Joe Jackson and Ethan Carbone combine to give their Big Ten basketball power rankings for week 14.
Matchup of the week: Rutgers vs. Indiana
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Rutgers vs. Illinois
All times listed are EST.
1) Purdue Boilermakers
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 22-2 (11-2)
Last week: Penn State (W) 80-60, @ #21 Indiana (L) 74-79
This week: Iowa (Feb. 9 – 7 p.m.), @ Northwestern (Feb. 12 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: Marquette, Gonzaga, Duke, Michigan State (x2), Penn State, West Virginia
Worst losses: N/A
Mason Gillis hit a Macey Arena record nine three-pointers against Penn State (click here to read more about it.) Purdue routed Penn State ahead of their rivalry matchup with Indiana. IU came out of the gates strong, taking a big lead in the first half. Purdue cut the lead to one behind a 33-point, 18-rebound, and 3-block performance from NPOY front-runner Zach Edey. They could not complete the comeback, however. Only their second loss on the season, Purdue will look to bounce back against Iowa and Northwestern this week.
2) Indiana Hoosiers
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 16-7 (7-5)
Last week: @ Maryland (L) 55-66 #1 Purdue (W) 79-74
This week: #24 Rutgers (Feb. 7 – 6:30 p.m.), @ Michigan (Feb. 11 – 6 p.m.)
Best wins: Purdue, @ Xavier, @ Illinois, Michigan State, North Carolina
Worst losses: N/A
Many believed Maryland would end up being a trap game of sorts (although the Terps were ultimately favored), and that is exactly what happened. IU came out flat, and they could not get anything going from the perimeter. It was a much different look compared to what showed up in the game against Purdue. It was arguably Indiana’s best perimeter game on defense, and they were able to really disrupt what Purdue wanted.
3) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+2)
Record: 16-7 (8-4)
Last week: Minnesota (W) 90-55, Michigan State (W) 61-55
This week: @ #18 Indiana (Feb. 7 – 6:30 p.m.), @ Illinois (Feb. 11 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Purdue, Indiana, @ Northwestern, Michigan State, Wake Forest, Penn State
Worst losses: Temple
Rutgers did everything right against Minnesota, shooting 64.3% from two and 50% from three. They followed it up with a gritty win over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden. Their defense is one of the best in the country, but the offense is still iffy at times. Rutgers will have a very tough week, having to play at Indiana and at Illinois, possibly without starting forward Mawot Mag.
4) Illinois Fighting Illini
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-1)
Record: 16-7 (7-5)
Last week: Nebraska (W) 72-56, @ Iowa (L) 79-81
This week: #24 Rutgers (Feb. 11 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: Texas, UCLA, Michigan State, Wisconsin (x2)
Worst losses: N/A
Illinois pounced on Nebraska before falling to Iowa amidst the ticket debacle. They had 14 turnovers against Iowa, a team not known for defense and it ultimately cost them. They have looked much better compared to early in the Big Ten season, and they will be a legit threat in the tournament.
5) Iowa Hawkeyes
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+1)
Record: 15-8 (7-5)
Last week: Northwestern (W) 86-70, Illinois (W) 81-79
This week: @ #1 Purdue (Feb. 9 – 7 p.m.), @ Minnesota (Feb. 12 – 1 p.m.)
Best wins: Iowa State, @ Rutgers, Indiana, Illinois, Clemson, Northwestern, Seton Hall
Worst losses: Eastern Illinois, @ Nebraska, @ Ohio State
Iowa is on a nice three-game winning streak, with home wins over Rutgers, Northwestern, and Illinois. This has been a theme for the Hawkeyes – a streaky team throughout the season. The offense has been fun to watch, and well, the defense has been out there at least. Iowa wants to turn it into a track meet, confident they can score more than their opponent.
6) Northwestern Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-2)
Record: 16-7 (7-5)
Last week: @ Iowa (L) 70-86, Michgian (L) 51-68, @ Wisconsin (W) 54-52
This week: @ Ohio State (Feb. 9 – 8 p.m.), #1 Purdue (Feb. 12 – 2 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Indiana, @ Michigan State, Illinois, @ Wisconsin
Worst losses: Michigan
Northwestern had a busy week due to rescheduling from a COVID outbreak. They went 1-2 in the week, with the surprise loss coming at home against Michigan. Northwestern has a good defense, but they are susceptible to elite bigs or really good shooters. If teams can knock down jumpers, the Wildcats do not have the firepower to keep up.
7) Michigan State Spartans
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 14-9 (6-6)
Last week: Rutgers (L) 55-61
This week: Maryland (Feb. 7 – 9 p.m.), @ Ohio State (Feb. 12 – 1 p.m.)
