Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 17): Spartans Soaring Towards Big Ten Title

Michigan State is soaring towards another Big Ten title, posting an impressive pair of wins over Maryland and Wisconsin last week.

Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) goes up for a dunk / Dale Young-Imagn Images

It hasn't been clinched just yet, but Michigan State is closing in on Big Ten title No. 11 under Tom Izzo. The Spartans inched closer to that achievement last week, posting impressive wins over Maryland and Wisconsin ... which may have also included a little bit of luck.

The Spartans also got some help in their Big Ten title pursuit from Illinois, which blew out Michigan on Sunday, handing the Wolverines their fourth loss of the year. It makes the final week of the season incredibly interesting, especially with Michigan and Michigan State scheduled to play in the regular season finale on Sunday.

But Michigan State's pursuit of another conference title isn't the only storyline. Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin and UCLA continue to battle for a top-four seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana, Nebraska and Ohio State are still playing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. There's a lot at stake in the final week of the season.

Before we enter the last week, here's a rundown of our Big Ten power rankings.

1. Michigan State Spartans

• Records: 24-5 overall, 15-3 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 9; NET: No. 11
• Last week: Defeated Maryland 58-55; Defeated Wisconsin 71-62
• This week: at Iowa on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); vs. Michigan on Sunday at noon ET (TV: CBS).
• The skinny: Sometimes, the shots just fall your way. That's what happened for Michigan State last week, when Tre Holloman's half-court heave went through the net at the buzzer, securing an impressive road win for the Spartans. Then, MSU closed out the week with a big win over Wisconsin to take complete control of the Big Ten race with just two games left on the schedule. Tom Izzo can taste his 11th regular season conference championship.

2. Michigan Wolverines

• Records: 22-7 overall, 14-4 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 29; NET: No. 25
• Last week: Defeated Nebraska 49-46; Defeated Rutgers 84-82; Lost to Illinois 93-73.
• This week: vs. Maryland on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); at Michigan State on Sunday at noon ET (TV: CBS).
• The skinny: Should Michigan fall because of a blowout loss on its home court? Maybe. But you also can't ignore an entire body of work. Yes, there are still some flaws for this Wolverines team, but they've managed to win a lot of close games this season and still have a shot to win a league title in Dusty May's first season. That's pretty impressive. Michigan may have the toughest final week of the season, hosting Maryland before playing Michigan State in East Lansing in the season finale.

3. Wisconsin Badgers

• Records: 22-7 overall, 12-6 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 10; NET: No. 14
• Last week: Defeated Washington 88-62; Lost to Michigan State 71-62.
• This week: at Minnesota on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); vs. Penn State on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
• The skinny: When the 3-point shot isn't falling, Wisconsin has struggled. That's what happened in recent losses to Oregon and Michigan State. But it's been such a key part of this team's offense that they're not just going to abandon that strategy. John Tonje has been really good at getting to the basket and drawing contact this season, so if he's struggling with that aspect of his game, he needs to put an emphasis on driving and trying to get points at the rim or free throw line.

4. Purdue Boilermakers

• Records: 20-9 overall, 12-6 in Big Ten
• .Rankings: KenPom: No. 16; NET: No. 17
• Last week: Defeated UCLA 76-66.
• This week: vs. Rutgers on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); at Illinois on Friday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: A four-game losing skid came to an end Friday night. Thanks to strong efforts from Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, Purdue was able to beat UCLA and maybe regain some momentum entering the final stretch of the season. The Boilermakers can't three-peat as Big Ten champions, but they can still have strong runs in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments if they can get back to playing their aggressive style of defense.

5. Maryland Terrapins

• Records: 22-7 overall, 12-6 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 14; NET: No. 12
• Last week: Lost to Michigan State 58-55; Defeated Penn State 68-64.
• This week: at Michigan on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); vs. Northwestern on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
• The skinny: Maybe Ja'Kobi Gillespie's final shot against Michigan State went up a little too early, but we'll chalk up that loss to a little bit of bad luck, as well. The Terrapins are still playing some of their best basketball right now, having won five of their last six games. In those five wins, they're averaging 86 points per game — a pretty solid mark.

6. UCLA Bruins

• Records: 20-9 overall, 11-7 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 27; NET: No. 27
• Last week: Lost to Purdue 76-66.
• This week: at Northwestern on Monday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); vs. USC on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: The Eastern Time Zone has continued to haunt UCLA. Although they battled with Purdue in Mackey Arena, a five-minute scoring drought in the second half against the Boilermakers proved costly for the Bruins. It was a tough loss for a team that was hoping to earn a top-four seed in the Big Ten Tournament and secure a double-bye. UCLA isn't quite out of that picture yet, but it'll have to win out and need some help.

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

• Records: 19-11 overall, 11-8 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 19; NET: No. 16
• Last week: Defeated Iowa 81-61; Defeated Michigan 93-73.
• This week: vs. Purdue on Friday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: We've seen the best version of Illinois over the last two games. The Fighting Illini pummeled Iowa because of the turnover differential and drowned Michigan with a wave of 3-pointers. Yes, the Fighting Illini have been inconsistent, but they also showed how dangerous they can be when they're firing on all cylinders. And here's the really good news: Illinois only has one game remaining, hosting Purdue before the start of the Big Ten Tournament. A team plagued by illness and injury gets a lot of rest time over the next two weeks.

