Evan Epstein gives his Big Ten basketball power rankings heading into week 13 of the 2024-25 season.
Michigan State remains atop the Big Ten, as they have not lost a conference game all season long. Purdue fought back with a big win over Michigan after stumbling against Ohio State. With conference play now in full swing, let’s take a look at how things have shaken out heading into week 13.
All times are EST.
Matchup of the week: Minnesota at #7 Michigan State (Jan. 28 – 8 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: #17 Wisconsin at Maryland (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.)
1. Michigan State Spartans
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: (17-2, 8-0)
Last Week: W at Rutgers (81-74)
Next Week: vs. Minnesota (Jan. 28 – 8 p.m.), at USC (Feb. 1 – 4:30 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at North Carolina, vs. Illinois
Bad Losses: N/A
Michigan State stumbled to victory on the road against Rutgers, as 20 points from freshman Jase Richardson off the bench fueled the Spartans. The Spartans have now won 12 straight, and have entered conversations about being a #1 seed come March Madness.
2. Wisconsin Badgers
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+3)
Record: (16-4, 6-3)
Last Week: L at UCLA (83-85), W vs. Nebraska (83-55)
Next Week: at Maryland (Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.), at Northwestern (Feb. 1 – 2 p.m.)
Quality Wins: N/A
Bad Losses: N/A
Wisconsin has looked like a powerhouse over the past few weeks. They lost on the west coast (which has been a common theme among Big Ten teams) to UCLA, but stormed back against Nebraska. John Tonje and John Blackwell have begun to dominate the floor and are playing well off of each other. Maryland will pose a tough test to Wisconsin, particularly with Derik Queen inside.
3. Purdue Boilermakers
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)
Record: (16-5, 8-2)
Last week: L vs. Ohio State (70-73), W vs. #21 Michigan (91-64)
Next Week: vs. Indiana (Jan. 31 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Alabama, at Ole Miss
Bad Losses: at Penn State
If you were to have told me that Purdue lost one of their past three games against Oregon, Ohio State, and Michigan, Ohio State would not have been my guess. Nonetheless, Purdue bounced back with a dominant win over Michigan. The Boilermakers almost doubled up the Wolverines in the first half, leading 51-26 at the break. After a slow start to the year, Purdue has solved many of their problems.
4. Illinois Fighting Illini
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-2)
Record: (14-6, 6-4)
Last Week: L vs. Maryland (70-91), W vs. Northwestern (83-74)
Next Week: at Nebraska (Jan. 30 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Wisconsin, at Oregon
Bad losses: vs. USC
The Fighting Illini have lost three out of their past five games, but have managed to hang around in the AP Rankings. And there is a reason for that. The Illini are talented. Five players on the team are averaging at least ten points per game, led by Kasparas Jakucionis at 15.9 points per game. Jakucionis has been one of the best freshmen in the nation. Illinois ran into a Maryland team that played their best basketball of the season. They have a rebounding margin of plus 10.8! One of their past three losses was a two point loss to Michigan State, which to put it mildly, is not a bad loss. Illinois will be fine.
5. Michigan Wolverines
Last week’s ranking: 6 (-)
Record: (15-5, 7-2)
Last Week: L at #11 Purdue (64-91), W vs. Penn State (76-72)
Next Week: at Rutgers (Feb. 1 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Wisconsin
Bad losses: at Minnesota
Michigan was overpowered by Purdue. They played sloppy basketball, committing 22 turnovers, and stood no chance. The Wolverines were able to claw out a win at home over Penn State, as they were 12-for-28 on their three pointers, and went 30-for-62 from the field. Four of Michigan’s five losses have come on the road, so it will be interesting to see how they fare at Rutgers.
6. Oregon Ducks
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)
Record: (16-4, 5-4)
Last Week: W vs. Washington (82-71), L at Minnesota (69-77)
Next Week: at UCLA (Jan. 30 – 10:30 p.m.), vs. Nebraska (Feb. 2 – 7:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Texas A&M, vs. Alabama
Bad losses: at Minnesota
Yes, Minnesota has played some good basketball as of late, but losing to Minnesota is a bad loss. Nate Bittle, Oregon’s seven-foot center, was held scoreless despite the fact that he averages 12.9 points per game. The Ducks lost the rebounding battle 22-33. Dawson Garcia’s 31-point performance stumped Oregon. The Ducks are 4-3 in 2025, and I fear that their best basketball was played in the first two months of the season.
7. Maryland Terrapins
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)
Record: (16-5, 6-4)
Last Week: W at #17 Illinois (91-70), W at Indiana (79-78)
Next week: vs. #17 Wisconsin (Jan. 29 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Illinois
Bad losses: N/A
Maryland picked up two massive road wins this past week. They dismantled Illinois, as Julian Reese and Derik Queen combined for 52 points. They trailed by four points against Indiana with 38 seconds to play, but Rodney Rice’s three pointer with seven seconds remaining gave the Illini a one point lead. Rice’s 23 points were the second most he has scored this season. If Maryland takes down Wisconsin, they have a serious argument to enter the AP Rankings.
8. UCLA Bruins
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: (14-6, 5-4)
Last week: W vs. #18 Wisconsin (85-83), W at Washington (65-60), W at USC (82-76)
Next week: vs. #16 Oregon (Jan. 30 – 10:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Oregon, vs. Gonzaga, vs. Wisconsin
Bad losses: N/A
After losing four straight games in January, UCLA has now won four straight. Their biggest win was at home against Wisconsin, as Aday Mara and Sebastian Mack combined for 41 points off the bench. Mara’s 22 point performance was quite the surprise as the 7’3 center averages less than six points per game, but he had success inside against the Badgers. The Bruins face Oregon for the second time this season, having won the first matchup on a last second three.
