Evan Epstein gives his Big Ten basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2024 season.
Matchup of the week: Alabama at Purdue
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Michigan State vs. Kansas
One week is in the books, and the Big 10 has collectively lost just 4 games as a conference. Let’s see how these 18 teams stack up headed into week 2.
All games listed are EST
1) Purdue Boilermakers
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. TX A&M-CC (90-72), W vs. Northern Kentuckey (72-50), W vs. Yale (92-84)
Next week: vs. #2 Alabama (Nov. 15 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Purdue has had some close encounters in their first three matchups. Allowing Yale to score 82 points was not the most impressive showing. However, their returning stars, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn have all averaged over 15 points across the first three games. The Boilermakers did suffer a large blow early on this season, as 7-4 freshmen Daniel Jacobsen will likely be out for the rest of the season after suffering a fractured tibia.
2) Ohio State Buckeyes
Last week’s ranking: 12 (+10)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W at #19 Texas (80-72), W vs. Youngstown State (81-47)
Next week: at #23 Texas A&M (Nov. 15 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: at #19 Texas
Bad losses: N/A
What a start to the season for first year head coach Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State Buckeyes. After overhauling the starting five by bringing in four transfers to start, Ohio State wasted no time impressing the nation with a victory in Texas on college basketball’s opening night. Returning guard Bruce Thornton led the way on the road with 20 points. The Buckeyes got a strong performance off the bench from freshmen guard John Mobley Jr., who posted 14 points on a perfect 4-for-4 night from downtown. I wonder what dunce had Ohio State at #12 in the preseason power rankings?
3) Indiana Hoosiers
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. SIUE (80-61), W vs. Eastern Illinois (90-55)
Next week: vs. South Carolina (Nov. 16 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Oumar Ballo, the transfer from Arizona, has looked right at home with Indiana, settling in by averaging 16 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first two games. Indiana has also seen a lot of early production from Mackenzie Mgbako, who began the season with a whopping 31 points vs. SIUE. If Mgbako continues his increased production alongside fellow big man Oumar Ballo, then Indiana could be looking to make a push toward the top ten in the AP Poll (currently #16).
4) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Wagner (75-52), W vs. Saint Peter’s (75-65)
Next week: vs. Monmouth (Nov. 15 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Rutgers had a great start to the 2024-25 season. Top recruit Dylan Harper wasted no time getting settled in, putting up 20 and 24 points in his first two games with the Scarlet Knights. Fellow freshmen Ace Bailey has yet to make his college debut yet, as he has been out with an undisclosed injury. Rutgers fans have a lot to be excited about to begin the season, and if Bailey lives up to the hype, he and Harper will make quite the dynamic duo.
5) Illinois Fighting Illini
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Eastern Illinois (112-67) W vs. SIUE (90-58),
Next week: vs. Oakland (Nov. 13 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
When teams look for a role model on how to start a season with two “tune-up” games, look no further than Illinois. The Illini coasted to their first two wins, receiving a 31 point performance from freshmen guard Will Riley in his NCAA debut. Bothe Riley and his classmate Kasparas Jakucionis have been projected to go in the top 20 in ESPN’s latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft. Illinois’ first tough test will come on November 20th, when they travel to face #2 Alabama.
6) UCLA Bruins
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-4)
Record: 2-1
Last week: W vs. Rider (85-50), L vs. New Mexico (64-72,) W vs. Boston U. (71-40)
Next week: vs. Lehigh (Nov. 15 – 10 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
It wasn’t the strongest start to the season for the Bruins, who failed to take down a solid mid-major team in New Mexico. UCLA was down 11 at half, and found themselves down by 16 wit under seven minutes remaining. UCLA failed to comeback, although they received a nice performance from transfer forward Tyler Bilodeau who had 21 points. UCLA drops out of the AP Top 25, but has four easier games to straighten out any problems before beginning conference play in December.
7) Oregon Ducks
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-1)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. UC Riverside (91-76), W vs. Montana (79-48)
Next week: vs. Portland (Nov. 12 – 11 p.m.), vs. Troy (Nov. 17 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Continuing on the theme of easy starts to the season, Oregon has nonetheless looked sharp during week 1. The seven foot senior Nate Bittle has been effective inside, posting 33 points across two games, along with 20 rebounds. Jackson Shelstad has been surprisingly quite so far, averaging just eight points per game.
8) Michigan State Spartans
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-1)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Monmouth (81-57), W vs. Niagara (96-60)
Next week: vs. #1 Kansas (Nov. 12 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Bowling Green (Nov. 16 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The Spartans passed their first two tests of the season with flying colors. Bench production has been an early theme for Michigan State, as 56 of their 90 points against Niagra came from outside the starting 5. All eyes will be on East Lansing on Tuesday night when the Spartans host the #1 Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks have already faced #9 N. Carolina, and came away victorious in a 92-89 thriller. We’ll see if the Spartans have the firepower to keep up.
9) Wisconsin Badgers
Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. Holy Cross (85-61), W vs. Montana State (79-67), W vs. App. St. (87-56)
Next week: vs. #9 Arizona (Nov. 15 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
The theme for Wisconsin in week 1 was recovering after a slow start. In all three games, they trailed after more than ten minutes of play, including falling into an early 16 point deficit on opening night vs. Holy Cross. However, the Badgers came out victorious by relatively wide margins in all three games. John Tonje, the transfer from Missouri, has shown his experience, leading the team in scoring. Nolan Winter has stepped up into the starting five, showing his physicality on the boards, and scoring a career-high 15 points against Holy Cross. On Friday, we will find out if Wisconsin will get a reality check, or prove to the country that they are the real deal.
