The Big Ten finally broke its 25-year championship drought last season with the Michigan Wolverines’ dominant March Madness run. Two Big Ten teams made the 2026 Final Four, each featuring some of the most international-heavy lineups in Final Four history. Illinois’s Balkan bunch led the Illini to their first regional championship under Brad Underwood, and Spaniard Aday Mara, Swede Elliot Cadeau and Dominican Yaxel Lendeborg anchored the eventual champions to their second-ever national title.
The stage has been set for a gold rush of international talent to flood into the NCAA this season, especially amid undefined eligibility rules for foreign professionals. Here are the 10 most impressive international players joining the Big Ten ranks in 2026-27.
1. Baba Oladotun, 6-foot-10 small forward, Maryland (Nigeria)
Son of a Nigerian basketball star, Oladotun has been the most outstanding player on every team on which he’s ever competed. Ranked as the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2027, Oladotun couldn’t wait any longer and reclassified into the Class of 2026, becoming eighth such player to do so, joining an elite club of top-rated recruits including Andrew Wiggins, Jalen Duren, R.J. Barrett and, most famously, Cooper Flagg. Oladotun picked Maryland, deciding to stay home to play where his family could easily commute to watch his college games. Oladotun’s father, Ibraheem, moved to the United States from Nigeria at 18 to pursue basketball, joining Virginia Tech’s roster in the early 1990s.
Similarly to Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant, Oladotun began high school as a lavishly skilled yet undersized forward, training his shooting, dribbling and playmaking abilities. Oladotun averaged 22.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.8 steals per game his sophomore year in high school. Since then, he has sprouted to 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan while maintaining those elite guard skills. Still only 17, the question on every NBA scout’s mind is, “How big can this kid get?” A projected lottery pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, Oladotun is the second-highest ranked Terrapin recruit in school history and marks the third five-star talent Maryland has secured in the past three seasons. This shooting star will be must-watch as it passes through College Park this season.
2. Roko Prkačin, 6-foot-9 forward, Penn State (Croatia)
It is still unclear if 23-year-old Prkačin will be granted eligibility this season, but if he is, he’ll immediately propel Penn State into the tournament hunt. Coming off a disastrous 12-20 campaign in 2025-26, Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades is looking for any way to get ahead. That pursuit led him to Prkačin, a former prodigy most college coaches assumed was off the menu years ago. Ranked as highly as No. 31 in ESPN’s Top 100 prospects list for the 2021 NBA Draft before his withdrawal, Prkačin has shown clear NBA talent.
If admitted, Prkačin may very well be the most seasoned player to ever touch a collegiate court. He made his professional debut at 15 and has more than 40 appearances in the ABA, Liga ACB (Spanish top league), and LNB Elite (French top league), along with over 25 caps for the Croatian senior national team. Last season for French club Nanterre 92, Prkačin averaged 10 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in one of Europe’s toughest leagues. Built like an ox with a positionless playstyle and well-rounded game, he’s unlike anything most college players have seen before. If he gets cleared to play, he’ll be the most talented Penn State player to suit up in years.
3. Owen Foxwell, 6-foot-2 point guard, Wisconsin (Australia)
A name that might sound familiar to college fans, as his brother, Joel Foxwell, tore through the WCC on a dominant All-Conference First Team campaign his freshman year with Portland. Owen’s game is similar, with one major caveat: He’s even more polished. Owen is actually the 22-year-old elder brother to Joel, with more than 110 professional NBL appearances to his name. Sharpied in as starting point guard for the Badgers, Foxwell provides an extremely rare skill set to the college game as a seasoned floor general and leader.
Last season with the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix of the NBL, Foxwell averaged 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game on impressive three-point and free-throw shooting. This followed an impressive winter season where he claimed the assist title with 8.0 per outing and a gold medal at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup with the Australian Boomers. Foxwell has been described as a tenacious defender with no lack of effort on either side of the ball. Joining impressive shooting ability, elite basketball IQ and standout passing, Foxwell adds veteran dependability to a Badgers team that hasn’t made it to the second weekend in nine years.
