# 2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season

The 2019–20 Big Ten men's basketball season began with practices in October 2019, followed by the start of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 5, 2019. The regular season ended on March 8, 2020.
With a win against Indiana on March 7, 2020, Wisconsin earned a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. With a win over Michigan on March 8, Maryland earned a share of their first Big Ten regular season championship. Also with a win on March 8 against Ohio State, Michigan State earned a share of their third straight Big Ten regular season championship. Due to tie-breaking rules, Wisconsin received the No. 1 seed, Michigan State the No. 2 seed, and Maryland the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
The Big Ten tournament was scheduled to be played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana from March 11 through 15, until the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA Tournament was likewise canceled on March 12.
Iowa big man Luka Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Year. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was named Coach of the Year.

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes prior to the season
#### Nebraska

On March 26, 2019, Nebraska fired head coach Tim Miles. Four days later, the school hired former Chicago Bulls' head coach Fred Hoiberg as the next head coach.

#### Michigan

On May 13, 2019, Michigan head coach John Beilein left the school to accept the head coaching position with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nine days later, the school hired former Michigan player and member of the "Fab Five" Juwan Howard as head coach.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Big Ten record | Big Ten titles | Big Ten tournament titles | NCAA Tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
| Illinois | Brad Underwood | Oklahoma State | 3 | 26–39 | 11–27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | Archie Miller | Dayton | 3 | 35–31 | 17–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | Fran McCaffery | Siena | 10 | 174–132 | 78–86 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Maryland | Mark Turgeon | Texas A&M | 9 | 180–92 | 62–37* | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | Juwan Howard | Miami Heat (Asst.) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan State | Tom Izzo | Michigan State (Asst.) | 25 | 606–232 | 285–126 | 9 | 6 | 22 | 8 | 1 |
| Minnesota | Richard Pitino | FIU | 7 | 112–92 | 40–70 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | Fred Hoiberg | Chicago Bulls | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northwestern | Chris Collins | Duke (Asst.) | 7 | 101–96 | 40–68 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio State | Chris Holtmann | Butler | 3 | 45–19 | 23–15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Penn State | Pat Chambers | Boston University | 8 | 127–140 | 45–100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Purdue | Matt Painter | Purdue (Assoc.) | 15 | 321–159 | 158–92 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Rutgers | Steve Pikiell | Stony Brook | 4 | 44–54 | 13–43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | Greg Gard | Wisconsin (Assoc.) | 5 | 80–47 | 45–29 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Year at school includes 2019–20 season.
* Overall and Big Ten records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the season.
* Turgeon's ACC conference record excluded since Maryland began Big Ten Conference play in 2014–15.
* Source:

## Preseason
### Preseason conference poll

Prior to the conference's annual media day, unofficial awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of 28 writers, two for each team in the conference. Michigan State was the near unanimous selection to win the conference, receiving 27 of 28 first-place votes.
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Michigan State (27) |
| 2 | Maryland (1) |
| 3 | Ohio State |
| 4 | Purdue |
| 5 | Michigan |
| 6 | Wisconsin |
| 7 | Illinois |
| 8 | Iowa |
| 9 | Penn State |
| 10 | Indiana |
| 11 | Minnesota |
| 12 | Rutgers |
| 13 | Nebraska |
| 14 | Northwestern |
| (first place votes) ||

### Preseason All-Big Ten

On October 2, 2019, a panel of conference media selected a 10-member preseason All-Big Ten Team and Player of the Year.
| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason Player of the Year | Cassius Winston*, Michigan State |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Anthony Cowan*, Maryland |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Nojel Eastern, Purdue |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Zavier Simpson, Michigan |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Jalen Smith, Maryland |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Lamar Stevens, Penn State |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Kaleb Wesson*, Ohio State |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Joe Wieskamp, Iowa |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | Cassius Winston*, Michigan State |
| *Unanimous selections ||

### Preseason watchlists

Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.
| | Wooden | Naismith | Cousy | West | Malone | Abdul-Jabbar |
| Anthony Cowan, Maryland | Y | Y | Y | | | |
| Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois | Y | Y | Y | | | |
| Trent Frazier, Illinois | | | | Y | | |
| Luka Garza, Iowa | | | | | | Y |
| Matt Haarms, Purdue | | | | | | Y |
| Joshua Langford, Michigan State | | | | Y | | |
| Zavier Simpson, Michigan | | Y | Y | | | |
| Jalen Smith, Maryland | Y | Y | | | Y | |
| Lamar Stevens, Penn State | Y | Y | | | Y | |
| Jon Teske, Michigan | | | | | | Y |
| Xavier Tillman, Michigan State | | Y | | | Y | |
| Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State | Y | Y | | | Y | |
| Trevion Williams, Purdue | | | | | Y | |
| Cassius Winston, Michigan State | Y | Y | Y | | | |

