All Badgers

Wisconsin has delivered the Big Ten's lone major upset. Are others going to come?

Five times have separated themselves from the rest, with the second tier of the Big Ten Power Rankings being a jumbled mess.
Benjamin Worgull|
Wisconsin guard John Blackwell (25), center right, celebrates 91-88 win over Michigan at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.
Wisconsin guard John Blackwell (25), center right, celebrates 91-88 win over Michigan at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Five Big Ten teams ranked in the top 11 of this week's Associated Press poll, two more than any other school, showing the high-end talent at the top end of the conference. The rest of the league, however, is fighting over scraps.

Saturday had a nearly full slate of Big Ten games, with 16 of the 18 league teams in action. Some games were closer than others, but the bottom line was the results went as the oddsmakers mostly projected. Seven of the favorites won with the only exception being Indiana (-1.5) losing to an Iowa team currently rated 18 spots higher than them in KenPom.

With each team more than a third of the way through the conference season, upsets have been rare. UCLA was a 5.5-point underdog before getting its signature victory against Purdue, but the Bruins were playing at home. Only Wisconsin (+18.5) has delivered a seismic upset this season when it knocked off No.2 Michigan on the road. Will there be others by teams in the middle of the pack that would add a signature win to their resume, or is the high concentration of talent at the top of the conference too much for the teams outside the top tier to compete with?

One thing is for certain, with the impact of the transfer portal on rosters and NIL, teams are developing at a slower pace than in past years. So, while the first three months of the season have been fairly predictable, who knows what team is going to deliver the next shocking result.

Here is week 12 of the Big Ten Power Rankings.

1, Michigan Wolverines (17-1, 7-1) Previous: 1

After scoring at least 89 points for nine straight games, the Wolverines haven't hit that number in five straight contests. Other than losing to Wisconsin, Michigan hasn't needed the scoring pop with how its leaned on its defense. The Wolverines have held three straight opponents to 71.7 points on their newest winning streak, including the Hoosiers to 40 percent Tuesday in a game where Indiana didn't score until 5:41 into the contest.

Michigan remains the only team in the country ranked in the top five in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.

Up Next: Friday vs. Ohio State

2, Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-0, 8-0) Previous: 3

The last unbeaten team in the Big Ten and one of three left in the country, the Huskers got at least 20 points from Bryce Sandfort for the third straight game and overcame an injury to second-leading scorer Braden Frager to knock off Washington by 10 at home Wednesday.

Nebraska's streak will be put to the test in the next week, with all eyes being on its Tuesday game at No.2 Michigan in the only regular-season meeting between the two schools.

Up Next: Saturday at Minnesota

3, Purdue Boilermakers (17-2, 7-1) Previous: 2

The Boilermakers have a dominant frontcourt that is 24.4 points and 16.8 rebounds per game, an All-American point guard, and so many critical role players that elevate them on both ends of the floor. Then why has Purdue looked off?

After struggling with Penn State and Iowa at home, Purdue needed a steal and layup from Braden Smith with 22 seconds left to starve off USC in front of a strong Boilermakers crowd. They weren't as fortunate against UCLA, failing to make clutch plays down the stretch and not scoring in the final 1:56 to end a nine-game win streak.

There's no chance for a reset, which Purdue playing its first ranked Big Ten team of the season.

Up Next: Saturday vs. No.14 Illinois

4, Michigan State Spartans (17-2, 7-1) Previous: 4

The Spartans went 2-0 on their road trip to the Pacific Northwest, holding the Huskies and the Ducks to a season-low point total. Part of it was due to key personnel being absent, but that'd be selling the Spartans' impressive defense short. A positive sign for the offense was two different scorers led the team in scoring - Jeremy Fears Jr. scoring 19 against Washington and Carson Cooper contributing 19 of his own against the Ducks.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Maryland

5, Illinois Fighting Illini (16-3, 7-1) Previous: 5

Illinois has won eight straight games and is starting to play with good synergy. Now, the Illini will be disjointed after guard Kylan Boswell will miss at least a month after breaking his right hand during Monday's practice. Boswell has been a big piece of the Illini since transferring from Arizona two years ago and a fixture of this year's starting lineup. Not only has he started all 18 games and average 14.53 points, but Boswell also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, while being one of the best defenders in the league.

An as fate would have it, Illinois will play three teams above them in the standings in the next two-plus weeks.

Up Next: Saturday at No.4 Purdue

6, Wisconsin Badgers (13-5, 5-2) Previous: 6

Wisconsin delivered one of the best halves of the season on Saturday, playing near perfect complimentary offense and defense in a dominant first half. The second half was the opposite, not being nearly as aggressive defensively and allowing Rutgers to find a rhythm and some confidence. Those lapses are what could ultimately cost Wisconsin if the Badgers don't get things tightened up, especially tonight against a Penn State team that has beaten them the last two years.

Up Next: Tonight at Penn State

7, Iowa Hawkeyes (14-5, 4-4) Previous: 8

The Hawkeyes halted a three-game losing skid with two impressive defensive performances, holding Indiana to 57 points in Assembly Hall and limiting Rutgers to 60 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Bennett Stirtz averaged 23.5 points in the wins, but Iowa's perimeter defense was the star, holding the two schools to a combined 11-for-42 from three-point range.

Up Next: Wednesday vs. USC

8, Ohio State Buckeyes (13-5, 5-3), Previous: 11

John Mobley Jr. rose to the occasion for the Buckeyes. In victories over two teams with similar postseason profiles, Mobley scored a career-high 28 points and knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers against the Bruins and added 25 and five threes in an overtime win against the Gophers.