4. Lucas Morillo, 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward, Illinois (Dominican Republic)
The best Dominican youth prospect since All-EuroLeague selection Jean Montero, Morillo can do it all. Ranked as the No. 47 recruit in the 247 Sports composite, Morillo has imposed his will against every opponent in his path. At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, he stuffed the stat sheet for The Newman School in Massachusetts his senior year, averaging 16.9 points, 9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game while powering them to a 38-3 record and three titles, including their first-ever National Prep Championship. He also added prestigious camp invites including the Nike Hoops Summit and 2025 Basketball Without Borders Global camp, where he took home All-Star 5 honors.
His most standout performance may have been at the FIBA U19 World Cup, against the best youth competition in the world; Morillo averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.9 steals and a 22.9 efficiency rating per game, placing top 15 in each of those stats and second in scoring. Morillo will join a national title contender at Illinois, expected to sit behind Andrej Stojakovic and transfer Stefaan Vaaks for his first year. Morillo will likely be utilized off the bench in Underwood’s signature big lineups and will be the first to step up and start if injuries befall the Illini.
5. Jackson Ball, 6-foot-5 combo guard, Wisconsin (New Zealand)
The crown jewel in New Zealand’s current “Golden Generation,” Ball possesses a scoring ability that can’t be taught. At just 16 years old, Ball averaged 19.9 points per game for the Hawke’s Bay Hawks of the New Zealand NBL, being named the 2025 Youth Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, following NBA center Lachlan Olbrich in claiming each of those awards. At 18, Ball earned All-Star 5 honors at the Basketball Without Borders All-Star camp in Los Angeles and averaged more than 10.3 points per game at the 2026 Adidas EuroCamp on the tournament-winning NBL Next Stars squad.
Ball is a score-first guard with plus size and innate instincts. His speed is notable, and his three-point stroke is the type that will certainly benefit from a closer college arch. He was a large part of New Zealand’s historic fourth-place finish at the 2025 U19 World Cup, a team which produced nine Division I players, including teammate Hayden Jones. Ball is expected to serve as the primary reserve guard behind Foxwell and transfer Trey Autry this season.
6. Sinan Huan, 7-foot-1 center, Purdue (China)
When scouts heard about an elite 7-footer trying to enter the college ranks, all eyes turned to Matt Painter, and indeed that’s where Huan decided to sign. The towering Beijing native was ranked the No. 65 recruit by 247 Sports. Sinan and his twin brother, Sifeng, who’s committed to UMBC, moved to the United States three years ago to play at Georgetown Prep in Maryland. There, Sinan cemented himself in the national conversation by averaging 18.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.5 blocks per game.
His shot-blocking ability is world-class. At the 2025 U19 World Cup for China, the southpaw averaged a ludicrous five blocks per game, the second-most in U19 World Cup history, only behind NBA DPOY Victor Wembanyama. Despite offers from Florida, Illinois and Alabama, he had his eyes set on the most giant-friendly school in the nation, signing with Purdue in November. Currently, Huan is blocked on the depth chart by 7-foot-4 junior Daniel Jacobsen, but he should see consistent minutes off the bench and in defensive sets, creating the possibility for an ungodly 14-and-a-half-foot Twin Towers duo in the paint.
7. Jayden Hodge, 6-foot-6 shooting guard/small forward, Northwestern (Belgium)
One of the most hyped Belgian basketball prospects right now, Hodge is an atypical wing with a winning game. An athletic and strong slashing scorer with quick hands and even quicker feet, Hodge is a nightmare for opponents to defend one-on-one. Described as a “power wing,” Hodge is a downhill scorer with tremendous hand-eye coordination and a highly developed Eurostep. In the 2024 U18 EuroBasket, he put up 15.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game for Belgium. Additionally, he earned invites to two separate Nike Elite 100 Camps and the 2024 Basketball Without Borders Europe camp, where he earned All-Star 5 honors.
