Big Ten basketball power rankings: Who's really the best team in the conference?

Michigan Wolverines basketball is one of the best teams in the Big Ten, but who else is in the mix? We rank all 18 teams in the first version of the conference power rankings this season.

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.

Here are the Big Ten teams ranked 1-18.

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1. Michigan State (17-2 overall, 8-0 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Rutgers (W, 81-74)
This week: vs. Minnesota (Jan. 28), at USC (Feb. 1)

Michigan State has won 12-straight games, owning the nation’s second-longest active win streak, yet nobody’s sure exactly how good head coach Tom Izzo‘s group is. The Spartans have played the easiest Big Ten schedule, according to Kenpom, with conference victories over just one team currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament — Illinois.

There’s something to be said about winning with numbing repetition, though, and that’s what MSU has done. For now, they have to feel the best about themselves. The road gets much tougher in February, and we’ll find out more about them.

2. Purdue (16-5 overall, 8-2 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Ohio State (L, 73-70), vs. Michigan (W, 91-64)
This week: vs. Indiana (Jan. 31)

Minus a bad second half against Ohio State that led to a 73-70 loss at Mackey Arena, the Boilermakers’ first setback in their home gym in 27 games, Purdue has been very good.

The loss to the Buckeyes was fluky, too. Purdue recorded 30 points off of turnovers, a number rarely seen for a team that didn’t win the game. They also missed a bunch of looks they normally make. Case in point: junior point guard Braden Smith shot 3-of-14 from the field.

The Boilermakers’ impressive 91-64 win over Michigan Friday night give them a case to be the No. 1 team in the conference at this point, but it’s too hard to put them over the Spartans since they’ve lost to Ohio State and Penn State, two teams MSU took care of.

3. Michigan (14-5 overall, 6-2 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Northwestern (W, 80-76), at Purdue (L, 91-64)
This week: vs. Penn State (Jan. 27), at Rutgers (Feb. 1)

Michigan is in a funk, losing two of three games, falling at Minnesota (84-81 in overtime) and at Purdue (91-64), with an overtime win over Northwestern (80-76) sandwiched in between.

The Wolverines have looked top-10 good when they were rolling, but the defense has slipped, the turnover problems have persisted and the patented 4-5 ball screen is being keyed on by opponents. Monday night’s game against Penn State is huge.

4. Wisconsin (16-4 overall, 6-3 Big Ten)

Last week: at UCLA (L, 85-83), vs. Nebraska (W, 83-55)
This week: at Maryland (Jan. 29), at Northwestern (Feb. 1)

Wisconsin has gotten its mojo back, but it could be a product of the schedule more than anything else. The Badgers have won eight of their last nine games after a three-game losing skid in early December, with setbacks to Michigan (67-64), Marquette (88-74) and Illinois (86-80). Their best victory in this recent stretch was by two points to Ohio State.

The Badgers look the part of a team that can make a run in March, with solid guard play, a dynamic wing in John Tonje and efficient big men.

5. Maryland (16-5 overall, 6-4 Big Ten)

Last week: at Illinois (W, 91-70), at Indiana (W, 79-78)
This week: vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 29)

Maryland is on the rise following a signature week. The Terrapins were 4-20 in Big Ten road games under third-year head coach Kevin Willard until they stunned Illinois (91-70) and beat Indiana with a game-winning triple by Rodney Rice with under 10 seconds to go (79-78).

Willard’s crew has some really nice pieces. Belmont transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a bucket, Rice was a great addition from Virginia Tech and the big man duo of Derik Queen and Julian Reese is strong.

6. Illinois (14-6 overall, 6-4 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Maryland (L, 91-70), vs. Northwestern (W, 83-74)
This week: at Nebraska (Jan. 30), vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2)

Illinois is in an interesting predicament: The Fighting Illini have looked like the best team in the league at times, and they still might be, but they’re not playing like it lately.

Head coach Brad Underwood‘s group has lost three of its last five games, falling to USC (82-72), Michigan State (80-78) and Maryland (91-70).

Context is important, though. Star point guard Kasparas Jakucionis played just 10 minutes at Michigan State due to foul trouble, and there were some questionable calls. Now, 7-foot-1 big Tomislav Ivisic is out with mono, and other players have dealt with illness, contributing to the stunning blowout loss to Maryland at the State Farm Center.

“We’ve been really sick, so we’ve had some really disjointed practices,” Underwood said before the game.

Illinois began the process of getting back on track with a 83-74 win over Northwestern that was more lopsided than the final score indicates. The Fighting Illini can dart back up these rankings if they get healthier and play to their potential.

7. UCLA (14-6 overall, 5-4 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Wisconsin (W, 85-83), at Washington (W, 65-60)
This week: at USC (Jan. 27), vs. Oregon (71-68)

Head coach Mick Cronin started the new year with four-straight losses, and he complained about travel, the Big Ten schedule and his players not being physical enough. The Bruins have responded with three-consecutive victories, though, beating Iowa (94-70), Wisconsin (85-83) and Washington (65-50).

UCLA gets the nod over Oregon since it won the first head-to-head battle back in December, 73-71 in Eugene.

8. Oregon (16-4 overall, 5-4 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Washington (W, 82-71), at Minnesota (L, 77-69)
This week: at UCLA (Jan. 30), vs. Nebraska (Feb. 2)

Just when a pecking order started to come together, Minnesota decided to get up off the mat, and Maryland decided to ruin the days of some traditional Big Ten powers. The Gophers beat Oregon (77-69) in the middle of a busy day of basketball on Saturday, and now the Ducks have lost not only all of their tough Big Ten games other than beating Maryland, but they’ve lost one they shouldn’t have.