### Preseason national polls

| | AP | Athlon Sports | Blue Ribbon Yearbook | CBS Sports | Coaches | ESPN | Lindy's Sports | NBC Sports | Street and Smith |
| Illinois | | 23 | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | | | | | | | | | |
| Iowa | | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| Michigan | | | | | | | | | |
| Michigan State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota | | | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | | | | | | | | | |
| Ohio State | 18 | 14 | 24 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 25 | |
| Penn State | | | | | | | | | |
| Purdue | 23 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 22 | | | | 19 |
| Rutgers | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin | | | | | | | | | |

## Regular season
### 2019 ACC–Big Ten Challenge (Big Ten 8–6)

| Date | Time | ACC team | B1G team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Challenge leader |
| Dec 2 | 7:00 pm | Miami | Illinois | 81–79 | State Farm Center • Champaign, Illinois | ESPN2 | 11,819 | ACC (1–0) |
| Dec 2 | 9:00 pm | Clemson | Minnesota | 78–60 | Williams Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | ESPN2 | 10,148 | Tied (1–1) |
| Dec 3 | 7:00 pm | Boston College | Northwestern | 82–64 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPNU | 4,004 | B1G (2–1) |
| Dec 3 | 7:00 pm | Syracuse | Iowa | 68–54 | Carrier Dome • Syracuse, New York | ESPN2 | 20,844 | B1G (3–1) |
| Dec 3 | 7:30 pm | No. 1 Louisville | No. 4 Michigan | 58–43 | KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, Kentucky | ESPN | 21,674 | B1G (3–2) |
| Dec 3 | 9:00 pm | No. 17 Florida State | Indiana | 80–64 | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Indiana | ESPN2 | 17,222 | B1G (4–2) |
| Dec 3 | 9:00 pm | Pittsburgh | Rutgers | 71–60 | Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ESPNU | 7,894 | B1G (4–3) |
| Dec 3 | 9:30 pm | No. 10 Duke | No. 11 Michigan State | 87–75 | Breslin Center • East Lansing, Michigan | ESPN | 14,797 | Tied (4–4) |
| Dec 4 | 7:15 pm | No. 5 Virginia | Purdue | 69–40 | Mackey Arena • West Lafayette, Indiana | ESPN2 | 14,804 | B1G (5–4) |
| Dec 4 | 7:15 pm | Georgia Tech | Nebraska | 73–56 | McCamish Pavilion • Atlanta, Georgia | ESPNU | 5,133 | Tied (5–5) |
| Dec 4 | 7:30 pm | Notre Dame | No. 3 Maryland | 72–51 | Xfinity Center • College Park, Maryland | ESPN | 15,529 | B1G (6–5) |
| Dec 4 | 9:15 pm | NC State | Wisconsin | 69–54 | PNC Arena • Raleigh, North Carolina | ESPN2 | 16,035 | Tied (6–6) |
| Dec 4 | 9:15 pm | Wake Forest | Penn State | 76–54 | Bryce Jordan Center • University Park, Pennsylvania | ESPNU | 6,476 | B1G (7–6) |
| Dec 4 | 9:30 pm | No. 7 North Carolina | No. 6 Ohio State | 74–49 | Dean Smith Center • Chapel Hill, North Carolina | ESPN | 21,115 | B1G (8–6) |
| Winners are in bold Game times in EST Virginia Tech did not play due to the ACC having one more team than the B1G. |||||||||

