Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (01-21-25)

18. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Things have taken a downturn for the Golden Gophers, as they currently hold last place in the Big Ten power rankings. However, they did have an impressive performance against Michigan, a strong contender in the conference. Dawson Garcia hit an incredible buzzer-beater to secure an upset victory over the Wolverines in overtime. He wasn’t the only standout in that game; Lu’Cye Patterson also emerged as a key scorer.

17. Washington Huskies

Washington, a bottom-feeder, has been playing competitively in their recent games. Unfortunately, those matches have been against the top teams in the Big Ten. The Huskies have lost four consecutive games, all to ranked opponents who are currently the top four teams in the conference. It has been a challenging stretch for Washington.

16. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes find themselves in a challenging battle to avoid finishing in the bottom three. Currently, they hold the precarious 16th spot after narrowly losing a hard-fought game against Indiana. With consecutive losses under their belt and a tough road trip to Mackey Stadium coming up, the situation is looking grim in Columbus. This is a team that a few weeks ago beat the Kentucky Wildcats, it looks time to put the Head Coach on the hot seat!

15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers is making progress despite a challenging start to Big Ten play. This freshman-led group seems to have steadied themselves. Time will tell, but consecutive wins against UCLA and Nebraska should boost their confidence. Then last night they regressed back to up and down with an eight point loss to Penn State. The Scarlet Knights have been a huge disapointment this season.

14. Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats may be the best 2-5 conference team in the country. They have shown strong performances in two of their last three games. Unfortunately, they were unable to contain Michigan’s Vlad Goldin in their latest matchup. The questionable flagrant two call on Jalen Leach will likely sting for some time.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions

A bruised Ace Baldwin Jr. remains resilient. He put up 20 points in a five-point loss to Michigan State, but it wasn’t enough. Also, losing Puff Johnson for the foreseeable future is a significant blow. The Nittany Lions rallied on Monday night for a big home win against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

12. Nebraska Cornhuskers

A group of 2-5 teams in the Big Ten could easily swap places with one another. The Cornhuskers, however, are on a downward trend. Their losing streak has reached four games, and Coach Hoiberg needs to find a way to turn things around quickly. Nebraska is rapidly falling out of contention for the NCAA tournament.

11. Indiana Hoosiers

I’m not quite sure what to think about Indiana. After losing decisively to Illinois on their home court, the Hoosiers bounced back with a crucial win against Ohio State, which may have saved Mike Woodson’s job for the time being. This team is undoubtedly frustrating, to say the least. They travel to Northwestern this week and that will be a big game for both teams.

10. USC Trojans

The Trojans have had a mixed performance recently. They won two of their last three games, including a victory against Illinois. However, they suffered a tough loss at home against Wisconsin. Their next challenge is an away game against Nebraska, where both teams are eager for a much-needed win.

9. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes’ trip to the West Coast has not gone well, as they have suffered back-to-back losses that have sent them back to the drawing board. Fortunately, they will return home for their next two games against Minnesota and Penn State. Josh Dix has been a consistent performer for Iowa, scoring 12 or more points per game over the last five games.

8. UCLA Bruins

The Bruins may have snapped out of their fog over the weekend with an impressive win over Iowa at home, but only time will tell with these Bruins. The Bruins are good defensively but struggle to score.

7. Maryland Terrapins

Are they a contender, or aren’t they? Maryland remains an up and down team. When they perform well, they look strong, but when they struggle, they resemble a bottom-tier team. They experienced an overtime loss against Northwestern but followed it up with a narrow three-point victory over Nebraska. What is the potential of this team? Ja’Kobi Gillespie has been a solid scorer during this stretch, which is a positive sign.

6. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are still in contention for the conference title, despite losing at home to the red-hot Boilermakers. This loss should serve as a wake-up call for them. Next, the Ducks will have a chance to regroup as they face Washington at Matthew Knight Arena.

5. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin currently has a better conference record than Illinois, with only two losses in the Big Ten. The Badgers have won seven consecutive games since their defeat against the Illini. They have one more challenging road game scheduled at UCLA. If they secure a win at Pauley Pavilion, it will result in a five-team race for the championship.

4. Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines are still in the hunt, but losing on the road to the worst team in the Big Ten is a significant setback. However, rebounding with an overtime win against a formidable Northwestern team was just what they needed. Is that Vlad Goldin or Zach Edey? Dusty May has done a tremendous job in his first year at Michigan.

3. Illinois Fighting Illini

Many Illinois fans will tell you that if Kasparas Jakucionis could have played without fouling out, that he would have led them to a victory over Michigan State. It’s not true, the truth is Jakucionis was not playing well against the Spartans, contributing just three points, three assists, and five fouls. While the Illini is a strong team, they need to rely on more than just KJ to succeed.

2. Purdue Boilermakers

That early conference loss to Penn State has been tough for the Boilermaker team. However, Purdue has been on a roll, winning seven straight games. This is significant, especially with three consecutive home games coming up. Their victory at Oregon was a major achievement. Trey Kaufman-Renn continues to perform well around the basket, and CJ Cox is also beginning to make a strong impact. Head Coach Matt Painter is proving how good of a coach he is, after losing Zach Edey after last season many wondered if the Boilermakers could stay at or near the top of the Big Ten, and hear they are again.

1. Michigan State Spartans

Guess who’s back? Tom Izzo and the Spartans! Despite the doubts from many, especially those in blue and orange, Michigan State secured a much-needed 80-78 victory at home against Illinois. Their winning streak has now reached 11 games, and they boast a perfect 7-0 record in the Big Ten. They are the first team to win their first seven Big Ten games since the 2018-19 season, which was also led by Izzo and resulted in a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Final Four. While it’s too early to draw direct comparisons, this team certainly isn’t afraid of anyone.