Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell might be more on the hot seat than any other Big Ten coach. He's entering his 9th season as the head coach and has only reached the NCAA tournament twice, missing it in each of the last three seasons. Rutgers had two five-star freshmen on their squad last season, and despite both of them having good seasons, the Scarlet Knights finished with a 15-17 record. Projected Lineup: G Tariq Francis (NJIT transfer) G Jamicheal Davis F Darren Buchanan (

Purdue enters this season seeking its 6th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Head coach Matt Painter's squad has also made the tournament in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Before last season, the Boilers had won the Big Ten regular season title in back-to-back seasons. They finished 13-7 in conference play last year, which was tied for fourth. Purdue enters this year with very high expectations, returning most of their core from last season's team. Projected Lineup: G Braden Sm

Penn State hasn't found much success yet under third-year head coach Mike Rhoades. They hired Rhoades from VCU after the previous head coach, Micah Shrewsberry, left Penn State to take the Notre Dame job. Rhoades was coming off an extremely successful season at VCU, where they finished 27-8 and reached the NCAA tournament. He hasn't quite gotten back to that level at Penn State, as they have a 32-32 record in his two seasons at the helm. Projected Lineup: G Kayden Mingo G Fre