Big Ten basketball power rankings: Michigan, Wisconsin take top two spots

Michigan Wolverines basketball sits atop the Big Ten standings and has been the most impressive team in the league thus far. Wisconsin has also made a move, sitting No. 2 in this edition of our power rankings.

These rankings (attempt to) strike the balance of properly weighing recent performances more heavily than ones in the distant past, while not overreacting to one or two results, with the acknowledgment that Big Ten play is a grind, and there’s a lot of parity in the league.

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1. Michigan (20-5 overall, 12-2 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 2nd (+1)
Last week: vs. Purdue (W, 75-73), at Ohio State (W, 86-83)
This week: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 21)

Michigan just keeps on winning close — with its last seven victories coming by four points or fewer — and the operative word there is ‘winning.’

The Wolverines are in the driver’s seat to win the Big Ten regular-season championship, but that’s not to say there’s not a lot of fight left. There’s a long way to go, but the Wolverines have been the most impressive team in the conference. They’re the only Big Ten team to be undefeated at home, and they’ve already won six conference road tilts.

Michigan notched two signature victories, beating Purdue and Ohio State, in a week that appears to be a building block for what head coach Dusty May is building.

2. Wisconsin (20-5 overall, 10-4 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 5th (+3)
Last week: at Purdue (W, 94-84)
This week: vs. Illinois (Feb. 18), vs. Oregon (Feb. 22)

Wisconsin had the most impressive win of the week, beating Purdue 94-84 behind unstoppable offense. Literally, Purdue couldn’t get a stop — Wisconsin shot 20-of-22 on twos, made 12 threes and only turned the ball over 3 times to total 1.44 points per possession.

The Badgers have the sixth-best offense in America, per Kenpom, and have scored over 1.1 points per play in seven of their last eight games. The Badgers also have the fourth-best defense in the league during the conference season.

Wisconsin is 12-2 in its last 14 games and playing as well as anybody in America at the moment.

3. Purdue (19-7 overall, 11-4 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 1st (-2)
Last week: at Michigan (L, 75-73), vs. Wisconsin (94-84)
This week: at Michigan State (Feb. 18), at Indiana (Feb. 23)

Purdue had one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten before last week, and it’s not a huge surprise that it suffered a couple losses based on what was on the docket. The Boilermakers were in the unenviable situation of going to Michigan and then hosting a red-hot Wisconsin team.

The Boilers are still in the mix for a Big Ten title, but they are no longer on top of these rankings.

4. Michigan State (20-5 overall, 11-3 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 3rd (-1)
Last week: vs. Indiana (L, 71-67), at Illinois (W, 79-65)
This week: vs. Purdue (Feb. 18), at Michigan (Feb. 21)

Michigan State had lost three of its previous four games before notching an impressive victory at Illinois Saturday, forcing 19-straight missed field goal attempts by the Fighting Illini to take control of the game late.

The loss to Indiana was troubling, though. The Spartans had a tough time with the 2-3 zone, and head man Tom Izzo called it “one of the worst losses I’ve had.”

Michigan State was cruising until hitting a four-game bump in the road. The response is what’s more important, though, and that was a huge one in Champaign.

5. Maryland (20-6 overall, 10-5 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 4th (-1)
Last week: at Nebraska (W, 83-75), vs. Iowa (W, 101-75)
This week: vs. USC (Feb. 20)

Maryland is one of the most dangerous teams in the Big Ten, a group nobody wants to see at this point. Freshman forward Derik Queen is really hitting his stride, averaging 23.7 points per game over his last three, in addition to the back court being stellar. The Terrapins don’t have any depth, but we’re not sure how much it matters given how well they’ve played.

6. UCLA (19-7 overall, 10-5 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 6th (—)
Last week: at Illinois (L, 83-78), at Indiana (W, 72-68)
This week: vs. Minnesota (Feb. 18), vs. Ohio State (Feb. 23)

UCLA can’t be faulted for losing reasonably close at Illinois and gutting out a win over Indiana. However, the Bruins are only 1-4 in Big Ten games not played on the West Coast. The Indiana victory was the first time they had proven they can win in a truly hostile environment.

The Bruins have established themselves as a top-third in the Big Ten team, but they still have a lot to prove.

7. Illinois (17-9 overall, 9-7 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 7th (—)
Last week: vs. UCLA (W, 83-78), vs. Michigan State (L, 79-65)
This week: at Wisconsin (Feb. 18), vs. Duke in New York (Feb. 22)

Illinois is due for a loss a week, and it fell at home against Michigan State Saturday night, despite holding a 16-point lead in the first half. Beating UCLA was what they needed, but the Illini already have seven conference losses.

The road doesn’t get much easier. Here are Illinois’ final five regular-season games: at Wisconsin, vs. Duke at Madison Square Garden, vs. Iowa, at Michigan, vs. Purdue. Scheduling that game against the Blue Devils is looking like a bit of a mistake at this point.