Training with Montverde Academy last season, Hodge made his mark, averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.7 steals. However, his season was cut short after just six games due to a torn ACL in his right knee in December 2025. The injury led him to fall to No. 86 in 247 Sports’ composite rankings, but it didn’t shake Northwestern’s interest. Hodge is successfully rehabbing the injury and is expected to be healthy by the start of the 2026-27 season.
8. Adama Tambedou, 6-foot-7 power forward, Maryland (Senegal)
Tambedou is a powerful yet undersized forward who has made it work at every level thus far. A consensus four-star recruit, the 20-year-old bruising forward led the northeastern Pro16 AAU circuit in dunks last season while averaging 15.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. The Senegalese big man moved to America in high school and landed at Putnam Science Academy. He helped the Mustangs to a 38-2 record and a semifinal finish at the National Prep Championships, where they lost to Morillo’s Newman Schoo
Often described as a high-motor enforcer, Tambedou is a physical specimen, one with a pro-ready body that can hold its own in the physical Big Ten. He’s expected to receive four years of eligibility and will have ample time to develop a shooting stroke and facilitating skills during his college career. He’s a valuable role player with unteachable effort and toughness.
9. Symon Ghai, 7-foot-3 center, Northwestern (South Sudan)
The most curious pickup in the Big Ten this season, 7-foot-3, 220-pound Ghai has a nearly limitless ceiling. In 2020, Ghai was an unremarkable soccer prospect in a war-torn land before being discovered by a chance encounter with a scout driving by fields where he was playing. Ghai began training for basketball in 2021, and his rise has been rapid and shocking. Ghai has all the tools: His frame is one of the best in the world, and he possesses exceptional strength, exceptionally developed footwork developed through soccer, a good vertical, sturdy joints and genuine quickness. He’s a dedicated learner, gets good grades and is highly coachable with a quick mind.
At the Academy of Central Florida, his coaches have raved about “rapid development.” Ghai has already developed a solid free throw stroke and is making progress on his off-ball movement and cuts. As of right now, most of his skills are under the rim: dunking, rim-protection, rebounding, etc. However, in the right hands, with his willingness to learn, raw athleticism and world-class frame, there’s an outside chance Northwestern just landed a future All-Big Ten star.
10. Gunars Grinvalds, 6-foot-7 small forward, UCLA (Latvia)
A product of the famed Real Madrid youth system in Spain, Grinvalds brings a heavily developed game to the Bruins’ roster. Grinvalds is 18 years old, yet already has two appearances for the senior Real Madrid team, including a tiny 48-second stint in the EuroLeague. At the 2026 Adidas Next Gen finals tournament, against the best U19 youth academies in Europe, Grinvalds averaged 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.8 steals during Real Madrid’s second-place tournament run.
Grinvalds has played a rather limited role in his career thus far. A taller wing with serviceable defense and a top-notch shooting stroke, he’s been penned in as a somewhat one-dimensional shooter. At the 2026 Adidas Next Gen finals, he made 38.9 percent of his shots beyond the arc on 4.5 attempts per game. Mick Cronin will likely utilize the Latvian in much the same way as Real Madrid, as an offensive ace up his sleeve to pull off the bench and rain threes.
Honorable Mentions:
Chadrack Mpoyi, 6-foot-11 center, Minnesota (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Winicius “Wini” Braga, 6-foot-9 power forward, Washington (Brazil)
François Wibaut, 6-foot-6 small forward, Penn State (France)
Isaac Riddle, 6-foot-8 power forward, Wisconsin (Australia)
Tristan Devers, 6-foot-3 combo guard, Washington (Australia)
Marcus Mӧller, 7-foot-3 center, Michigan (Denmark)
Vuk Lazarevic, 7-foot-1 center, Ohio State (Serbia)
Martin Tonejc, 6-foot-9 forward, Rutgers (Slovenia)
Andy Gemao, 6-foot-1 point guard, Penn State (Philippines)
Clemens Sokolov, 7-foot center, Indiana (Gemany/Russia)
Cedric Tomes, 6-foot-1 point guard, Minnesota (USA/Germany)
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