10) Maryland Terrapins
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+3)
Record: 3-0
Last week: W vs. Manhattan (79-49), W vs. Mt St Mary’s (86-52), W vs. Florida A&M (84-53)
Next week: vs. #15 Marquette (Nov. 15 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Maryland had a strong start to the season, handedly defeating each of their first three opponents. Five-star center Derik Queen has shown promise to bein the season, averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds over his first three games. However, they have yet to face a quality opponent. We shall see how they stack up against Marquette on Friday.
11) Iowa Hawkeyes
Last week’s ranking: 14 (+3)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. East Texas A&M (89-67), W vs. Southern (89-74)
Next week: vs. South Dakota (Nov. 12 – 9 p.m.), vs. Washington State (Nov. 15 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
89 points in the first two games is a very good sign for the Iowa Hawkeyes, regardless of their opponents. Brothers Payton and Pryce Sandfort will be a fun storyline to watch throughout the season. The two brothers lead the team in scoring, with Payton (senior) averaging 18.5 points and Pryce (sophomore) averaging 17.5 points. It’s hard to not root for these guys.
12) USC Trojans
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-4)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Chattanooga (77-51), W vs. Idaho State (75-69)
Next week: vs. UT Arlington (Nov. 13 – 11 p.m.), vs. California (Nov. 17 – 9:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
USC looked thoroughly unimpressive in a six point victory over Idaho State. In a game in which they were 24 point favorites, USC was just 24-for-56 from the field, and 5-for-20 from three. No one has emerged as a leader or go-to player on this team. While they should get by UT-Arlington without trouble, UC-Berkeley, the now ACC team (still feels so weird), could be trouble for the Trojans.
13) Penn State Nittany Lions
Last week’s ranking: 16 (+3)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Binghamton (108-66), W vs. UMBC (103-54)
Next week: vs. St Francis PA (Nov. 12 – 7 p.m.), at Virginia Tech (Nov. 15 – 7:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
I know they played Binghamton and UMBC, but 100+ points still means something regardless of opponent. It was the first time Penn State had back-to-back games with over 100 points. Yanic Konan Niederhauser has been a nice addition through the transfer portal, averaging 17 points through his first two games. Still though, with such a new roster, I’d like to see them perform well on the road Friday before giving them a boost in these power rankings.
14) Northwestern Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-3)
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Lehigh (90-47), L at Dayton (66-71)
Next week: vs. UIC (Nov. 12 – 7 p.m.), vs. Eastern Illinois (Nov. 15 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Suffering one of the only four losses amongst the Big 10 is not great, but a loss on the road in Dayton does not count as a bad loss. Northwestern jumped out to an eight point lead at halftime before Dayton stormed back. The Wildcats got 32 points from Nick Martinelli, who had an additional 26 points vs. Lehigh. There are certainly some moral victories to be taken away here for the Wildcats.
15) Nebraska Cornhuskers
Last week’s ranking: 15 (-)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. UT-Rio Grande Valley (87-67), W vs. Bethune-Cookman (63-58)
Next week: vs. FDU (Nov. 13 – 8 p.m.), vs. Saint Mary’s (Nov. 17 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Nebraska was close to having the first bad loss on this list, barely escaping in a five point win over Bethune-Cook. The Cornhuskers were a miserable 19-for-55 from the field, and 4-of-20 from behind the arc. It’s hard to say the season started off on the wrong foot when you are 2-0, but I think that is the conclusion to be drawn here.
16) Michigan Wolverines
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-6)
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Cleveland State (101-53), L at Wake Forest (70-72)
Next week: vs. TCU (Nov. 15 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Michigan got out to an early 12 point lead against Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons responded well. Michigan fought to the bitter end, but Wake Forest hit their free throws down the stretch. First-year coach Dusty May will have to regroup his squad as they take on another power 5 opponent in TCU.
17) Minnesota Golden Gophers
Last week’s ranking: 18 (+1)
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Oral Roberts (80-57), W vs. Neb.-Omaha (68-64)
Next week: vs. North Texas (Nov. 13 – 8 p.m.), vs. Yale (Nov. 16 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Dawson Garcia has been terrific in his first two games this season, scoring 30 against Oral Roberts and 24 against Omaha. That is the furthest extent in which Minnesota will be complemented here. The Golden Gophers beat Omaha by just four points, despite being 20 point favorites. Yes, they are 2-0, and that does in fact allow them to crawl out of the basement in these CBB Review power rankings… but just barely.
18) Washington Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 17 (-1)
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. UC Davis (79-73), L at Nevada (53-63)
Next week: vs. Seattle Pac. (Nov. 13 – 10 p.m.), vs. UMass Lowell (Nov. 17 – 10 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
This was not the start to the season that first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle envisioned. Great Osobor struggled against Nevada, going 0-for-7 from the field. Washington went back and forth with Nevada before the Wolf Pack pulled away mid way through the second half. Still, it’s not a bad loss for Washington (or maybe I just need to become a little more critical), but it does drop the Huskies into the basement for the week 2 power rankings.