Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings Heading into the Big Ten Tournament

18. Washington Huskies

This was easy; the Huskies were bad all year long and claim the bottom spot in these rankings.

17. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota will enter the tournament in Indianapolis as the 12th seed and will face Northwestern on Wednesday. The Gophers lost to the Wildcats in their only regular-season meeting. A victory would set up a rematch against Wisconsin, who swept the regular-season series against the Gophers.

16. USC Trojans

The Trojans finished their season in a blowout loss to UCLA. The Trojans had some good points to this season and had a couple of nice wins, but overall, they were not very good,

15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers is set to begin play on Wednesday in Indianapolis against USC, which promises to be an intriguing matchup. The Scarlet Knights won their only regular season meeting against USC. If Rutgers succeeds in this game, they will advance to face Purdue on Thursday night. However, Purdue swept the Scarlet Knights during the regular season. The Scarlet Knights were a major disappointment this season with two recruits that will possibly be first-round picks in the NBA draft. Injuries played a role, but even when everybody was healthy, this team failed to live up to expectations.

14. Nebraska Cornhuskers

It’s difficult to convey just how disappointing Nebraska’s recent performance has been. While the Huskers were never guaranteed an NCAA tournament bid, they spent almost all of February on the brink of selection. Unfortunately, Nebraska failed to capitalize on this opportunity, losing their final five games and six of their last seven, including four home losses and three against opponents ranked 60th or worse according to KenPom. This inexplicable collapse will likely haunt Husker fans all offseason.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions finished the season with a significant victory on Saturday, defeating Wisconsin on the road by double digits. This was Penn State’s best win of the new year and arguably the highlight of their season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the postseason. The team concludes the season with an overall record of 16-15 and a Big Ten record of 6-14.

12. Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats ended the regular season with two consecutive losses, falling at home to UCLA on Monday and losing to Maryland on Saturday. These defeats brought Northwestern’s overall record to 16-15 and their Big Ten record to 7-13. Chris Collins has done a nice job coaching this team, especially when considering the injury to their best player.

11. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa will begin play on Wednesday against Ohio State as the 15th seed. The Hawkeyes lost their only regular-season matchup against the Buckeyes on January 27 in Columbus. If they win, the team will face Wisconsin on Thursday. The Badgers swept Iowa in their regular-season games. The only way for Iowa to continue its season is to win all the remaining games this week.

10. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State opened the week with a double overtime win over Nebraska but followed it up with a crushing loss to Indiana on the road on Saturday in a game they controlled most of the way. The loss left Ohio State sitting at 17-14 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes play the first day of the tournament, and they play a dangerous Iowa Hawkeye team, lose, and go to the NIT.

9, Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines looked prepared to win a Big Ten Championship in Coach Dusty May’s first season, then the bottom fell out, and over the weekend, they reached new lows in a loss to Michigan State. It’s a testament to the coaching of May that this team has done this well, but two very short tournament runs look headed the Wolverines way.

8. Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers had a mixed week, losing to Oregon on the road on Tuesday and then defeating Ohio State at home on Saturday. With this victory over the Buckeyes, Indiana’s overall record improved to 19-12, and they stand at 10-10 in Big Ten play. The team is currently in good form, having won four of their last five games and five of their last seven. Are they in? Probably in no matter what they do from here on out. A win over Oregon and Hoosier fans can discuss possible seeding instead of planning a trip to Dayton.

7. Wisconsin Badgers

While the team’s overall record is still impressive, it isn’t easy to feel optimistic about the last few weeks. The Badgers have only managed to win 2 out of their last 5 games, with two of those losses coming against opponents ranked outside the top 30 on KenPom. The two victories were also against weak teams from Minnesota and Washington. If Wisconsin continues to perform at this level, we can expect some short appearances in the upcoming two weeks. A couple of weeks ago, this team looked poised to finish this season on a huge run. Instead, they are limping toward the finish line.

6. Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers had a disappointing final week of the season, splitting their last two games. On Tuesday, Purdue secured a victory against Rutgers at home but then suffered a loss to Illinois on Friday. These mixed results left Purdue with an overall record of 21-10 and a conference record of 13-7 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers are ripe to be beaten. The interior defense is the issue for Purdue, the other issue is most of their offense comes from three players; to make a run they need a couple of guys to step up beyond the big three.

5. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks wrapped up the regular season with two more victories, defeating Indiana at home on Tuesday and Washington on the road on Sunday. These wins brought Oregon’s overall record to 23-8 and their Big Ten record to 12-8. Oregon has now won seven consecutive games, including three away games.

4. Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illini won their only game of the week, defeating Purdue at home on Friday. This victory brought the team’s overall record to 20-11 and their Big Ten record to 12-8. Illinois finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Notably, the team has gone 5-3 in their last eight games, with all three losses coming against top 10 KenPom opponents, two of which were played on the road. Overall, it’s been a powerful run. Illinois will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the seventh seed, placing them in an intriguing position within the bracket. They are set to open against Iowa or Ohio State on Thursday evening. The Illini were victorious against both opponents in the regular season, going 2-0. If they win, Illinois will face Maryland on Friday.

3. UCLA Bruins

The Bruins had an intense week, winning both of their games. They defeated Northwestern on the road on Monday and USC at home on Saturday. With these victories, UCLA’s record improved to 22-9 overall and 13-7 in Big Ten play. The team has now won two consecutive games and three out of their last four.

2. Maryland Terrapins

The Terrapins had a strong week, defeating Michigan on the road on Wednesday in a competitive match, and then beating Northwestern at home on Saturday. These victories improved Maryland’s overall record to 24-7 and their Big Ten record to 14-6. The team is one of the hottest in the country, having won three consecutive games and seven of their last eight. Since early January, Maryland has posted a 13-3 record.

1. Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans concluded the season with an impressive week, securing victories against Iowa on the road Thursday and rival Michigan at home on Sunday. These wins clinched the Big Ten regular season title for the program, making it the first championship since 2020. The team finished with an overall record of 26-5 and a Big Ten record of 17-3. Michigan State’s performance this season has been remarkable. The Spartans are on a hot streak, having won seven consecutive games, including six against teams ranked 28th or higher on KenPom, as well as four wins against top 20 opponents.