Skip to main content

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 3): Michigan State, Iowa Plummeting

Four teams in the Big Ten — Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and Wisconsin — have created separation. What about the rest of the conference? It's a jumbled mess right now.

In this story:

Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers
Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue Boilermakers
Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern Wildcats
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins

There appears to be a line of demarcation forming in the Big Ten. Sure, it's still early, but Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and Wisconsin seem to be separating themselves from the rest of the conference.

Perhaps there was no bigger surprise last week than the poor performances from Iowa and Michigan State. The Hawkeyes dropped three games while the Spartans fell short in both Big Ten contests. It should be no surprise that both teams plummeted in the latest power rankings.

Here's how we're trying to sort things out in mid-December:

1. Purdue Boilermakers

  • Records: 9-1, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP Poll: No. 3; Coaches Poll: No. 4; KenPom: No. 3
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 11 Gonzaga; Beat No. 7 Tennessee; Beat No. 4 Marquette (all in Maui Invitational); Beat Alabama
  • Last week: Beat Iowa 87-68; Beat Alabama 92-86.
  • This week: Arizona on Saturday (Neutral site at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.), 4:30 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
  • The skinny: Purdue bounced back after suffering its first loss to Northwestern. The Boilermakers got a home win against Iowa and defeated a talented Alabama team in Toronto over the weekend. Right now, the Boilermakers are getting major contributions from Zach Edey and Braden Smith. They'll need more guys to step up over the course of the season, though.

2. Northwestern Wildcats

  • Records: 7-1 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: No. 25; Coaches: Received 68 votes; KenPom: No. 41
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat Dayton on Nov. 10; Beat No. 1 Purdue on Dec. 1.
  • Last week: Beat Detroit Mercy 91-59.
  • This week: Chicago State on Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); At DePaul on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1). 
  • The skinny: Not an active week for Northwestern, but Chris Collins' team followed up the upset win over Purdue with a dominant performance against Detroit Mercy. The schedule hasn't been overly difficult for the Wildcats yet, but they do have the best win of any Big Ten team thus far. So, Northwestern slides up into the No. 2 spot this week.

3. Illinois Fighting Illini

  • Records: 7-2 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: No. 16; Coaches: No. 16; KenPom: No. 14
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat Oakland on Nov. 11; Beat Florida Atlantic on Dec. 5.
  • Last week: Beat Florida Atlantic 98-89; Lost to Tennessee 86-79.
  • This week: Colgate on Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
  • The skinny: Sure, going 2-0 last week would've been great for Illinois, but a 1-1 mark against ranked opponents in Florida Atlantic and Tennessee — with both games away from Champaign — is still pretty solid. The Illini have struggled against the more physical teams on the schedule, but this is still a quality squad.

4. Wisconsin Badgers

  • Records: 7-3 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: No. 23; Coaches: No. 23; KenPom: No. 15
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 24 Virginia on Nov. 20; Beat No. 3 Marquette on Dec. 2; Beat Michigan State on Dec. 5.
  • Last week: Beat Michigan State 70-57; Lost to Arizona 98-73.
  • This week: Jacksonville State on Thursday, 8 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
  • The skinny: Wisconsin scored a huge conference road win over Michigan State last week, thanks to great production from AJ Storr and Tyler Wahl. The Badgers have been effective on the glass and are taking advantage of opportunities at the free throw line. As we saw on Saturday, though, Wisconsin still has trouble with consistency, especially against an athletic team like Arizona.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

  • Records: 8-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: Received 9 votes; Coaches: Dropped out, received 18 votes; KenPom: No. 27
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 17 Alabama on Nov. 24; Lost to Penn State on Dec. 9.
  • Last week: Beat Miami (OH) 84-64; Lost to Penn State 83-80.
  • This week: UCLA on Saturday (Neutral site at State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Ga.), 3 p.m. ET (TV: CBS).
  • The skinny: A blown 18-point lead against Penn State prevented the Buckeyes from being a little higher on this list. Ohio State still has the pieces to be one of the better teams in the Big Ten, but it'll be interesting to see how this squad bounces back in a week after such a disappointing second half performance over the weekend. 

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers

  • Records: 8-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 60
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat Duquesne on Nov. 22; Beat Michigan State on Dec. 10; Lost to Minnesota on Dec. 6.
  • Last week: Lost Minnesota 76-65; Beat Michigan State 77-70.
  • This week: At Kansas State on Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (TV: Big 12/ESPN-Plus).
  • The skinny: The Huskers are another team that could be ranked a little higher if not for a complete second half collapse last week. Nebraska blew a 15-point halftime lead against Minnesota on Wednesday. It bounced back on Sunday, snapping an 11-game losing streak to Michigan State and improving to 8-2. Moving forward, the Huskers have to find consistency shooting from long range.

