Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings 1/9/23

Power Rankings

14) Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Gophers dropped to 6-8, but they played competitively in losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska. They will, at some point upset somebody in the Big Ten, but they will almost surely stay last all year in these Rankings!

Minnesota vs Wisconsin Basketball Game Highlights 1 3 2023

13) Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Cornhuskers got a hard-fought road win against Minnesota, and the Cornhuskers have a solid team. The issue right now is consistency, and until they find that, they will be a dangerous team to play with and nothing else.

Nebraska vs Minnesota Basketball Game Highlights 1 7 2023

12) Maryland Terrapins

After five straight losses against power conference teams, Maryland got a much-needed win on Sunday over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ohio State at Maryland | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | 1/8/2023

11) Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions lost a tough one at Michigan earlier in the week, and then they could not hold off Purdue after gaining a halftime advantage. Indiana vs Penn State this week is a massive game for both teams.

Purdue at Penn State | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | 1/8/2023

10) Michigan Wolverines

Michigan saw its two-game win streak snapped against rival Michigan State on Saturday, but they did pick up a nice win over Penn State earlier in the week.

Penn State vs Michigan Basketball Game Highlights 1 4 2023

9) Indiana Hoosiers

The preseason Big Ten favorites have fallen on tough times as injury has hurt this team’s ability to get wins. Trayce Jackson Davis showed incredible toughness on Sunday, playing through a back injury and giving the Hoosiers a chance of winning the game. But sloppy ball handling doomed the Hoosiers in a one-point loss to Northwestern. The Hoosiers, even with injuries, have plenty of talent to win, but they need to find the right combination of players to put on the court quickly before the season gets out of hand.

Northwestern at Indiana | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | 1/8/2023

8) Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes looked like an NIT team coming into this week but wins over Indiana and Rutgers have this team back on track. Defense is still an issue but this team can put the ball in the bucket.

Iowa vs Rutgers Basketball Game Highlights 1 8 2023

7) Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois started the week getting abused by Northwestern, but they rebounded to take down Wisconsin over the weekend. This is a talented team, but they have a lot of issues.

#14 Wisconsin vs Illinois Basketball Game Highlights 1 7 2023

6) Ohio State Buckeyes

It was a bad week for the Buckeyes as they fell to Purdue in a game they should have won. Things got worse on Saturday as the Buckeyes lost on the road to Maryland, a team that had lost five straight games against power conference teams.

Ohio State at Maryland | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | 1/8/2023

5) Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin lost leading scorer Tyler Wahl to an ankle injury against Minnesota — which caused him to miss the matchup with Illinois. It’s unclear how much time he’ll miss, but Wisconsin needs him back in the lineup to be a true conference championship contender. The Badgers barely survived in Minnesota and were blown out by a slumping Illinois team.

Minnesota vs Wisconsin Basketball Game Highlights 1 3 2023

4) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Knights were the first team to knock off Purdue, and they followed that up with a win over Maryland. The Knights took a small step back this past weekend with a home loss to Iowa.

Maryland vs Rutgers Basketball Game Highlights 1 5 2023

3) Northwestern Wildcats

Is northwestern really at number 3? I don’t think I have ever seen that, but it is happening! They blew out Illinois and then went to Bloomington and beat the Hoosiers. I do not think they will stay this high, but they have a real shot at being an NCAA Tournament team.

Illinois vs Northwestern Basketball Game Highlights 1 4 2023

2) Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans got two expected home wins last week, but now the road gets more demanding. The Spartans will play three very good teams over the next eight days — at Wisconsin, at Illinois and home vs Purdue. I expect the Spartans to get two out of three in this 8-day span.

Michigan vs Michigan State Basketball Game Highlights 1 7 2023

1) Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue bounced back from Monday’s loss against Rutgers by beating Ohio State and Penn State. The Boilermakers are still the clear number one in these rankings.

#1 Purdue vs #24 Ohio State Basketball Game Highlights 1 5 2023