2023-2024 Returning B1G Player Rankings – #14 – #11

Returning B10 Player Rankings #14 - #11

October 9, 2023

Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

This Image is property of Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Welcome back to our 2023-2024 B1G Returning Player Rankings. This is the fourth release in our series and will cover players ranked #14 – #11. Our next and final release will cover the top ten ranked players in the Big Ten.

These rankings are based on prior season statistics, as well as projected opportunity for the upcoming season. There are several immediate impact freshmen – such as Mackenzie Mbako, Xavier Booker, Deshawn Harris Smith, and Gavin Griffiths among others – who will certainly have a chance to crack the top 25 player threshold throughout the year. However, for this exercise we did not include incoming freshmen. The talented newcomers will get their own article in the coming weeks.

#14: Bruce Thornton

So. – G – 6’2” 215lbs

10.6ppg 2.6apg 37.5% 3PT

We are huge fans of Bruce Thornton and the jump he could make this upcoming season. Last year, the Buckeyes had a late season resurgence in coordination with Thornton’s level of play. Over the Buck’s last 8 games of the season, Bruce averaged 16.4ppg – including 21 in an upset win over Michigan State in the B1G Tournament semifinals. During this stretch he proved to be a steady hand at the point guard position with a great midrange pull-up game and a very serviceable 3PT shooter (37%). Ohio State’s leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh is off to the NBA and veteran Justice Sueing is also gone, so someone new will need to be the go-to man.

If Ohio State is an upper half B1G team this year, Thornton (along with classmates Roddy Gayle and Felix Okpara) will need to take the proverbial sophomore leap. Chris Holtmann will put the ball in Thornton’s hands early and often, so look for him to take strides as a playmaker (only 2.6apg last season). He did have a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last year and finished his last 3 games with 15 assists and zero turnovers in 103 minutes of play.  If Thornton continues to score and direct the offense as he did down the stretch of last season, then Ohio State has a chance to move from the B1G cellar to a double bye in the B1G Tournament.

#13: Tony Perkins

Sr. – G – 6’4” 205lbs

12.3ppg 4.1rpg 33.3% 3PT

It will be interesting to see how Fran McCaffery plans to use Tony “TP” Perkins this season. At the beginning of last season, it looked like McCaffery would use him to orchestrate offense as a bigger guard (averaging 5.3apg through 3 games) however this dwindled by season’s end to 2.8apg. Ahron Ulis – the Hawkeye’s other ball handler from last season – is gone, so Perkins should receive some veteran on ball work in support of underclassmen Dasonte Bowen and freshman Brock Harding.

Last year, Perkins increased his production in essentially every statistical category. He also had a few huge scoring games (32 vs Illinois, 24 against Ohio State and Michigan State, and 23 against Indiana). However, there were also games where he seemed to disappear. This year’s Iowa team will need him to show up and be productive on a nightly basis with the departures of Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca. The Hawks were 3-7 last year in games TP scored less than 10 points. As mentioned previously, Fran McCaffery’s offense always produces a big-time scorer, and Perkins seems like a prime candidate with some of his outbursts last year. If he adds consistency this year – coupled with his defensive tenacity – Perkins should be firmly in the mix for an All B1G team.

#12: Ace Baldwin

Sr. – G – 6’1” 190lbs

12.7ppg 5.8apg 34.2% 3PT

Baldwin accompanies his coach Mike Rhoades from VCU in the transition from A10 to Big Ten, and Rhoades should be very thankful. Even though it looks like Penn State will have to claw out of the B1G cellar, Baldwin will ensure the Nittany Lions have a gritty identity with his defensive prowess. Not only was Baldwin A10 Player of the Year last season, but he was also A10 Defensive Player of the Year, averaging over 2 steals per game. He also distributed the ball at a high level with a 2.15 assist-to-turnover ratio (5.8apg to 2.7 turnovers/game).

Baldwin played about 35 minutes per game last season, and about the same should be expected this year. Can Baldwin come in and have a Jalen Pickett-like impact as a transfer point guard? The odds are probably unlikely, as Baldwin doesn’t have the supporting cast that Pickett had last year in Andrew Funk, Camren Wynter, and Seth Lundy. But that shouldn’t stop Baldwin from pestering opposing B10 guards on a nightly basis.

#11: Braden Smith

So. – G – 6’0” 175lbs

9.7ppg 4.4apg 37.6% 3PT

Like Bruce Thornton, we are excited to see what Braden Smith will evolve into in 2023-2024. Last year, if you didn’t know any better you would have guessed Braden Smith was an upperclassman based on the poise in his play. Underrated as a recruit, Smith went on to average 4.4apg to 2 turnovers/game while also flashing the ability to put the ball in the basket (20 vs Marquette, 24 vs Iowa on 4/5 3PT shooting). He’s also an underrated rebounder from the point guard spot averaging 4.2rpg.

Smith, like freshman backcourt mate Fletcher Loyer, hit a bit of a wall down the stretch of last season. Purdue’s backcourt in general drew heavy criticism as the nation tried to rationalize the team’s stunning loss to 16 seed Farleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The question floating with Braden Smith is his ability to handle pressure defense and athleticism. He’s already shown flashes of taking his game to another level this summer (looked fantastic orchestrating Purdue’s offense on their summer foreign trip). We believe that the struggles down the stretch of last season and overall experience of starting 35 games at point guard for a 1 seed will propel him into a great sophomore campaign.

Agree with these rankings or have anything you would change up? Leave us a comment down below or Tweet at us. Also, make sure to keep your eyes out for our upcoming article in this series which will feature the top 10 ranked players in the B10.

All media in this post are copyright of the Big Ten Conference, Big Ten Network, ESPN, FOX Sports, and CBS. The G1G Bounce does not claim any of these media posts as property of its own.

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