BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On Monday, the seventh annual official/unofficial Big Ten men's basketball media poll was released – conducted each year by The Athletic's Brendan Quinn and Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
The poll surveys two writers from each of the 14 representative schools in the conference, gathering the input of 28 writers across Big Ten country.
Indiana men's basketball was picked to finish sixth in the conference this upcoming season, receiving 244 votes. The article explains that the Hoosiers were picked as high as fourth and as low as ninth in the league ahead of this upcoming season.
In addition, five-star freshman Mackenzie Mgbako was picked as the league's preseason Freshman of the Year, receiving 19 first place votes. Sophomore transfer center Kel'el Ware received two votes to be the conference's transfer of the year.
The full results of the poll are as follows:
1. Purdue – 388 votes, 24 first-place votes
2. Michigan State – 368 votes, four first-place votes
3. Maryland – 304 votes
4. Illinois – 301 votes
5. Wisconsin – 276 votes
6. Indiana – 244 votes
7. Ohio State – 228 votes
8. Northwestern – 195 votes
9. Iowa – 164 votes
10. Rutgers – 147 votes
11. Michigan – 131 votes
12. Nebraska – 90 votes
13. Penn State – 71 votes
14. Minnesota – 33 votes
Mgbako was the runaway selection for the league's freshman of the year award, as only four other players received votes: DeShawn Harris-Smith (5), Xavier Booker (2), Myles Colvin (1) and Scotty Middleton (1).
The article also included picks from the 28 writers for preseason First and Second Team All-Big Ten nominations, but no Hoosiers were included in the league's top 10 players. Xavier Johnson received four votes, Mgbako recevied four and Kel'el Ware received one nod.
Indiana is under two weeks from the unofficial tip-off of their season with Hoosier Hysteria on Homecoming weekend, Friday, Oct. 20. The Hoosiers' first preseason exhibition comes at the end of the month.
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