7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

  • Records: 6-3 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 72
  • Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Princeton on Nov. 6.
  • Last week: Lost to Wake Forest 76-57; Beat Seton Hall 70-63
  • This week: Long Island on Saturday, 1 p.m. ET. 
  • The skinny: Rutgers hasn't been effective shooting the ball through the first nine games, relying more heavily on the inside game. Just like any team coached by Steve Pikiell, the Scarlet Knights are tough, but they lack the shooting ability to keep pace with better teams on the schedule.

8. Indiana Hoosiers

  • Records: 7-2 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: Received 1 vote; KenPom: No. 76
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat Wright State; Beat Maryland on Dec. 1.
  • Last week: Beat Michigan 78-75; Lost to Auburn 104-76
  • This week: Kansas on Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS).
  • The skinny: Yes, Indiana is the only Big Ten team with a 2-0 record and sits atop the standings. However, the Hoosiers have been blown out by UConn and Auburn, the two best teams they've played. Indiana looked lost in Saturday's neutral site contest against the Tigers. It is still a young team and Mike Woodson has a lot to work on before Saturday's game against Kansas. 

9. Michigan State Spartans

  • Records: 4-5 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 35
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat Butler on Nov. 14.
  • Last week: Lost to Wisconsin 70-57; Lost to Nebraska 77-70.
  • This week: No games.
  • The skinny: Michigan State doesn't look like a Big Ten contender right now. Despite solid production from Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard, the Spartans have lost both Big Ten games and are below .500 through the first nine games. That fifth-ranked recruiting class Tom Izzo brought to East Lansing is not responding right now, either. 

10. Michigan Wolverines

  • Records: 5-5 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: 42
  • Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Long Beach State on Nov. 17; Beat Memphis on Dec. 22.
  • Last week: Lost to Indiana 78-75; Beat Iowa 90-80.
  • This week: Eastern Michigan on Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
  • The skinny: Michigan finally got back in the win column over the weekend, defeating Iowa 90-80. Before that, the Wolverines dropped three straight to Texas Tech, Oregon and Indiana. At times, they look extremely disjointed. Maybe the win over the Hawkeyes will provide a much-needed spark moving forward.

11. Maryland Terrapins

  • Records: 5-4 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 74
  • Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Davidson on Nov. 10; Lost to UAB on Nov. 12.
  • Last week: Beat Penn State 81-75 (OT).
  • This week: Alcorn State on Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
  • The skinny: Maryland is going to have to find unique ways to win games. Shooting is abysmal and it's not going to get any better. The Terrapins crashed the glass in the overtime win over Penn State, collecting 53 boards, including 23 on the offensive end. So, at least they took advantage of some of those opportunities.

12. Minnesota Golden Gophers

  • Records: 7-3 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 92
  • Best wins/worst losses: Lost to San Francisco on Nov. 26.
  • Last week: Beat Nebraska 76-65; Beat Florida Gulf Coast 77-57.
  • This week: IUPUI on Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET.
  • The skinny: Last week was exactly what Ben Johnson and his team needed. The Gophers got a conference win over Nebraska and defeated Florida Gulf Coast to improve to 7-3 on the year. In November, Minnesota looked like a lock for the bottom spot in the power rankings. Are the Gophers starting to figure things out?

13. Penn State Nittany Lions

  • Records: 5-5 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 111
  • Best wins/worst losses: Lost to VCU on Nov. 26, Lost to Bucknell on Dec. 2; Beat Ohio State on Dec. 9.
  • Last week: Lost to Maryland 81-75 (OT); Beat Ohio State 83-80.
  • This week: Georgia Tech on Saturday (Neutral Site at Madison Square Garden in New York), 12 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
  • The skinny: A clutch shot from Ace Baldwin Jr. gave Penn State its first Big Ten win of the season and snapped a five-game losing streak. Mike Rhoades said it best after Saturday's win, commenting that this young team is going to "go through everything." After such a tough stretch, the Nittany Lions got a much-needed win.

14. Iowa Hawkeyes

  • Records: 5-5 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 58
  • Best wins/worst losses: Beat Seton Hall on Nov. 24.
  • Last week: Lost to Purdue 87-68; Lost to Iowa State 90-65; Lost to Michigan 90-80.
  • This week: Florida A&M on Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
  • The skinny: Cue Tom Petty's "Free Falling." Nobody had a worse week on the hardwood than Iowa, slipping to 5-5 after three losses to Purdue, Iowa State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes' average margin of defeat was 18 points, and it probably could've been worse. 
  • BRUCE PEARL SAYS IU WAS HIS DREAM JOB: The Auburn coach opened up on why he wanted to be the leader at Indiana at one time. CLICK HERE
  • BIG TEN DAILY (DEC. 11): Urban Meyer was critical of Ohio State QB Kyle McCord entering the transfer portal, saying, "It made no sense." CLICK HERE
© 2024 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.