As we head into our next series of the spotlight freshmen to watch in each respective major conference, the Big 10 is a group of teams that has continued to get stronger, from top to bottom, which should breed even more competitive games during the dog days of conference play.

Programs like Michigan State, Indiana, and Ohio State have been known for bringing in five-star talent in past years, however don’t sleep on schools like Purdue, Northwestern, and Illinois, who have been able to capture not just quality talent, but ideal fits for the respective system that each coach runs. Again, this is not a spotlight on the best talent that the respective program incorporated into its program this fall, but rather the freshman with the best chance of succeeding and being leaned upon early on during his stay on campus.

MARYLAND

Anytime you add a five-star center, you expect for him to be leaned upon early and often during his time on campus. However, the Maryland Terps are in a bit of a different situation because of just how deep things look down in College Park. Diamond Stone, a 6-foot-10 center out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, selected the Big 10 squad over the likes of Wisconsin and UConn and while he may have been a lot more productive at the other two programs, Stone is a freshman that will be able to develop as the year progresses and not be relied upon as heavily as if we were at other places. He has super soft hands that he uses to score around the basket and has continued to develop a perimeter jumper that he can hit off the pick and pop whenever his feet are set. Mark Turgeon’s squad enters the season as quite possibly the number one ranked team in America and with the likes of Damonte Dodd, Jake Layman, Robert Carter, and Michael Cekovsky in the frontcourt, the Terps will be able to bring Stone along slowly but expect for the big fella to be a major factor come March and a reason that the loaded bunch can be the last one standing this season.

MICHIGAN

The Wolverines don’t bring in one freshman from the United States this coming season. The lone incoming recruit is that from Berlin with Moritz Wagner. The 6-foot-10 big man is more of a face-up guy with super long arms, good lateral skills, and the ability to hit the perimeter jumper with his feet set. There might not be as much of a need for Wagner early on as he becomes more accustomed to the lifestyle changes in America along with putting on the sufficient weight in banging around within the paint against fellow Big 10 big men. However, there are some question marks surrounding the Wolverines in the post as Kameron Chatman, Mark Donnal, Ricky Doyal, and division-three transfer Duncan Robinson all haven’t proven enough to be leaned upon straight out of the gates. The most important dynamic for Beilein’s crew is in getting fully healthy in bringing Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton back onto the floor as both of their 2014-2015 season’s ended abruptly due to an injury. Wagner does fit the system and style that has enjoyed great success in Ann Arbor recently and if he produces early on, it should be via the perimeter attempt and on his rebounding skills down low.

MICHIGAN STATE

Every year, when you look at the Big 10 standings, you come to expect Izzo’s squad to be among the top of the conference. This year should be no different and while there was a quick commitment and then decommitment from now Purdue freshman big Caleb Swanigan, the promise in the frontcourt comes with a 6-foot-9 forward from within its state’s borders. With superior length, great mobility and long-term upside, and an elite rebounder of the ball, expect to hear much about Dayonte Davis. With the loss of its leading rebounder from last year in Branden Dawson, the Spartans might rely heavily on Davis during his stay in East Lansing as there is still debate over how reliable returnees like Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello can be in the paint. While strength gain is a definite need, Davis has the upside to become one of the best bigs that Izzo has ever coached. The Big 10 program is also bringing in quality perimeter scorers in Matt McQuaid and Kyle Ahrens, both of whom should be able to help out sporadically throughout the year, but it is Davis who should enable a number of lineups to be produced by the staff and with it, further success come March.