Where Purdue Falls in Big Ten Basketball Standings With Two Weeks Remaining
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Purdue may not reach its preseason goal of winning a Big Ten championship this season, but it still has an opportunity to finish high in the league standings and give itself a shot to win the conference tournament next month.
Last week, Purdue went 1-1 in Big Ten play, losing a 91-80 game to No. 1 Michigan and defeating Indiana 93-64. The Boilermakers are now 12-4 in the conference with four games remaining in the regular season.
Right now, Purdue is in a tie for third place in the conference standings, along with Nebraska and Michigan State. The Boilermakers won the head-to-head against the Huskers 80-77. They will play the Spartans on Thursday.
Michigan is in the driver's seat right now, owning a 15-1 record in league play. Illinois is a half-game ahead of Purdue at 13-4, but won the head-to-head game 88-82 last month.
Here's a complete look at the conference standings with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Big Ten standings (Feb. 23, 2026)
1. Michigan Wolverines (15-1)
2. Illinois Fighting Illini (13-4)
T-3. Purdue Boilermakers (12-4)
T-3. Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-4)
T-3. Michigan State Spartans (12-4)
6. Wisconsin Badgers (11-5)
7. UCLA Bruins (10-6)
T-8. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-7)
T-8. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-7)
10. Indiana Hoosiers (8-8)
11. USC Trojans (7-9)
12. Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-10)
13. Washington Huskies (5-11)
T-14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-12)
T-14. Maryland Terrapins (4-12)
T-16. Northwestern Wildcats (3-13)
T-16. Oregon Ducks (3-13)
18. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-15)
What's the 2026 Big Ten Tournament format?
Last year, the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament featured the teams that finished in the top 15 of the conference standings. That has changed this year, as all 18 teams from the league will be included.
It may be a little over-the-top, but that's how this year's tournament will operate.
Games will begin on Tuesday, Marc 10, with the No. 16 and No. 17 seeds playing each other, as well as the No. 15 and No. 18 seeds squaring off. The top eight seeds won't play until Thursday, March 12 and the top four seeds will be off until Friday, March 13.
You can see the full bracket via the Big Ten Conference's website.
For Purdue to put itself in the best position possible to win the Big Ten Tournament, it would love to finish inside the top four spots to receive, essentially, a triple bye.
The Boilermakers close out their regular season with games against Michigan State, Ohio State, Northwestern and Wisconsin. If they win out, they will finish in the top three of the Big Ten standings.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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