8. Ohio State (15-11 overall, 7-8 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 8th (—)
Last week: vs. Washington (W, 93-69), vs. Michigan (L, 86-83)
This week: vs. Northwestern (Feb. 20), at UCLA (Feb. 23)

Ohio State took care of business by blowing out Washington and played really well offensively against Michigan. The Buckeyes are a tough matchup for just about anyone, and they have a good chance of ending the season on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

9. Nebraska (17-9 overall, 7-8 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 9th (—)
Last week: vs. Maryland (L, 83-75), at Northwestern (W, 68-64)
This week: at Penn State (Feb. 19)

Nebraska’s home loss to Maryland wasn’t an indictment on the Cornhuskers — it spoke to how impressive the Terrapins have been. Nebraska went to Northwestern and beat a short-handed Wildcats team.

Given that Nebraska started off 2-7 in Big Ten play, it’s amazing that they’re projected to be in the NCAA Tournament. These last few weeks have been beyond impressive. This is a good ball club.

10. Oregon (18-8 overall, 7-8 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 11th (+1)
Last week: vs. Northwestern (W, 81-75), vs. Rutgers (W, 75-57)
This week: at Iowa (Feb. 19), at Wisconsin (Feb. 22)

Oregon went through a brutal stretch with five-straight losses, and now has won two in a row. It’s hard to pinpoint any reason other than the schedule lightening up for the difference, though. The Ducks have been playing better offensively lately, but the jury is out on how good they are.

11. Indiana (15-11 overall, 6-9 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 13th (+2)
Last week: at Michigan State (W, 71-67), vs. UCLA (L, 72-68)
This week: vs. Purdue (Feb. 23)

Nobody envisioned that Indiana would knock off Michigan State in East Lansing, but that’s what head coach Mike Woodson‘s group did.

Indiana isn’t a bad team. It’s a mediocre one that’s played an incrdibly tough schedule over the last few weeks, and that’s Woodson’s problem. They’ve been this most of his tenure there, which is why he’s moving on after this season.

12. USC (14-11 overall, 6-8 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 10th (-2)
Last week: vs. Penn State (W, 92-67), vs. Minnesota (L, 69-66)
This week: at Maryland (Feb. 20), at Rutgers (Feb. 23)

USC is the Big Ten team capable of beating opponents in the top third of the league but also prone to falling to one in the bottom third, such as Minnesota. That’s a bad loss on their home floor, but there was no environment in the building, an issue with some of the West Coast teams.

Point guard Desmond Claude was out for two games but is back in the lineup. That’ll give them a chance each night. The dismal shooting, though, opens the door for any sort of loss.

13. Rutgers (12-14 overall, 5-10 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 12th (-1)
Last week: vs. Iowa (L, 84-73), at Oregon (L, 75-57)
This week: at Washington (Feb. 19), vs. USC (Feb. 23)

Rutgers has two of the most talented players in the conference and country in guard Dylan Harper and wing Ace Bailey, but they’re freshmen without a lot of pieces around them. The Scarlet Knights are starting to fall apart, losing three in a row, with the home setback to Iowa being the worst of them.

14. Minnesota (13-12 overall, 5-9 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 14th (—)
Last week: at USC (W, 69-66)
This week: at UCLA (Feb. 18), vs. Penn State (Feb. 22)

Minnesota’s road trip to Los Angeles is already somewhat of a success, even before Tuesday’s game against UCLA. The Golden Gophers have shown a bit more upside (winning over Michigan, Oregon and at USC) than some of the other teams at the bottom of the league.

15. Washington (13-12 overall, 4-11 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 17th (+2)
Last week: at Ohio State (L, 93-69), at Penn State (W, 75-73)
This week: vs. Rutgers (Feb. 19), at Iowa (Feb. 22)

Washington picked up a big win over Penn State in the context of trying to make the 15-team Big Ten Tournament field. The Huskies have a manageable schedule the rest of the way.

16. Iowa (14-10 overall, 5-8 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 18th (+2)
Last week: at Rutgers (W, 84-73), at Maryland (L, 101-75)
This week: vs. Oregon (Feb. 19), vs. Washington (83-76)

Head coach Fran McCaffery started tearing up in his postgame interview following the win at Rutgers. It’s been a trying season for the Hawkeyes, who were in the game at Maryland Sunday night but got blown out late. The Hawkeyes play absolutely no defense.

17. Northwestern (13-13 overall, 4-11 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 15th
Last week: at Oregon (L, 81-75), vs. Nebraska (L, 68-64)
This week: at Ohio state (Feb. 20), at Minnesota (Feb. 25)

There’s no surprise that Northwestern has fallen off after suffering season-ending injuries to two of its top players, Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach. The Wildcats are going to be hard pressed to win more than one more game the rest of the way.

18. Penn State (13-13 overall, 3-12 Big Ten)

Previous ranking: 16th (-2)
Last week: at USC (L, 92-67), vs. Washington (75-73)
This week: vs. Nebraska (Feb. 19), at Minnesota (Feb. 22)

Penn State, you are the new worst team in the league. The Nittany Lions have lost seven in a row, including at home to Washington, and just have no life. How did they beat Purdue in December?