Best wins: Rutgers, Iowa, @ Penn State, @ Wisconsin, Kentucky, Oregon
Worst losses: @ Notre Dame
MSU lost their only game of the week, a matchup with Rutgers in Madison Square Garden. They shot only 4-for-21 from three, and it was hard for the Spartans to get really anything going on offense. They played solid defense, but too many turnovers and missed jumpers got in the way. Michigan State is a jumper-heavy team, so they are not going to win many games when those shots aren’t falling.
8) Maryland Terrapins
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+1)
Record: 16-7 (7-5)
Last week: #21 Indiana (W) 66-55, @ Minnesota (W) 81-46
This week: @ Michigan State (Feb. 7 – 9 p.m.), Penn State (Feb. 11 – Noon)
Best wins: Miami (Fla), Indiana, Illinois, Saint Louis
Worst losses: N/A
Maryland knocked off Indiana at home, before pouncing on Minnesota on the road. An interesting thing to note is Maryland has only won two games on the road: Louisville and Minnesota. They are much better at home, which helped them get the win over Indiana.
9) Michigan Wolverines
Last week’s ranking: 11 (+2)
Record: 13-10 (7-5)
Last week: @ Northwestern (L) 51-68, Ohio State (W) 77-69
This week: Nebraska (Feb. 8 – 6:30 p.m.), #18 Indiana (Feb. 11 – 6 p.m.)
Best wins: Penn State, Pittsburgh, Northwestern
Worst losses: Central Michigan
Michigan has not been super impressive this season, but they are also tied for third in the Big Ten. The key for them is they have not really had a bad loss in conference play. In terms of the NCAA Tournament, the Central Michigan loss looms very large.
10) Penn State Nittany Lions
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-2)
Record: 14-9 (5-7)
Last week: @ #1 Purdue (L) 60-80, @ Nebraska (L) 63-72
This week: Wisconsin (Feb. 8 – 8:30 p.m.), @ Maryland (Feb. 11 – Noon)
Best wins: @ Illinois, Iowa, Indiana
Worst losses: @ Nebrakska
Penn State could not have had a worse week, losing by 20 to Purdue before dropping one to Nebraska. They just came out so flat against Nebraska, and they had no interior defense. Nebraska shot 61.3% from two, and that is what really fueled them.
11) Wisconsin Badgers
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 13-9 (5-7)
Last week: @ Ohio State (W) 65-60, Northwestern (L) 52-54
This week: @ Penn State (Feb. 8 – 8:30 p.m.), @ Nebraska (Feb. 11 – 4 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Marquette, @ Iowa, USC, Penn State, Dayton
Worst losses: N/A
Wisconsin continues to only play close games. This week they got a 5-point win against Ohio State before losing by two to Northwestern. They have now lost 7 of their past 9, and things are not looking great. The offense has just not been good, but the defense and slow tempo has kept them in games.
12) Ohio State Buckeyes
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 11-12 (3-9)
Last week: Wisconsin (L) 60-65, @ Michigan (L) 69-77
This week: Northwestern (Feb. 9 – 8 p.m.), Michigan State (Feb. 12 – 1 p.m.)
Best wins: Rutgers, Iowa, Cincinnati
Worst losses: Minnesota, @ Nebraska
Ohio State was once thought of as the second-best team in the Big Ten after starting 10-3. Now they have lost 9 of their last 10 games and might be the second-worst team in the Big Ten over that stretch. They have really only been blown out once though. The rest of the losses have been by under 10 points. There just does not seem to be enough cohesion on either side of the ball.
13) Nebraska Cornhuskers
Last week’s ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 11-13 (4-9)
Last week: @ Illinois (L) 56-72, Penn State (W) 72-63
This week: @ Michigan (Feb. 8 – 6:30 p.m.), Wisconsin (Feb. 11 – 4 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Creighton, Iowa, Penn State
Worst losses: @ St. John’s
Nebraska got a much-needed win over Penn State, marking the first time that Nebraska has won 11 games in a season under Fred Hoiberg. Keisei Tominaga erupted for 30 points, and he has truly become one of the most fun players to watch in Big Ten basketball. Nebraska has had a lot of fight this season, a much-needed improvement over recent history.
14) Minnesota Golden Gophers
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 7-15 (1-11)
Last week: @ Rutgers (L) 55-90, Maryland (L) 46-81
This week: Iowa (Feb. 12 – 1 p.m.)
Best wins: @ Ohio State, Cal Baptist, Central Michigan
Worst losses: DePaul, Nebraska, UNLV
Minnesota has nothing going for them currently, losing both games last week by exactly 35 points. They are on a seven-game losing streak, and they, unfortunately, have had to reschedule a game this week due to a COVID outbreak in their program.