Like many other power conferences in college basketball, the landscape of Big Ten Basketball will drastically change in 2024-25, as newcomers Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA join the league, expanding it to 18 teams.
With the new schools comes new fanbases, new coaches, new traditions, and plenty of new players. The introduction of NIL has allowed teams to quickly retool their rosters to postseason contention in a single offseason, as opposed to rebuilding through recruiting. This year, each team in the Big Ten brought in key transfers that can make an immediate splash this season.
Without further adieu, here are the top 20 incoming transfers in the Big Ten for 2024-25 season.
Honorable mentions include: Drew Thelwell (Iowa), Skyy Clark (UCLA), Gavin Griffiths (Nebraska), Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois), John Tonje (Wisconsin).
2023-24 Season at Stanford: 13.0 PPG | 4.7 RPG | 1.7 APG | 56.7 FG% | 44.7 3PT%
Oregon head coach Dana Altman has wasted no time building a competitive squad as his program enters its first season in the Big Ten. One of his treasured accquisitions in the offseason was Stanford forward Brandon Angel, who comes to the Ducks with one season of eligibility remaining. As a former conference rival, Angel should have some familiarity with the high-powered offensive system implemented by Altman, and his experience should pay big as Oregon looks to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Standing at 6-foot-8, Angel is primarily a small forward, but his length and athleticism allows him to step in as a power forward when needed, giving him plenty of opportunities to carve up opposing defenses. His ability to shoot it from distance also makes him a dangerous scoring threat and fits perfectly with Altman’s system.
2023-24 season at Boise State: 13.7 PPG | 5.1 RPG | 45.2 FG% | 40.9 3PT%
Next up on the list is another conference newcomer in USC, which hired former Arkansas coach Eric Mussleman to replace Andy Enfield in the offeason. Mussleman is known for attacking hard in the transfer portal, and this offseason was no different. One of the first transfers he landed was Boise State guard Chibuzo Agbo, who departs the Bronco program after guiding it to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Agbo is a versatile scorer that is known for slashing and scoring around the basket, something that fits Mussleman’s fast-paced style of play. Agbo has also worked hard to improve his jump-shot, raising his percentage by nearly 20 percent since his freshman campaign.
