2024-25 Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Week 10

2. Illinois Fighting Illini

Last week’s ranking: 4 (+2)

Record: (11-3, 3-1)

Last Week: W at #9 Oregon (109-77), W at Washington (81-77)

Next Week: vs. Penn State (Jan. 8 – 9 p.m.), vs. USC (Jan. 11 – Noon)

Quality Wins: vs. Arkansas, vs. Wisconsin, at Oregon

Bad Losses: N/A

If you had told me the Illini had won their games in Oregon and Washington by 32 and 4 points, I probably would have gotten the scores mixed up. A 64-point second half had the Illini cruising to victory against Oregon, while Washington had a late burst to tie the game up with 50 seconds remaining. Standout freshmen Kasparas Jakucionis made a layup and knocked down two free throws on the next play to give the Illini a win. Illinois’ resume is currently unmatched in the Big 10.

3. Oregon Ducks

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)

Record: (13-2, 2-2)

Last week: L vs. #22 Illinois (77-109), W vs. Maryland (83-79)

Next Week: at Ohio State (Jan. 9 – 6 p.m.), at Penn State (Jan. 12 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Alabama, vs. Texas A&M, vs. San Diego State

Bad Losses: N/A

Was Oregon’s 32-point blowout loss at home a little bit embarrassing? Yes. However, sometimes you just have to be a goldfish, and forget about the past game. That is exactly what Oregon did, as they responded with a win over a Maryland team that has impressed early on this season. Jackson Shelstad had 23 points in that game, and Oregon has desperately needed him to get going. Shelstad had just nine points against Illinois. Despite the loss to the Illini, Oregon’s strong resume keeps them in the third spot in the rankings.

4. UCLA Bruins

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-2)

Record: (11-3, 2-1)

Last Week: L at Nebraska (58-66)

Next Week: vs. #24 Michigan (Jan. 7 – 10 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Oregon

Bad losses: N/A

UCLA could not take advantage of the fact that they held Nebraska to just 24 first half points, as they matched with 24 points of their own. UCLA allowed the Cornhuskers to attempt 29 free throws, and the Cornhuskers cashed in on 25 of those attempts. It is a shame because UCLA held them to just 17-for-52 (33%) from the field. However, 58 points is simply not going to be enough to consistently win a basketball game.

5. Michigan Wolverines

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)

Record: (11-3, 3-0)

Last Week: W at USC (85-74)

Next Week: at #22 UCLA (Jan. 7 – 10 p.m.), vs. Washington (Jan. 12 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Xavier, at Wisconsin

Bad losses: N/A

The conclusion I have come to about the Wolverines is that they are a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams. Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin both stand over seven foot and move well with and without the ball. However, I think that they will struggle to defend UCLA, a team that starts four guards and a forward. Michigan is currently ranked at #24 in the AP Rankings. A win on the road against UCLA could vault them into the top 15.

6. Wisconsin Badgers

Last week’s ranking: 7 (+1)

Record: (12-3, 2-2)

Last Week: W vs. Iowa (116-85), W at Rutgers (75-63)

Next Week: N/A

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

Badger fans can breathe a sigh of relief after picking up two conference wins to begin 2025. Their first came against Iowa, where they set a Big 10 record for most three pointers in a game (21) and set a record for most points in a game played at the Kohl Center (116). John Blackwell had 32 points and followed that up with 21 points in a 75-63 win over Rutgers. Steven Crowl had his first double double of the season, scoring 18 points and snatched 10 rebounds. The Badgers started the New Year off on a high note.

7. Indiana Hoosiers

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)

Record: (12-3, 3-1)

Last Week: W vs. Rutgers (84-74), W at Penn State (77-71)

Next week: vs. USC (Jan. 8 – 7 p.m.), at Iowa (Jan. 11 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

Indiana’s win at Penn State might have set their season back on track. Oumar Ballo had 25 points to follow up his 17-point performance against Rutgers. It has been an up and down year for the Arizona transfer, who is averaging 13.6 points per game this season. They should take care of business against USC at home. Their game at Iowa will be very telling as to how competitive Indiana will be within the Big 10 this year.

8. Penn State Nittany Lions

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)

Record: (12-3, 2-2)

Last Week: W vs. Northwestern (84-80), L vs. Indiana (71-77)

Next Week: at #13 Illinois (Jan. 8 – 9 p.m.), vs. #15 Oregon (Jan. 12 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: vs. Purdue

Bad losses: N/A

Penn State simply forgot to show up at home against Indiana. The starting five combined for just 43 points, and if it were not for a 21-point effort from Nick Kern Jr. off the bench, this game would not have been close. Penn State has their toughest week of the season coming up with games at #13 Illinois and vs. #15 Oregon. If they win one of two, it will be a successful week.

