B1G basketball Media Days: Day 1 takeaways

Indiana is the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten. The league has depth at the top with Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State, among others. Purdue coach Matt Painter says the league is a bear.

Indiana is the clear favorite in the Big Ten this season. The Hoosiers finished 21-14 overall and 9-11 in Big League last season, and they played in their first NCAA Tournament since 2016. Coach Mike Woodson is not buying into preseason rankings. He believes his team has to play well on the court to win the title. Trayce Jackson-Davis is preseason B1G Player of the Year. His team also has Race Thompson, Xavier Johnson and a freshman class that includes Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Woodson wants his team to win more than just basketball. Online sports betting will be officially launched on January 1, 2023. Pre-registration is now open at FanDuel Ohio.

Matt Painter's team didn't perform as well as expected last season. The Boilermakers have a veteran front court and a young backcourt. They will play the point by committee with David Jenkins Jr. and freshman Fletcher Loyer. The team has a lot of good players, but they haven't played together. Braden Smith is a freshman who Painter claims will be a star.

Illinois is looking for a repeat Big Ten regular-season title. Brad Underwood's team has 8 new scholarship players this season, including transfers Terrence Shannon Jr. and Matthew Mayer and 4 4-star freshmen. The freshmen are going to have to learn on the fly. Underwoods likes his team's position-less size.

Steve Pikiell's team is going to be different this season. He has graduated Gio Baker and Ron Harper Jr. but has a nucleus of players who can help him reach the NCAA Tournament. Last season Rutgers finished 18-14 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten.

Keegan Murray is off to the NBA. His identical twin Kris will take on more of the load this season for Iowa.

Kris Murray was picked No. 4 overall by the Sacramento Kings. He will replace Keegan Murray, who was drafted by Sacramento. Kris Murray is more verbal than Keegans. He is going to be a first-round pick.