B1G making big 💵

The Big Ten reached a historic deal with multiple networks, but finding basketball games may be a challenge. Plus, freshmen scorers, and a new team enters the Bronny chase

Thursday was a big day for the Big Ten. But maybe a big bummer for Big Ten basketball fans. Maybe.

We’ll break down the implications of the league’s new massive deal that it announced yesterday.

Let’s get to the news.

STARTING FIVE

1. Bring in the Brinks truck

The Big Ten’s new media deal is set. It’s a 7-year rights agreement with NBC, FOX, and CBS for at least $7 billion dollars, potentially up to 10 billion if expansion occurs. Once USC and UCLA are on board (regents pending), individual programs could earn $80-100 million dollars each, which would lead all conferences in college athletics.

For added context, here’s how the Big Ten stacks up against professional leagues:

There will be plenty of football games with national exposure. But from a basketball perspective, it’ll be a hodgepodge of networks and streamers for fans who need their Big Ten fix. The Big Ten Network will still have most games (126), but many contests, including some potentially impactful conference games, will be on Peacock. Hope you like streaming The Office at halftime!

As for basketball, CBS will broadcast up to 11 regular-season men’s basketball games in 2023 and will carry 15 games (13 of which will be conference games) from 2024 onward; CBS will continue to carry the Big Ten tournament semifinals and the championship game, which leads into the CBS Selection Sunday show each March.

Peacock will stream 32 regular-season men’s basketball games (20 conference games) in 2023-24 and 47 games (32 conference games) from 2024-25 onward as well as the Big Ten tournament’s opening night doubleheader. Peacock will also stream 30 regular-season women’s basketball games (20 conference games) per year starting in 2023-24.

Fox/FS1 will carry a minimum of 45 regular-season men’s basketball games per year, while BTN will carry a minimum of 126 men’s games per year. BTN will air the four Thursday games and four quarterfinal games of the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament.

Peacock has the smallest subscriber base among the recently launched options (Comcast owns NBC, but don’t confuse Peacock with Xfinity Stream, Comcast’s subscriber service). It’s almost certain to annoy Big Ten fans who now have to pay to watch conference games, but it’s probably a smart move for the service, which doesn’t currently show any basketball. Anything for those subs.

Both the exposure and financial implications should elevate the league. Plus, with it being a seven-year deal, the Big Ten’s media rights will be up for grabs again before the SEC rights come up.

But this was clearly a football-driven deal, with basketball inventory taking a backseat. Let’s see if that has a long-term impact on the strength of those programs in the new era.

2. Penny Hardaway, Memphis also in Bronny sweepstakes

Top-50 prospect Bronny James reportedly has Ohio State, USC and Oregon recruiting him. Add Memphis to that mix.

Penny’s son, Ashton, is now teammates with Bronny at Sierra Canyon High School and on the California Basketball Club. (Coincidently, they won Thursday during their overseas tour, led by 21 points from Hardaway. Bronny had 7 and a chase-down block).

Hardaway’s Memphis program has been a magnet for high-priority recruits, and this could work for both sides.

Bronny would likely get immediate playing time with the Tigers, and possibly the starting point guard role. SMU transfer Kendric Davis only has one year of eligibility remaining, as does Boise State transfer Emmanuel Akot, a do-everything wing who moonlights at the 1.

Assuming Bronny gets to the NBA as soon as possible to potentially play with his father, he’d need to go somewhere and be the lead guard. Things could change in a year, but right now, Memphis makes a lot of sense for James.

3. Freshmen who’ll get buckets

With the rise of transfers and super-seniors, it’s become rarer that true freshmen lead their respective teams in scoring. But last season among the top nine conferences, there were nine rookies who did just that.

  • DaRon Holmes, Dayton

  • Primo Spears, Duquesne

  • Paolo Banchero, Duke

  • Blake Wesley, Notre Dame

  • Jalen Duren, Memphis

  • Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee

  • Jabari Smith, Auburn

  • Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown

  • Bryce McGowens, Nebraska

Here are eight candidates who could do the same in 2023-23:

Dariq Whitehead/Dereck Lively/Kyle Filipowski, Duke

It’s admittedly a cop-out having all three top-5 prospects listed, but each member of the trio has a chance to pace the Blue Devils in scoring. Whitehead will feast on the wing, and Filipowski has the most polished skill set on the interior. Meanwhile, Lively may be the best overall player. If I had to make a pick, I’d go with Whitehead, assuming that the bigs split the production.