9. Purdue Boilermakers

Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)

Record: (11-4, 3-1)

Last Week: W at Minnesota (81-61), W vs. Northwestern (79-61)

Next Week: at Rutgers (Jan. 9 – 6 p.m.), vs. Nebraska (Jan. 12 – Noon)

Quality wins: vs. Alabama, at Ole Miss

Bad losses: at Penn State

Purdue was tied with Minnesota in the second half. That should set off some alarm bells. They played well against Northwestern, whose seven-foot center, Matthew Nicholson, was unable to capitalize on his height advantage. Rutgers and Nebraska will both be tough tests, and here is a hot take: I think Purdue loses both of those games.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-1)

Record: (11-4, 2-2)

Last Week: L at Wisconsin (85-116), W vs. Nebraska (97-87 OT)

Next Week: vs. Indiana (Jan. 11 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

After getting embarrassed by the Badgers, the Hawkeyes fought back for a tough overtime win over Nebraska. The Hawkeyes received a season-high 30 points from Payton Sandfort and 31 points from Josh Hix, who also had his season-high in points. It can be hard to recover from a game like Iowa played against Wisconsin, but Iowa was able to turn the page.

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Last week’s ranking: 13 (+2)

Record: (12-3, 2-2)

Last Week: W vs. #15 UCLA (66-58), L at Iowa (87-97 OT)

Next Week: at #20 Purdue (Jan. 12 – Noon)

Quality wins: at Creighton, vs. UCLA

Bad losses: N/A

I had no idea where to put Nebraska in these power rankings. On the one hand, they have beaten teams like Creighton, and more recently, UCLA. On the other hand, they lost to Iowa (still a respectable team), and they just do not seem to match up with the rest of the Big 10 on paper. Brice Williams has done a terrific job of taking on the role of a star as a senior, averaging 18.8 points per game. Connor Essegian has rebounded beautifully after a disappointing sophomore campaign with Wisconsin. This team has the pieces to make the NCAA Tournament, but it feels as if they have been playing at their ceiling all season long.

12. Maryland Terrapins

Last week’s ranking: 6 (-6)

Record: (11-4, 1-3)

Last Week: L at Washington (69-75), L at #9 Oregon (79-83)

Next week: vs. #22 UCLA (Jan. 10 – 8 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: N/A

It is hard to fault Maryland for either of their losses this week, but they should have beaten Washington. However, their two highest scorers this season, Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie, were held to a combined five points. Maryland has a very young roster that has shown the ability to compete with the top teams in the Big 10, but they have not shown the ability to finish off those close games.

13. Ohio State Buckeyes

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-4)

Record: (10-5, 2-2)

Last Week: L vs. #18 Michigan State (62-69), W at Minnesota (89-88 2OT)

Next Week: vs. #15 Oregon (Jan. 9 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Kentucky

Bad losses: at Maryland

The Ohio State Buckeyes are very confusing. They took down Kentucky just a few weeks ago before falling to #18 Michigan State and almost losing to Minnesota. First year head coach Jake Diebler has assembled a roster with four transfers and returning star Bruce Thornton that has beaten one of the top teams in the country… yet they have lost five games.

14. Washington Huskies

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-2)

Record: (10-5, 1-3)

Last Week: W vs. Maryland (75-69), L vs. #22 Illinois (77-81)

Next Week: at #16 Michigan State (Jan. 9 – 8 p.m.), at #24 Michigan (Jan. 12 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: vs. USC, vs. Seattle

It is hard to be impressed by a team in a losing effort, but I was impressed by Washington in their four-point loss against Illinois. Despite trailing by 11 at halftime, Washington fought all the way back to tie the game up with 50 seconds remaining. D.J. Davis scored a career high 31 points off the bench to try and lead the way to an upset. Combine that loss with their best win of the season against Maryland, and the Huskies have moved up a few spots in these rankings.

15. Northwestern Wildcats

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-3)

Record: (10-5, 1-3)

Last week: L at Penn State (80-84), L at #20 Purdue (61-79)

Next week: vs. #16 Michigan State (Jan. 12 – Noon)

Quality wins: vs. Illinois

Bad losses: N/A

Northwestern has a really tough schedule to begin 2025. Still, it would have been nice to see a little bit more than a measly 18 points in the first half against Purdue. There are no easy matchups in Big Ten conference play. While Nick Martinelli and Brooks Barnhizer have been great, Northwestern’s ceiling remains low.

16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Last week’s ranking: 15 (-1)

Record: (8-7, 1-3)

Last Week: L at Indiana (74-84), L vs. Wisconsin (63-75)

Next Week: vs. #20 Purdue (Jan. 9 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: at Kennesaw State, vs. Princeton

Rutgers’ season is currently on life support. Dylan Harper was injured in their loss to the Badgers, shifting an already high workload to Ace Bailey and his supporting staff. I am interested to see if Rutgers will play more team basketball with Harper off the floor, but I do not expect much.

17. USC Trojans

Last week’s ranking: 16 (-1)

Record: (9-5, 1-2)

Last Week: L vs. Michigan (74-85)

Next Week: at Indiana (Jan. 8 – 7 p.m.), at #13 Illinois (Jan. 11 – Noon)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: at Saint Mary’s,

USC managed to hang around with Michigan, even taking a brief lead in the second half. While Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III both had 19 points, the Trojans ultimately could not stave off the Wolverines.

18. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Last week’s ranking: 18 (-)

Record: (8-7, 0-4)

Last Week: L vs. #20 Purdue (61-81), L vs. Ohio State (88-89 2OT)

Next Week: at Wisconsin (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.)

Quality wins: N/A

Bad losses: vs. North Texas

Minnesota is the only team in the Big 10 that is 0-4 in conference play. Yikes.