Year 1 of the 18-team era in the Big Ten Conference tips off this fall. The Maryland Terrapins and the rest of the league will welcome a handful of West Coast entrants – Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington – all of whom are bailing out of the Pac-12.
The Big Ten league schedule has been released, at least as far as home and away foes (no dates yet). So BetMaryland.com, your home for Maryland sportsbooks, ranked the Big Ten conference schedules this upcoming season, from easiest to hardest. Here is the list, followed by an explanation of our scoring system.
Hardest To Easiest Big Ten Basketball Conference Schedules
Rank | Team | Points |
1 | Penn State | 44 |
2 | Ohio State | 43 |
T3 | Michigan | 41 |
T3 | Minnesota | 41 |
T3 | UCLA | 41 |
T3 | USC | 41 |
T3 | Wisconsin | 41 |
T8 | Oregon | 38 |
T8 | Washington | 38 |
10 | Purdue | 37 |
T11 | Iowa | 36 |
T11 | Michigan State | 36 |
T13 | Nebraska | 34 |
T13 | Northwestern | 34 |
T13 | Rutgers | 34 |
16 | Maryland | 33 |
T17 | Illinois | 32 |
T17 | Indiana | 32 |
Points were given for the following:
- 1 point – home vs. ESPN Top 25
- 1 point – home vs. On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings (Top 25)
- 1 point – home vs. 24/7 Team Recruiting Rankings (Top 25)
- 2 point – away vs. ESPN Top 25
- 2 point – away vs. On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings (Top 25)
- 2 point – away vs. 24/7 Team Recruiting Rankings (Top 25)
- 2 point – away vs. 75%+ Win Rate at Home Since 2021
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Where Maryland Hoops Stands
Year 3 of the Kevin Willard era in College Park comes on the heels of a disappointing campaign for the Terps. Maryland posted its second sub-.500 season in the past three years, joining the 2021-22 team that went 15-17 overall and 7-13 in conference play.
Last year, UM finished 7-13 in Big Ten play again, illustrating the long road that lies ahead of Willard and company. The team will try to get back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Mark Turgeon took Maryland to the Sweet 16 in 2016.
Rankings Terps' 2024-25 Big Ten Schedule
Those wagering on futures odds at Maryland sportsbook apps will want to know that Maryland’s Big Ten schedule includes home games against Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin. There are road clashes against Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Washington, according to the schedule at the Big Ten website. We rate Maryland’s slate as the third-easiest conference-wide.
In total, the Terps’ upcoming basketball schedule notched 33 points, putting it ahead of Illinois and Nebraska, which had 32 points each. Just ahead of Maryland on our list are Nebraska, Northwestern and Rutgers, all at 34 points apiece.
Leaguewide, the toughest schedules according to our metrics were Penn State (44 points), Ohio State (43), Michigan, Minnesota, UCLA and USC (41 each), Oregon and Washington (38 each) and Purdue (37).
Throw in Big Ten teams like Iowa and Michigan State (tied for 11th at 36 points each) and you have the full rundown on the conference members with the toughest (or easiest) MBB schedules for the upcoming season as the traditionally Midwest-centric conference continues to expand its geographic footprint.
It seems like oddsmakers are confident that Willard’s team will rebound nicely, with BetMGM Maryland Sportsbook listing the Terps at +8000 to win the program’s second national title next spring. That ranks in a tie nationally alongside BYU, Texas Tech and Xavier. The operator has two-time defending national champ Connecticut as the co-favorite (+1000) alongside Kansas.
USA Today photo by Tommy Gilligan
