Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Can Illinois Still Track Down Michigan?

Through the first half of Big Ten play, there was a clear chasm separating the league. There were the top five teams – and then there was everyone else. Although Wisconsin and UCLA are beginning to close that gap, the same teams make up our current top five – albeit in a shuffled order. Here is the latest update to the top tier of our Big Ten Power Rankings:

Big Ten basketball mid-February Power Rankings: Top five

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. prepares to shoot free throws against Illinois during overtime on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 5: Michigan State (10-3 Big Ten)

After skirting past Rutgers in overtime, Michigan State seemed due for a loss – and it took one at home against in-state rival Michigan. Then the Spartans fell at Minnesota – a falter further marred by Jeremy Fears Jr.’s physical (and some might describe as dirty) non-basketball actions.

But Tom Izzo and crew got back on track with a massive win at home against an Illinois team that had entered the teams' matchup as winners of 12 in a row. The Spartans' defense and rebounding will keep them in every single game – and allow them to even steal some huge victories. However, despite the win over the Illini, there still appears to be a gap between the Spartans and the rest of the best – a sentiment even Izzo seemed to (sort of) endorse.

No. 4: Nebraska (10-3 Big Ten)

There is zero shame in losing to Michigan, Illinois and Purdue. Then again, losing is losing, and the Cornhuskers have dropped three of their past four – all of which came against teams currently ahead of them in our power rankings.

Fred Hoiberg’s club was ahead for nearly the entire second half at Michigan, carried a lead into halftime against Illinois and went into extra innings with Purdue. There’s no questioning the validity of the Cornhuskers' contender status. They belong, and are more than capable of beating anyone in the Big Ten – evident in their early-season win in Champaign.

No. 3: Illinois (11-3 Big Ten)

Feb 10, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) reacts after a turnover against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

After that extended winning streak came to a screeching halt in East Lansing on Saturday, Illinois went home to Champaign with its head hung low – and Wisconsin caught the Illini with their eyes no longer on the ball.

The Badgers hung around all night on Tuesday before taking the game into overtime and having their way with the Illini, who had zero answers for guards John Blackwell and Nick Boyd.

Once Illinois is healthy again (the Illini are currently missing Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic), it should get back on track. But the defensive inconsistency – No. 30 defense, per KenPom, as of Feb. 12 – remains worth monitoring.

No. 2: Purdue (10-3 Big Ten)

The preseason favorite in the Big Ten, Purdue got off to an impressive start in league play before it all fell apart during a three-game skid. But as expected, coach Matt Painter and lead guard Braden Smith rallied the Boilermakers, who have now strung together three straight wins – capped off by the overtime win at Nebraska.

In Purdue's other marquee league game, the Boilers were every bit the better team than Illinois for 40 minutes in late January – but Keaton Wagler’s heroic 46-point performance pushed the Illini over the top late. That was so three weeks ago. The Boilermakers are now rolling (Illinois not so much) behind a defense that has finally meshed and an offense orchestrated by the best playmaker in the country. It’s not outside the realm of possibility for Purdue – which is still set to face Michigan and Michigan State at home – to not drop another conference game.

No. 1: Michigan (13-1 Big Ten)

Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May yells to his team during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Feb. 8, 2026. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here’s the difference between Michigan and the rest of the league: On the Wolverines’ off nights – a category Wednesday night undoubtedly falls into – they still find a way. Behind by 16 on the road in the second half at Northwestern, Michigan appeared unfazed, the thought of actually losing the game never seeming to creep in. Yet the Wolverines still played with an appropriate sense of urgency and, by the final buzzer, had spun control of the game and charged out to a 12-point lead of its own.

🎥 Highlights from win no. 23! pic.twitter.com/kj11mBt4fh
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 12, 2026

Michigan’s size, versatility and depth wears on opponents. It’s hard to survive a matchup with the Wolverines – who seem to hardly break a sweat – for 40 minutes. That said, Dusty May's group did fall into a big hole on the road and surrendered 44 first-half points to Northwestern – which had managed that same figure in its entire game against Illinois a week earlier.

With road trips at Purdue and Illinois still on the docket, not to mention a home matchup with Michigan State, the occasionally vulnerable Wolverines must figure out the lulls to survive the gauntlet ahead.