10, 2025, the Big Ten announced most of its conference awards.