9. USC (12-7 overall, 4-4 Big Ten)

Last week: at Nebraska (W, 78-73)
This week: vs. UCLA (Jan. 27), at Michigan State (Feb. 1)

Back in December, USC had the look of a pushover in the Big Ten, but it’s no such thing anymore. Head coach Eric Musselman‘s team is building an identity as a tough-shot-making, great defensive rebounding squad led by good guard play. Desmond Claude, Wesley Yates and Saint Thomas have stepped up in the back court — and this team has become fun to watch.

10. Ohio State (11-8 overall, 3-5 Big Ten)

Last week: at Purdue (W, 73-70)
This week: vs. Iowa (Jan. 27), at Penn State (Jan. 30), at Illinois (Feb. 2)

Ohio State turns the ball over a lot, isn’t a good shooting team and slows the game down. Yet they can get hot and beat a team like Purdue at Mackey, one of the best wins of the Big Ten season to date. They get the slight nod over some of the other mediocre teams in the league.

11. Minnesota (11-9 overall, 3-6 Big Ten)

Last week: at Iowa (W, 72-67), vs. Oregon (77-69)
This week: at Michigan State (Jan. 28), vs. Washington (Feb. 1)

One doesn’t just waltz into The Barn and get a win. Well, at least not anymore. Minnesota has beaten Michigan (84-81 in overtime) and Oregon (77-69) at its home venue lately, after an 0-6 start in Big Ten play. The Gophers have won three in a row, also topping Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye, 72-67.

Forward Dawson Garcia has always been the team’s heartbeat, but he’s also on a heater right now, averaging 24.2 points per game over his last five contests. He put up 31 in the win over Oregon and nailed the game-winning shot at the buzzer versus Michigan.

12. Northwestern (12-8 overall, 3-6 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Indiana (W, 79-70), at Illinois (L, 83-74)
This week: vs. Rutgers (Jan. 29), vs. Wisconsin (Feb. 1)

Northwestern isn’t easy to play. The Wildcats want to muck the game up by playing slow and with great physicality. They’re a tricky out, but most opponents have been able to conquer them. The overtime win over Illinois in December carries quite a bit of wight, as does the overtime victory over Maryland Jan. 16, but there’s not much else on the résumé.

13. Indiana (14-7 overall, 14-7 overall, 5-5 Big Ten)

Last week: at Northwestern (L, 79-70), vs. Maryland (L, 79-78)
This week: at Purdue (Jan. 31)

So far, it’s been a disappointing fourth season for head coach Mike Woodson, who’s firmly on the hot seat as February approaches. The Hoosiers have lost four of five games, with the lone win in that stretch coming in overtime at Ohio State. Including non-conference play, they’ve beaten only two teams that rank in the top 50 on Kenpom: the Buckeyes (30th) and Penn State (45th).

The Rice game-winner for Maryland Sunday was just the latest meltdown-inducing moment for a fan base starving for relevance.

14. Penn State (13-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Rutgers (W, 80-72), at Iowa (L, 84-76)
This week: at Michigan (Jan. 27), vs. Ohio State (Jan. 30)

Penn State beat Purdue in State College in December, but only has three Big Ten wins, the others being over Northwestern and Rutgers. The Nittany Lions had one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the nation and really only win when their aggressive style of defense leads to loads of turnovers. Still, there are worse teams in the league.

15. Rutgers (10-10 overall, 3-6 Big Ten)

Last week: at Penn State (L, 80-72), vs. Michigan State (L, 81-74)
This week: at Northwestern (Jan. 29), vs. Michigan (Feb. 1)

Beating Penn State and UCLA at home are solid victories, but Rutgers has had a tough time despite possessing high-end freshman talent in guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey. The Scarlet Knights have more sizzle than years past, but their defense, rebounding and finishing ability aren’t up to the standard of a Steve Pikiell team.

16. Iowa (13-7 overall, 4-5 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. Minnesota (L, 72-67), vs. Penn State (W, 76-75)
This week: at Ohio State (Jan. 27)

Just wait: Iowa is going to get hot and beat somebody it’s not supposed to. It might even make a run in the Big Ten Tournament, should it get into the 15-team field. But right now, it’s not playing great basketball. The Hawkeyes were swept on their Los Angeles swing, losing to USC (99-89) and UCLA (94-70) by a combined 34 points, before coming home to lose to Minnesota. The Hawkeyes did bounce back with a tight win over Penn State Friday night.

17. Nebraska (12-8 overall, 2-7 Big Ten)

Last week: vs. USC (L, 78-73), at Wisconsin (L, 83-55)
This week: vs. Illinois (Jan. 30), at Oregon (Feb. 2)

When Nebraska beat UCLA 66-58 on Jan. 4, the Cornhuskers looked like they’d be a tough out, especially at home. That result likely had more to do with where UCLA was at the time, however. The Cornhuskers have lost six-straight games, including two in Lincoln. The schedule gets even tougher going forward.

18. Washington (10-10 overall, 1-8 Big Ten)

Last week: at Oregon (L, 82-71), vs. UCLA (L, 65-60)
This week: at Minnesota (Feb. 1)

Washington is also a loser of six-consecutive games, but the schedule has admittedly been brutal. The Huskies have just one win over top-50 teams on Kenpom: over Maryland (21st).