The 2024-25 Big Ten basketball season is complete. While the Final Four and national title game have yet to be played, a non-Big Ten team is guaranteed to cut down the nets for the 25th consecutive season.
That doesn't mean it wasn't a successful season for the conference. Conference regular-season champion Michigan State made a run to the Elite Eight, while Michigan, Maryland and Purdue each fell in the Sweet 16. The conference still boasted some of the top teams in the sport, with the Spartans finishing at No. 7 in KenPom, Maryland at No. 10, Wisconsin at No. 12, Purdue at No. 15, Illinois at No. 17, UCLA at No. 21 and Michigan at No. 22.
Overall, it finished the year as the clear second-best conference in the sport, behind an SEC that broke records with its NCAA Tournament bids and success.
The Big Ten was defined by its depth in 2024-25. Only two games separated second-place Maryland (14-6) and eighth-place Oregon (12-8). The additions of former Pac-12 powers UCLA and Oregon played a major role in that becoming the reality.
As always, a group of top-tier head coaches were the driving force behind an impressive Big Ten Conference landscape. With a few familiar names still leading the way, here is an updated ranking of those coaches, complete with the conference's four new hires entering 2025-26.
18. Mike Rhoades (Penn State)
Previous Ranking: No. 18 (No change)
2024-25 Record: 16-15 (6-14 Big Ten)
Overall Record: 208-145 -- 32-32 in two years at Penn State
Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions struggled in 2024-25, finishing alone in 17th place in the conference. An 8-1 start and early-season win over Purdue created expectations of a second-year breakthrough. Instead, the team finished with a nearly identical record as the year prior. Rhoades will need to start generating results in year three.
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17. Danny Sprinkle (Washington)
Previous Ranking: No. 14 (Down 3)
2024-25 Record: 13-18 (4-16 Big Ten)
Overall Record: 122-68 -- 13-18 in one year at Washington
Sprinkle faced a significant rebuild at Washington, which is seen in the team's finish at the bottom of the conference. His strong work over four years at Montana State and one at Utah State will continue to carry weight entering 2025-26. He and the Huskies will need to avoid another 4-16 season in Big Ten play, however.
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