### 2019 Gavitt Tipoff Games (Big Ten 5–3)

| Date | Time | Big East team | Big Ten team | Score | Location | Television | Attendance | Leader |
| Mon., Nov. 11 | 8:00 PM | DePaul | Iowa | 93–78 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena • Iowa City, IA | FS1 | 9,961 | Big East (1–0) |
| Tue., Nov. 12 | 6:30 PM | Creighton | Michigan | 79–69 | Crisler Center • Ann Arbor, MI | FS1 | 11,398 | Tied (1–1) |
| Tue., Nov. 12 | 8:30 PM | Butler | Minnesota | 64–56 | Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, IN | FS1 | 7,879 | Big East (2–1) |
| Wed., Nov. 13 | 7:00 PM | No. 10 Villanova | No. 16 Ohio State | 76–51 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | FS1 | 16,419 | Tied (2–2) |
| Wed., Nov. 13 | 9:00 PM | Marquette | Purdue | 65–55 | Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, WI | FS1 | 15,659 | Big East (3–2) |
| Wed., Nov. 13 | 9:00 PM | Providence | Northwestern | 72–63 | Welsh–Ryan Arena • Evanston, IL | BTN | 5,204 | Tied (3–3) |
| Thu., Nov. 14 | 6:30 PM | Georgetown | Penn State | 81–66 | Capital One Arena • Washington, D.C. | FS1 | 8,691 | Big Ten (4–3) |
| Thu., Nov. 14 | 8:30 PM | No. 12 Seton Hall | No. 3 Michigan State | 76–73 | Prudential Center • Newark, NJ | FS1 | 14,051 | Big Ten (5–3) |
| WINNERS ARE IN BOLD. Game Times in EST. Rankings from AP Poll (Nov 12). Did not participate: St. John's; Xavier (Big East); Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Rutgers, Wisconsin (Big Ten) |||||||||

### Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| | | Pre/ Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Final |
| Illinois | AP | RV | | | | | | | | | | 24 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 22 | RV | RV | 23 | 21 | 21 |
| Illinois | C | RV | | | | | | RV | | | | RV | 22 | 19 | 21 | 23 | RV | RV | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Indiana | AP | | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | C | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | |
| Iowa | AP | | | | | | | RV | 25 | 23 | RV | RV | 19 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 25 | 25 |
| Iowa | C | | | | | | | RV | RV | 25 | RV | 24 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 25 | 25 |
| Maryland | AP | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 |
| Maryland | C | 8 | | 7 (1) | 8 (1) | 4 (2) | 4 (1) | 8 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Michigan | AP | RV | | RV | RV | 4 (9) | 5 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 19 | RV | | RV | RV | RV | 19 | 25 | RV | RV |
| Michigan | C | RV | | RV | RV | 5 (1) | 7 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 19 | 20 | RV | | | RV | RV | 22 | RV | RV | RV |
| Michigan State | AP | 1 (60) | 3 | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 11 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 16 | RV | RV | 24 | 16 | 9 | 9 |
| Michigan State | C | 1 (30) | | 3 (4) | 3 (1) | 12 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 17 | 12 | 12 |
| Minnesota | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Minnesota | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ohio State | AP | 18 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 3 (5) | 5 | 2 (9) | 5 | 11 | 21 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| Ohio State | C | 16 | | 9 | 9 (1) | 6 (1) | 2 (2) | 4 (1) | 2 (7) | 5 | 12 | 19 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
| Penn State | AP | | | | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 21 | 20 | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 20 | RV | RV |
| Penn State | C | | | RV | RV | RV | | 24 | 21 | 21 | 20 | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 20 | RV | RV |
| Purdue | AP | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | RV | | | | | RV |
| Purdue | C | 22 | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | RV | | | | | |
| Rutgers | AP | | | | | | | | | | | RV | 24 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | | | RV | RV |
| Rutgers | C | | | | | | | | | | | RV | 25 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | | | RV | RV |
| Wisconsin | AP | | | RV | RV | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | RV | 24 | 18 | 17 |
| Wisconsin | C | | | RV | RV | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | | RV | | RV | RV | 24 | 19 | 19 |
On December 2, 2019, Michigan tied the 1989–90 Kansas Jayhawks for the largest jump in the history of the AP Poll as they jumped from unranked to No. 4.

### Early season tournaments

Nine of the 14 Big Ten teams participated in early season tournaments. All Big Ten teams participated in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge against Atlantic Coast Conference teams, the 21st year for the event. Eight of the 14 teams participated in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, including Michigan State who participated for the first time.
| Team | Tournament | Finish |
| Iowa | Las Vegas Invitational | 2nd |
| Maryland | Orlando Invitational | 1st |
| Michigan | Battle 4 Atlantis | 1st |
| Michigan State | Maui Invitational | 5th |
| Nebraska | Cayman Islands Classic | 3rd |
| Northwestern | Fort Myers Tip-Off | 4th |
| Purdue | Emerald Coast Classic | 2nd |
| Penn State | NIT Season Tip-Off | 3rd |
| Wisconsin | Legends Classic | 4th |

