With the official start of the practice in September, A hoop And In the hall Work together to bring you our annual breakdown of the preseason of the top players in the Big Ten for the 13th consecutive season.
The series is split into seven parts and we will continue with our third episode of players 25-21 for the 2025-26 season:
Earlier: 40-31, 30-26
25. Eric Dailey Jr., UCLA (6-foot-8, Vooruit, Junior)
Why he could perform this ranking better: If you are looking for a player to bet for a breakout year, Dailey checks all the boxes. He is a former McDonald’s All-American and a coveted second year transfer. He was also excellent as a second -year student. Last year Daileyy shot 57 percent in two and 38 percent in Threes and placed a neat 118.6 offensive rating at 22 percent use. In particular, UCLA was 21.4 points per 100 assets better when he was on the floor, according to CBB Analytics.
Dailey is a two-way player and a hack-of-al-trades that have to play a key role again for a UCLA team that expect the most to take a step forward this year.
Why he could find this ranking: It is still difficult to predict how roles, minutes and shots are assigned in the UCLA attack. De Bruins have Tyler Bilodeau as a primary offensive threat in the front court and incoming New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent is one of the players with highest use in the country. There is a world where Dailey has a great season, but is still the third option in UCLA’s attack and that can make him the perfect roller more than a Breakout star.
24. John Mobley Jr., Ohio State (6-foot-1, guard, second year)
Why he could perform this ranking better: Mobley on average 13 points per match as a first -year student and was one of the best perimeter shooting threats in the conference. He deposited 77 triples on 200 attempts (38.5 percent) and should build on that production as a second -year year. He also demonstrated impressive versatility, making three of the catch, dribble or even moving while he got off screens.
Why he could find this ranking: He will have to complete his game a little more to make a second leap. The two focus areas are probably his game-resistant for a substandard guard and are 2-point efficiency. Mobley placed a modest assistant rate of 15.3 percent and shot only 39.6 percent on 2-point shot attempts last season. He only tried six percent of his shots on the edge, per synergy.
23. Pharrel Payne, Maryland (6-foot-9, center, senior)
Why he could perform this ranking better: After a productive season in the college station for Texas A&M, Payne is back in the Big ten. The resident of Minnesota started his career in the Big Ten for the Gophers – where he spent two seasons – before switching to play for Buzz Williams and the Aggies. Payne followed Williams to College Park and is a center on a rebuilded schedule in Maryland.
A physically impressive Big Man, the 250-pound Payne shot nearly 65 percent on 2S last season, had the second best free throw (FTA/FGA) in the SEC, was 12th in the conference in offensive rebound percentage and an average of 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per match. His last two games on Texas A&M include 25 points against Yale and 26 against Michigan in the NCAA tournament. The production of Payne has improved every season at the university and there is no reason to believe that he will not be the Go-to-post scorer of Maryland next winter.
Why he could find this ranking: If Payne’s minutes do not increase, he may not be able to collect the counting statistics that are needed to get a consideration for All-Big to Honors. He never has more than 23.3 minutes per match for three seasons on average and his 20.1 minutes per match last season was the lowest of his career.
22. Kylan Boswell, Illinois (6-foot-2, guard, senior)
Why he could perform this ranking better: The 3-point photos can go this year. Boswell shot 38 percent from 3-point reach during two seasons in Arizona and was unable to buy 3-Pointer during his junior year in Illinois. He shot 25 percent from 3-point range and was only 16-of-73 (22 percent) from deep in Big Ten-competitions.
Boswell is not a shortage of volume – 43 percent of his attempts were triples last year – and if he starts taking those photos again, the rest of his game will suddenly look better. He shot 57 percent in two, 79 percent on the line, and was excellent as a defender, secondary playmaker and in drawing.
Why he could find this ranking: If the shots do not fall, Boswell could be in a similar role as last season. Offensive options with high use are coming in Illinois this season and there are only so many details to go around with Andrej Stojakovi?, Mihailo Petrovic and Tomislav Ivisic on the Roster.
21. Fletcher Loyer, Purdue (6-foot-5, guard, senior)
Why he could perform this ranking better: Loyer is the perfect sidekick for Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn. He is an elite 3-point shooter, Elite Free-Throw Shooter and does not need the ball in his hands to be effective. The defense must be Loyer at all times on the circumference, which helps to open the space for teammates to operate and when he has a piece of space, he is one of the best shooters in the country.
As a junior, he shot 44.4 percent remotely (at 169 attempts) and on average a career-best 13.8 points per match. His improved efficiency within the arch last season – 48.8 percent on 2S versus 39.1 percent the previous season – helped to stimulate his scoring average last season. If the efficiency continues, Loyer could be a different point or two per match in his last season for what the best attack of the nation could be.
Why he could find this ranking: If Loyer does not shoot as well as the previous two seasons, other options can push minutes on a charged Purdue grid. Sophomores CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris had an important role last season and the boiler makers added first -year student Omer Mayer, who on average 20 points for Israel in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland.
(Photocredit: Ohio State Athletics)
See more: Comments, 2025-26 Big Ten Preview
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