Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings 12/03/24!

18. USC Trojans

This week’s 71-36 loss to Saint Mary’s and 10-point defeat against New Mexico indicate how disorganized and outmatched this team currently is, making it unlikely they’ll compete with top Big Ten opponents this winter.

17. Minnesota Golden Gophers

After another subpar week, Minnesota remains near the bottom of its conference, losing to Wichita State (No. 88 in KenPom) and Wake Forest (No. 97) with those losses not bodeing well for its future competition against its Big Ten foes.

16. Washington Huskies

Washington remains untested; they’ve played six wins against teams outside KenPom’s top 100, with Nevada (No. 36 in KenPom) serving as their biggest test, though their defeat by them (63-53) indicates they are not ready to compete in the Big Ten just yet. Still, they have a high ceiling as a team and should improve.

15. Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern suffered a two-point defeat against Butler on November 19, which could have given them the momentum they needed to start conference play on a winning note. Instead, entering Big Ten play at 6-2 will require leading scorers Nick Martinelli (20.3 PPG), Brooks Barnhizer (20 PPG), and Jalen Leach (14.3 PPG) to maintain their scoring rates against tougher defenses.

14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers continued its quick decline this week. Although they managed to claim a victory against Notre Dame by one point, Alabama and Texas A&M defeated them both before dropping three consecutive matches back to Kennesaw State – not a promising start for a season that began with such high hopes and expectations.

13. Indiana Hoosiers

Early season results tend to carry more weight in these power rankings, especially blowout losses like Indiana’s 89-61 loss against Louisville at Battle 4 Atlantis. Indiana’s poor showing could indicate things to come – perhaps we should all take note and not proclaim their worth before seeing how they perform on the court.

12. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State recorded two impressive wins against top-325 opponents this season: Fordham and Buffalo. Although those victories will add some weight to its NCAA Tournament resume, Penn State still has not beaten a KenPom top 140 team yet, and Big Ten play may provide ample opportunity for that victory to occur.

11. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa won’t see much improvement from their win against SC Upstate (No. 347 in KenPom), although any victory would certainly help their standings. Big Ten play needs to start off strongly against Northwestern and Michigan; nonconference action hasn’t given us much indication as to whether Iowa could experience a revival this season.

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska held firm after an impressive week. Their Week 3 win against No. 14 Creighton is among the Big Ten’s finest early victories, while they may not yet be ready to vie for one of five spots in their conference. Still, coach Fred Hoiberg appears confident and in good control with this team.

9. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland has advanced to No. 32 on KenPom and 27th on BPI heading into Big Ten play, following their impressive 2022-23 campaign under then-first-year head coach Kevin Willard. Willard, now in his third season, needs the Terps to achieve more than 16-17 in 2023-24 as they look to make a return to March Madness.

8. UCLA Bruins

UCLA has been steadily climbing these rankings since their early-season loss to New Mexico faded into memory. Though they have yet to face legitimate competition outside of New Mexico, December games against Oregon, No. 24 Arizona, North Carolina (No. 12), and Gonzaga will give us a clearer idea of their standings.

7. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan’s 78-53 win over Xavier marked one of the conference’s standout wins this week and illustrated significant strides forward; Michigan will face Wisconsin on Tuesday, Dec 3 for their Big Ten opener and will set an exciting tone.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State may have lost at the last second to a Pittsburgh team that has proven itself one of the best teams in the country (No. 13 in KenPom). That defeat shouldn’t dampen Ohio State’s spirits though; their opening win over No. 19 Texas remains one of the conference’s finest opening performances this season.

5. Michigan State Spartans

Establishing an effective early season balance between impressive wins, quality losses and easy blowout wins over lesser competition can be tricky. Yet, Michigan State has achieved that balance to this point in their season – notably, a victory against North Carolina will add extra weight. They have only fallen to No.1 Kansas and Memphis so far – both highly ranked teams.

4. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois looks dangerous. They dominated Arkansas in their only game this past week. The Illini are a strong team that can shoot the ball well and defend at least at an average level.

3. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue’s only loss to No. 10 Marquette came earlier in the season. Otherwise, they have been one of the top teams nationwide. Purdue remains secure as a Big Ten title contender.

2. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin was victorious in their sole game this week, easily handling Arizona and Pittsburgh earlier in the season to rise into the KenPom and BPI rankings at No. 30, respectively. But anyone who has seen them play, especially their dominating performances, would know they look even stronger than their ranking indicates.

1. Oregon Ducks

Oregon just completed an upset of two SEC teams to win the Players Era Festival title and earn its own rise up the rankings of KenPom and BPI; their resume should hold up against any top team across the country.