### Player of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, the Big Ten offices named one or two players of the week and one or two freshmen of the week each Monday.
Cassius Winston was named the Naismith National Player of the Week on January 6, 2020.
| Week | Player of the week | Freshman of the week |
| November 11, 2019 | Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois |
| November 18, 2019 | Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State | Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana |
| November 18, 2019 | Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State | Malik Hall, Michigan State |
| November 25, 2019 | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois | Kofi Cockburn (2), Illinois |
| December 2, 2019 | Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland | Trayce Jackson-Davis (2), Indiana |
| December 2, 2019 | Jon Teske, Michigan | Trayce Jackson-Davis (2), Indiana |
| December 9, 2019 | Luka Garza, Iowa | Kofi Cockburn (3), Illinois |
| December 16, 2019 | Lamar Stevens, Penn State | Trayce Jackson-Davis (3), Indiana |
| December 16, 2019 | Lamar Stevens, Penn State | Kofi Cockburn (4), Illinois |
| December 23, 2019 | Gabe Kalscheur, Minnesota | Armaan Franklin, Indiana |
| December 23, 2019 | D'Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin | D.J. Carton, Ohio State |
| December 30, 2019 | Daniel Oturu, Minnesota | Kofi Cockburn (5), Illinois |
| January 6, 2020 | Cassius Winston, Michigan State | Joe Toussaint, Iowa |
| January 13, 2020 | Daniel Oturu (2), Minnesota | Kofi Cockburn (6), Illinois |
| January 13, 2020 | Trevion Williams, Purdue | Kofi Cockburn (6), Illinois |
| January 20, 2020 | Luka Garza (2), Iowa | CJ Fredrick, Iowa |
| January 27, 2020 | Jalen Smith, Maryland | Kofi Cockburn (7), Illinois |
| February 3, 2020 | Anthony Cowan Jr. (2), Maryland | Franz Wagner, Michigan |
| February 10, 2020 | Lamar Stevens (2), Penn State | Trayce Jackson-Davis (4), Indiana |
| February 17, 2020 | Anthony Cowan Jr. (3), Maryland | Franz Wagner (2), Michigan |
| February 24, 2020 | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois | Trayce Jackson-Davis (5), Indiana |
| March 2, 2020 | Cassius Winston (2), Michigan State | Franz Wagner (3), Michigan |

### Conference matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. Each team will play 20 conference games, and at least one game against each opponent.
| | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan St | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio St | Penn St | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin |
| vs. Illinois | – | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| vs. Indiana | 1–0 | – | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1-0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Iowa | 1–1 | 1–0 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| vs. Maryland | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Michigan | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | – | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| vs. Michigan St | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Minnesota | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | – | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Nebraska | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Northwestern | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | – | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Ohio State | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | – | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Penn State | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | – | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Purdue | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Rutgers | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 |
| vs. Wisconsin | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – |
| Total | 13–7 | 9–11 | 11–9 | 14–6 | 10–10 | 14–6 | 8–12 | 2–18 | 3–17 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 9–11 | 11–9 | 14–6 |
For the 44th consecutive season, the Big Ten Conference led the nation in average attendance. The Big Ten average men's basketball attendance of 12,709 outpaced the SEC (11,188), ACC (10,886), Big 12 (10,521) and Big East (10,130). Wisconsin (6th, 16,912), Indiana (10th, 16,300), Nebraska (11th, 15,605), Maryland (13th, 15,336), Purdue (16th, 14,804), Michigan State (17th, 14,797), Ohio State (18th, 14,531), Illinois (24th, 13,041), Michigan (26th, 12,539) and Iowa (27th, 12,357) were all among the top 30 of the 350 schools that host Division I basketball.