8. Indiana Hoosiers

• Records: 18-11 overall, 9-9 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 43; NET: No. 55
• Last week: Defeated Penn State 83-78; Defeated Washington 78-62.
• This week: at Oregon on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); vs. Ohio State on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET (TV: CBS).
• The skinny: Welcome back to the NCAA Tournament conversation, Indiana. The Hoosiers are on a three-game winning streak and now own wins over Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State — two of those coming on the road. Production is coming from a number of places, including Luke Goode, Oumar Ballo, Trey Galloway and others. Does Mike Woodson have his team heating up at the right time? Tuesday's game against Oregon now has major implications for IU.

9. Oregon Ducks

• Records: 21-8 overall, 10-8 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 33; NET: No. 31
• Last week: Defeated USC 82-61.
• This week: vs. Indiana on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); at Washington on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Oregon has really seemed to figure something out over the last few weeks. The Ducks now have a five-game winning streak and have a chance to end the regular season with seven straight victories with wins over Indiana and Washington. During this latest stretch, Oregon has leaned heavily on Nate Bittle, Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jackson Shelstad, and all three have delivered.

10. Ohio State Buckeyes

• Records: 16-13 overall, 8-10 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 32; NET: No. 36
• Last week: Defeated USC 87-82.
• This week: vs. Nebraska on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); at Indiana on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET (TV: CBS).
• The skinny: If Ohio State wants to get a seat at the NCAA Tournament table, it's going to have to get wins over Nebraska and Indiana in its next two games. Otherwise, there's a good shot the Buckeyes have their bubble burst. This team has battled consistency issues since the start of the year. Right now, though, it's crunch time in Columbus. We'll see how Jake Diebler's team responds with the season on the line.

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Records: 17-12 overall, 7-11 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 52; NET: No. 57
• Last week: Lost to Michigan 49-46; Lost to Minnesota 67-65.
• This week: at Ohio State on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); vs. Iowa on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: Streaky might be the most appropriate word to use for Nebraska this season. The Huskers had a six-game losing streak in January, followed up by a run where they won five-of-six contests. Now, Fred Hoiberg's team is back on the losing side having dropped three consecutive games. A loss to Minnesota was devastating to Nebraska's postseason hopes, but it's not out of the race just yet. The Huskers really need someone other than Juwan Gary and Brice Williams to step up, though.

12. Northwestern Wildcats

• Records: 16-13 overall, 7-11 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 47; NET: No. 54
• Last week: Defeated Minnsota 75-63; Defeated Iowa 68-57.
• This week: vs. UCLA on Monday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); at Maryland on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
• The skinny: Give Northwestern a lot of credit, despite season-ending injuries to two key players, Chris Collins' team continues to fight and has now won three straight games. The play of Nick Martinelli has been instrumental in that recent success, but so too has KJ Windham's recent contributions. In Northwestern's last three games, Windham has averaged 14.3 points per game. He's averaging less than 5.0 points per game for the season.

13. Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Records: 15-14 overall, 7-11 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 89; NET: No. 93
• Last week: Lost to Northwestern 75-63; Defeated Nebraska 67-65.
• This week: vs. Wisconsin on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); at Rutgers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Minnesota continues to prove itself as one of the sneakier teams in the Big Ten. The Gophers are 7-5 in conference play after an 0-6 start to the year. That includes wins over Michigan, Oregon, UCLA and now Nebraska. Can Minnesota continue to play spoiler as the season winds down?

14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• Records: 14-15 overall, 7-11 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 69; NET: No. 72
• Last week: Lost to Michigan 84-82.
• This week: at Purdue on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); vs. Minnesota on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Well, a last-second shot from Nimari Burnett buried Rutgers' hopes of an impressive road win over Michigan last week, which would have been the signature victory for the Scarlet Knights this season. There's not much else to say that hasn't already been said about this team.

15. USC Trojans

• Records: 14-15 overall, 6-12 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 62; NET: No. 76
• Last week: Lost to Ohio State 87-82; Lost to Oregon 82-61.
• This week: vs. Washington on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); at UCLA on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: Not long ago, USC looked like a potentially dangerous team in the Big Ten. But over the last three weeks, the Trojans have dropped five straight games, losing three of those by 10 points or more. Defense has really been an issue in those games, allowing 82 points or more in four of those five losses. Now, entering the final week of the season, USC finds itself in a battle for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

16. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Records: 15-14 overall, 6-12 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 73; NET: No. 67
• Last week: Lost to Illinois 81-61; Lost to Northwestern 68-57.
• This week: vs. Michigan State on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); at Nebraska on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: Typically, defense is the concern when it comes to the Hawkeyes. But it's been the offense that's been clunky in the last two games, averaging just 59 points in losses to Illinois and Northwestern last week. This is a team that's really limping to the finish line.

17. Penn State Nittany Lions

• Records: 15-15 overall, 5-14 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 64; NET: No. 66
• Last week: Lost to Indiana 83-78; Lost to Maryland 68-64.
• This week: at Wisconsin on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
• The skinny: When it's all said and done, Mike Rhoades might look back at this season as a "what could have been" year. Penn State has endured its fair share of blowout losses, but it's also lost nine Big Ten games by six points or less. This team just hasn't performed well in those high-pressure situations, and it has them on the outside looking in of the Big Ten Tournament.

18. Washington Huskies

• Records: 13-16 overall, 4-14 in Big Ten
• Rankings: KenPom: No. 104; NET: No. 106
• Last week: Lost to Wisconsin 88-62; Lost to Indiana 78-62.
• This week: at USC on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); vs. Oregon on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Neither of Washington's games last week were competitive, losing by 26 points to Wisconsin and 16 to Indiana. The Huskies have now lost four straight games.