Cam Whitmore, Villanova

The 5-star wing and likely lottery pick boasts high offensive upside and could be the focal point of the attack. Justin Moore averaged 14.8 ppg last season, but suffered a torn Achilles in late March and will miss the start of the season. Even when Moore returns, it’ll take a while for him to get going, making Whitmore even more important.

Gradey Dick, Kansas

The Gatorade Player of the Year is a gifted offensive player and elite shooter. A veteran usually leads Kansas in scoring. But are Jalen Wilson, who had ups and downs last season, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar, who averaged 10.2 ppg in the past two years, those guys? Dick may already be the best scorer on the roster.

GG Jackson, South Carolina

The Gamecocks’ returning roster doesn’t have a go-to guy. The most proven player is Citadel transfer Hayden Brown, who averaged 18.8 ppg each of the past two years. Yet that production is unlikely to translate to the SEC. It should be a near-lock for the 5-star Jackson to lead South Carolina in scoring, as he’ll easily get the most touches on offense and have a chance to show off both his inside and outside game.

Nick Smith, Arkansas

The top-5 freshman could be one of the country’s best backcourt options. Smith, a 6-4 combo guard, will be running the Razorback offense and electrifying fans in the process. Jordan Walsh, another 5-star freshman, is probably the only other option, considering that the frontcourt transfers (Trevon Brazile, Jalen Graham) aren’t high-usage offensive players.

Sadraque Nganga, Boise State

The 6-9 forward was a 5-star prospect before injuries derailed him. He still ended up being Boise State’s highest-ranked freshman and should come in and lead the revamped frontcourt. Nganga has the chance to be a star in the Mountain West and offers a nice 1-2 punch along the frontline with sophomore Tyson Degenhart.

Kijani Wright, USC

Drew Peterson will be USC’s best player, but he might not lead them in scoring. The Trojans have been a frontcourt-heavy team and should remain that way with both Wright and fellow frosh Vince Iwuchukwu. Wright, a 4-star power forward is the better offensive player between the two and should have a sizeable role as a freshman.

Zion Cruz, DePaul

The Demons had a 21 ppg scorer in Javon Freeman-Liberty last season. The new-look backcourt will be much more balanced. Incoming transfers Caleb Murphy and Umoja Gibson were double-digit scorers at their previous stops, but they aren’t prolific offensive players. Cruz, a 4-star shooting guard, has the potential to impact early and often. DePaul will need him in order to be competitive in league play.

4. UMass gets a coach, and a player

The Minutemen reunited with a former head coach in Derek Kellogg this week. His surprising dismissal from LIU yielded another significant outcome.

Once Kellogg to UMass became official, it paved the way for Kante to join the program. The 6-7, 240-pound forward averaged 12.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg last season and averaged 10.1 rpg at Hofstra in 2020-21. He adds depth to the frontcourt, now with Louisville transfer Matt Cross and recent 4-star freshman pickup, Tafara Gapare.

The Minutemen had middling depth at the start of summer. But now they’ve added key players and a new assistant, making them a sneaky contender for a top-4 spot in A-10.

5. Marquette lands 4-star forward Al Amadou

The Golden Eagles have its second commit in the 2023 class in Al Amadou, a 6-9 true power forward. He ascended the recruiting ranks this summer and is a great athlete with two-way potential.

Amadou can protect the rim; he logged several games this summer with 5+ blocks. He’s also a solid offensive player who showcased an ability to make 3-pointers as well. He’ll fit Shaka Smart’s style seamlessly.

The frontcourt for Marquette is young, with guys like Olivier-Maxence Prosper, David Joplin and Oso Ighodaro set to get a lot of minutes. If any break out, they could become pro candidates. If they don’t, a guy like Amadou can come in and compete on Day 1.

TRIVIA TIME

The title trifecta

Larry Brown is returning to Memphis for his second season as one of Penny Hardaway’s assistants. Brown is famously the only head coach to win an NCAA tournament title and an NBA title. He also won a gold medal for Team USA at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Question: How many players have won all three?

Answer at the bottom of The Daily.

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you marvel at the Manti T’eo documentary.

OFF THE CAROUSEL

No Payne, no gain

Louisville’s had a rough few years. The Cards haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2019, stemming from NCA rules infractions under former coach Rick Pitino.

New coach Kenny Payne — who won a title with the Cards in 1986 — now has the reins with one goal: Make Louisville a national contender again. He sat down with Jeff Goodman to explain.

Trivia answer: Seven. (Quinn Buckner, Anthony Davis, K.C. Jones, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Lucas and Bill Russell.)