9. Indiana Hoosiers
Last week’s ranking: 10 (+1)
Record: (14-7, 5-5)
Last Week: L at Northwestern (70-79), L at Maryland (78-79)
Next Week: at #10 Purdue (Jan. 31 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Indiana has lost four out of their past five games, and their next two games are at Purdue and at Wisconsin. This has undoubtedly been a disappointing season for the Hoosiers, who expected to be near the top of the Big Ten with transfer Oumar Ballo coming in from Arizona. Ballo has averaged a double-double, but the depth on Idiana’s roster has been an issue, and with two of the best teams in the Big Ten coming up, Indiana’s struggles may continue.
10. Northwestern Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: 15 (+5)
Record: (12-8, 3-6)
Last Week: W vs. Indiana (79-70), L at #17 Illinois (74-83)
Next Week: vs. Rutgers (Jan. 29 – 9 p.m.), vs. #17 Wisconsin (Feb. 1 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Illinois
Bad losses: None
While Northwestern is just 3-6 in conference play, they have had one of the toughest conference schedules to this point. Northwestern’s win over Indiana this week was meaningful, but with their loss to Illinois, they are running out of room for error. Rutgers is a must win game this week if they want to stay close to the bubble.
11. Penn State Nittany Lions
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-3)
Record: (13-8, 3-7)
Last Week: W vs. Rutgers (80-72), L at Iowa (75-76), L at Michigan (72-76)
Next Week: vs. Ohio State (Jan. 30 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Purdue
Bad losses: N/A
Penn State has played in a lot of close games this season. They have now lost six of their past seven games, with five of those losses being decided by six points or less. Ace Baldwin Jr. and the Nittany Lions may have been playing above their level at the start of the season when they took down Purdue at home.
12. Ohio State Buckeyes
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)
Record: (12-8, 4-5)
Last Week: W at #11 Purdue (73-70), W vs. Iowa (82-65)
Next Week: at Penn State (Jan. 30 – 6:30 p.m.), at #18 Illinois (Feb. 2 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Purdue, at Kentucky
Bad losses: None
Micah Parrish has begun to step up for Ohio State. Parrish has scored at least 18 points in each of their last three games and has taken some of the workload off of Bruce Thornton. Ohio State can beat some of the best teams in the nation. However, if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament, they are also going to need to beat all of the middle-of-the-road Big Ten teams.
13. Iowa Hawkeyes
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-2)
Record: (13-8, 4-6)
Last Week: L vs. Minnesota (67-72), W vs. Penn State (76-75), L at Ohio State (65-82)
Next week: N/A
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
After showing a lot of promise early in the season, Iowa has fallen significantly. Losses in four of their past five have greatly hindered their postseason hopes. To make matters worse, they will play two of the three best teams in the Big Ten (Purdue and Wisconsin) following a week off.
14. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Last week’s ranking: 18 (+4)
Record: (11-9, 3-6)
Last Week: W at Iowa (72-67), W vs. #15 Oregon (77-69)
Next Week: at #7 Michigan State (Jan. 28 – 8 p.m.), vs. Washington (Feb. 1 – Noon)
Quality wins: vs. Michigan, vs. Oregon
Bad losses: N/A
After losing their first six conference games, Minnesota has won their past three, two of which came against ranked opponents. Most recently, Dawson Garcia’s 31-point outburst helped the Golden Gophers upset Oregon. Their game against Michigan State is my game of the week. I do not expect Minnesota to pick up the win, but I do think it will come down to the wire.
15. USC Trojans
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-1)
Record: (12-8, 4-5)
Last week: W at Nebraska (78-73), L vs. UCLA (76-82)
Next week: vs. #7 Michigan State (Feb. 1 – 4:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Illinois
Bad losses: N/A
USC’s loss to UCLA at home was a stinger for the Trojans. While they did not play poorly, UCLA’s talent was simply too much. USC plays Michigan State, Northwestern, and Purdue over their next three games. They need to win at least two of those games to stay relevant.
16. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-4)
Record: (12-8, 2-7)
Last Week: L vs. USC (73-78), L at #18 Wisconsin (55-83)
Next Week: vs. #18 Illinois (Jan. 30 – 8:30 p.m.), at #16 Oregon (Feb. 2 – 7:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Nebraska has lost six straight games. They were blown out by Wisconsin, shooting just 21-for-62 from the floor. This is a team that started the season 12-2, picking up big wins over Creighton and UCLA. Ultimately, they did not have the talent to sustain that run.
17. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Last week’s ranking: 17 (-)
Record: (10-10, 3-6)
Last Week: L at Penn State (72-80), L vs. #8 Michigan State (74-81)
Next Week: at Northwestern (Jan. 29 – 9 p.m.), vs. Michigan (Feb. 1 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: at Kennesaw State
Dylan Harper came off the bench for the first time this season and played just 13 minutes against Michigan State. The only reason it was a semi-close game was because Jordan Derdack posted 26 points off the bench. Rutgers is in shambles.
18. Washington Huskies
Last week’s ranking: 16 (-2)
Record: (10-10, 1-8)
Last Week: L at #15 Oregon (71-82), L vs. UCLA (60-65)
Next Week: at Minnesota (Feb. 1 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: vs. Seattle
Washington has lost six in a row. Five of those losses came against ranked opponents, but four of their losses were by at least ten points. First-year head coach Danny Sprinkle needs something to change as Washington enters a much easier portion of their conference schedule.