No conference is represented in the initial college basketball rankings better than the Big Ten. Nearly one-third of the teams in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll come from the conference, which features three schools in the top eight.

Iowa, which is ranked fifth, is projected to be the Big Ten’s top team. The Hawkeyes are followed by No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 8 Illinois.

Gonzaga starts the 2020-21 season as the top team in the nation. The Bulldogs are followed by No. 2 Baylor, No. 3 Villanova and No. 4 Virginia are the only teams that received more votes than Iowa.

Perennial power Michigan State cracked the top 15 at No. 13. The Spartans are followed by No. 23 Ohio State, No. 24 Rutgers and No. 25 Michigan, to round out the poll.

Indiana received some votes but finished just outside of the top 25.

Iowa is led by Luke Garza, who is rated among the best players in the nation. Garza was named 2020 National Player of the Year by both ESPN and Stadium after averaging 23.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

Iowa finished the 2019-20 season in fifth place in the conference.

Illinois finished in fourth place. Center Kofi Cockburn and guard Ayo Dosunmu were both named to the 2020-21 Preseason All-Big Ten Team.

Wisconsin, Maryland and Michigan State were tied atop the Big Ten standings with a 14-6 conference record. The conference tournament was never played and there was no national champion because the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Michigan State reached the Final Four in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans won the conference tournament that year.

Luka Garza Iowa Basketball
Jalen Smith #25 of the Maryland Terrapins and Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes fight for position during a college basketball game at Xfinity Center on January 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
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