## Honors and awards
### All-Big Ten awards and teams

On March 9, 2020, the Big Ten announced most of its conference awards.
| Honor | Coaches | Media |
| Player of the Year | Luka Garza, Iowa | Luka Garza, Iowa |
| Coach of the Year | Greg Gard, Wisconsin | Greg Gard, Wisconsin |
| Freshman of the Year | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State | Not Selected |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Aaron Wiggins, Maryland | Not Selected |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Luka Garza, Iowa | Luka Garza, Iowa |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Jalen Smith, Maryland | Jalen Smith, Maryland |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Lamar Stevens, Penn State | Lamar Stevens, Penn State |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Cassius Winston, Michigan State | Cassius Winston, Michigan State |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois | Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Daniel Oturu, Minnesota | Daniel Oturu, Minnesota |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Zavier Simpson, Michigan | Zavier Simpson, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State | Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin | Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | D'Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin | Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Joe Wieskamp, Iowa | Joe Wieskamp, Iowa |
| All-Big Ten Third Team | Geo Baker, Rutgers | Marcus Carr, Minnesota |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Marcus Carr, Minnesota | Geo Baker, Rutgers |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois | Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers | Myreon Jones, Penn State |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Trevion Williams, Purdue | Isaiah Livers, Michigan |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Cam Mack, Nebraska |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Darryl Morsell, Maryland |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | D'Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin |
| All-Big Ten Honorable Mention | Not Selected | Trevion Williams, Purdue |
| All-Freshman Team | Kofi Cockburn, Illinois | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | CJ Fredrick, Iowa | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Franz Wagner, Michigan | Not Selected |
| All-Freshman Team | Rocket Watts, Michigan State | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Nojel Eastern, Purdue | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Daniel Oturu, Minnesota | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Jalen Smith, Maryland | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State | Not Selected |
| All-Defensive Team | Jamari Wheeler, Penn State | Not Selected |

### USBWA

On March 10, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association released its Men's All-District Teams, based upon voting from its national membership. There were nine regions from coast to coast, and a player and coach of the year were selected in each. The following lists all the Big Ten representatives selected within their respective regions.

### NABC

The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced their Division I All-District teams on March 22, recognizing the nation's best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, the selections on this list were then eligible for NABC Coaches' All-America Honors. The following list represented the District 7 players chosen to the list.

## Postseason
### Big Ten tournament

After the first two games of the tournament were played on March 11, the conference canceled the remainder of the tournament due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
| First round Wednesday, March 11 BTN | First round Wednesday, March 11 BTN | First round Wednesday, March 11 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 12 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 12 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 13 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 13 BTN |
| | | | | | 1 | Wisconsin |
| | | | 8 | Rutgers | | |
| | | | 9 | Michigan | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Illinois |
| | | | 5 | Iowa | | |
| 12 | Minnesota | 72 | 12 | Minnesota | | |
| 13 | Northwestern | 57 | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | Michigan State |
| | | | 7 | Ohio State | | |
| | | | 10 | Purdue | | |
| | | | | | 3 | Maryland |
| | | | 6 | Penn State | | |
| 11 | Indiana | 89 | 11 | Indiana | | |
| 14 | Nebraska | 64 | | | | |

### 2020 NBA draft

The following four players from the Big Ten Conference were drafted in the 2020 NBA draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Nationality | NBA Club | B1G team |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | Jalen Smith | PF/C | United States | Phoenix Suns | Maryland (So.) |
| 2 | 3 | 33 | Daniel Oturu | C | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to L.A. Clippers) | Minnesota (So.) |
| 2 | 5 | 35 | Xavier Tillman | PF | United States | Sacramento Kings (from Detroit via Phoenix, traded to Memphis) | Michigan State (Jr.) |
| 2 | 23 | 53 | Cassius Winston | PG | United States | Oklahoma City Thunder (traded to Washington) | Michigan State (Sr.) |

#### Pre-draft trades

* ↑ July 9, 2015: Detroit Pistons to Phoenix Suns Phoenix acquired a 2020 second-round pick Detroit acquired Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Danny Granger June 23, 2016: Phoenix Suns to Sacramento Kings, Sacramento acquired the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanović, Georgios Papagiannis, Skal Labissière, and Detroit's 2020 second-round pick Phoenix acquired the draft rights to Marquese Chriss

#### Draft-day trades

* ↑ November 19, 2020: Minnesota Timberwolves to Los Angeles Clippers L.A. Clippers acquired the draft rights to Daniel Oturu Minnesota acquired the draft rights to Mathias Lessort and Detroit's 2023 second-round pick
* ↑ November 19, 2020: Sacramento Kings to Memphis Grizzlies Memphis acquired the draft rights to Xavier Tillman Sacramento acquired the draft rights to Robert Woodard II and a 2022 second-round pick
* ↑ November 19, 2020: Washington Wizards to Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City acquired Admiral Schofield and the draft rights to Vít Krejčí Washington acquired the draft rights to Cassius Winston (selected 53rd overall) and a 2024 second-round pick