Considering Bruce Thornton remains a consistent weapon - 22 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in the two games - and Devin Royal stepping up his scoring (19.0 ppg), Ohio State is starting to climb.

Up Next: Friday at No.3 Michigan

9, UCLA Bruins (13-6, 5-3) Previous: 9

Tyler Bilodeau wasn't going to let another opportunity slip by. UCLA's best player scored 30 points at Ohio State but got no help in a 12-point loss, but the senior forward got the perfect pass from point guard Donovan Dent to hit the game-winning three-pointer with eight seconds left to knock off Purdue, 69-68, in Westwood.

Dent had 23 points and 13 assists. UCLA scored the game's final eight points with Dent having a hand in six of them.

The Bruins' schedule hasn't been easy, playing five of their first seven league games on the road, which head coach Mick Cronin happily gripped about postgame instead of celebrating his team's first marquee win. Starting with the win, UCLA plays five of its next six at home with only a trip up to the coast to Oregon thrown in.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Northwestern

10, USC Trojans (14-5, 3-5) Previous: 7

Talk about a bad hangover. After the Trojans let a signature win opportunity slip away against Purdue, USC added a Quad-4 loss to its resume in a six-point home loss to Northwestern. USC shot 38 percent from the floor, 15 percent from three, and 60 percent from the line. Alijah Arenas made his long-awaited debut (knee injury) but was 3-for-15 from the field.

Up Next: Sunday at Wisconsin

11, Indiana Hoosiers (12-7, 3-5) Previous 10

The Hoosiers have lost four straight during a murderous stretch against four current ranked teams, including three in the top 25. The last three games haven't been really competitive. The Hoosiers scored a season-low 57 points at home to the Hawkeyes and began by missing their first 10 three-pointers and 14 of their first 15 shots to the Wolverines.

Good thing Indiana is a football school now.

Up Next: Friday at Rutgers

12, Minnesota Gophers (10-9, 3-5): Previous: 12

Knocking off Iowa and storming the court as it pushed its win streak to five games must seem like ages ago to the Gophers. After losing consecutive home heartbreakers to USC and Wisconsin, the Gophers led in the second half at Illinois before the Illini pulled away. Even more frustrating was Minnesota had three chances to win at Ohio State in regulation but saw Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (career-high 26 points) miss an and-1 free throw, guard Langston Reynolds saw a layup roll off the rim (with a potential goaltending not called), and Cade Tyson airballed a buzzer-beating three.

In overtime, the Gophers allowed the Buckeyes to score on seven of their eight possessions.

Next: Saturday vs. No.7 Nebraska

13, Washington Huskies (10-9, 2-6) Previous: 13

The Huskies can't catch a break and it has nothing to do with playing four top-15 opponents in 15 days. Washington finally gets 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Jacob Ognacevic (foot) on the floor, only to have guard Desmond Claude announce he's "stepping away from all on-court activities" due to health concerns. Claude's absence takes out a starter who was averaging 13.3 points per game.

Washington is getting points from Hannes Steinbach (he had his 11th double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Huskers) and Zoom Diallo added 18 points and six assists.

Still, having to use nine different starting lineups hurts the synergy.

Up Next: Saturday vs. Oregon

14, Northwestern Wildcats (9-10, 1-7) Previous: 15

Nick Martinelli's 15th 20-point game of the season finally yielded a conference triumph for the Wildcats, as he scored 17 in the second half to earn a six-point win at USC. Martinelli has scored at least 20 points in 10 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation, and was clutch down the stretch. He hit a baseline jumper to make it 67-63 with 2:14 remaining, only to then register a steal and pass to freshman Tyler Kropp (11 points in his collegiate start) for the layup. Northwestern stayed in firm control from that point forward.

Northwestern had lost nine straight games in conference play dating to last season and had lost six games this season by six points or less.

Up Next: Saturday at UCLA

15, Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-10, 2-6): Previous: 14

Rutgers shot 51.3 percent in the second half at Wisconsin but lost by nine because it dug itself a 26-point hole. The Scarlet Knights stayed in the Midwest and held Iowa to 68 points but cost itself a win with 19 turnovers. More shocking was Rutgers had three starters held scoreless, as Steve Pikiell played four reserves at least 20 minutes.

Up Next: Friday vs. Indiana

16, Maryland Terrapins (8-11, 1-7) Previous: 18

The Terrapins got off the snide thanks to David Coit tying a Maryland record with 43 points in a 23-point blowout over Penn State. The Kansas transfer scored 73 points in two games but was only 5-for-15 in a 19-point loss at Illinois Wednesday.

Up Next: Saturday at No.10 Michigan State

17, Oregon Ducks (8-11, 1-7) Previous: 16

There's no relief in sight for Dana Altman's group. Senior center Nate Bittle and his 16.3 points per game is going to be out at least a month with an ankle injury suffered in last week's loss to Nebraska. Jackson Shelstad, who was averaging 15.6 points, has not played since he injured his hand in a game against Omaha on Dec. 28 and appears likely to miss the rest of the season.

Up Next: Sunday at Washington

18, Penn State Nittany Lions (9-9, 0-7) Previous: 17

Penn State delivered a 25-5 run in the second half against the Terrapins. The problem was even that couldn't get the Nittany Lions to within single digits because they were down a whopping 30 points at halftime. Penn State has a young roster that is banged up, not a good combination in the rugged Big Ten.

Next: Tonight vs. Wisconsin

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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