Grace Lesher gives her Big Ten basketball power rankings heading into week 17 of the 2024-25 season.
Matchup of the week: #8 Michigan State at #16 Maryland (Feb 26-6:30 pm EST)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: UCLA at #20 Purdue (Feb 28-8 pm EST)
All games listed are EST
1. Michigan State Spartans
Week 16 ranking: 4 (+3)
Record: 22-5 (13-3)
Last Week: W @ Michigan (75-62)
This Week: @ Maryland (Feb 26 – 6:30 pm)
Quality wins: at Michigan, vs. Purdue, vs. Oregon, Illinois x2, vs. UNC
Bad losses: N/A
Seed projection: 2 seed (ESPN)
The Spartans continue to prove that they deserve their top spot in the Big Ten rankings as well as being in the top ten in the AP polls. In the past two weeks not only have they taken down power house Purdue, but also rival Michigan as the away team. This team has hit their stride and they aren’t slowing down. They are currently led by head coach Tom Izzo who has just recently broken the record for most Big Ten wins by a head coach. Their game this week against Maryland should be an interesting one as both teams are in the top 25 in the AP poll.
2. Wisconsin Badgers
Week 16 ranking: 1 (-1)
Record: 21-6 (11-5)
Last week: L vs. Oregon (77-73, OT)
This week: vs. Washington (Feb. 25 – 9 pm), @ Michigan State (Mar. 2 – 1:30 pm)
Quality wins: at Purdue, vs. Arizona, vs. Illinois
Bad losses: N/A
Seed projection: 3 seed (ESPN)
The Badgers are coming off of an incredibly disappointing loss to Oregon. The game ended in overtime with a 4-point differential. This broke Wisconsin’s five game winning streak; however, looking ahead, they should be able to bounce back against Washington in order to gain some momentum before taking on Michigan State.
3. Michigan Wolverines
Week 16 ranking: 2 (-1)
Record: 21-6 (13-3)
Last week: L vs. Michigan State (75-62), W @ Nebraska (49-46)
Next week: vs. Rutgers (Feb. 26 – 9 p.m.), vs. Illinois (Mar. 2 – 3:45 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Wisconsin, at UCLA, vs. Purdue, vs. Oregon, vs. Xavier
Bad losses: at Minnesota
Seed projection: 4 seed (ESPN)
Despite their disappointing loss to rival Michigan State, Michigan is still in a good spot. Their three point win over Nebraska was a great bounce back from their loss just three days before. Looking ahead, they should be able to gain solid wins over both Rutgers and Illinois, to give them some momentum going into the last few regular season games before heading into Big Ten and NCAA tournament play.
4. UCLA Bruins
Week 16 ranking: 7 (+3)
Record: 20-8 (11-6)
Last week: W vs. Ohio State (69-61)
This week: @ Purdue (Feb. 28 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Michigan State, vs. Arizona, vs. Oregon, vs. Gonzaga
Bad losses: vs. Minnesota
Seed projection: 6 seed (ESPN)
The UCLA Bruins have been a very interesting team to watch this season as it is their first season competing in the Big Ten and they have had some very impressive performances against conference opponents. Tyler Bilodeau currently leads the way in scoring for the Bruins, averaging 13.9 points a game along with 4.4 rebounds. Bilodeau’s points will continue to be important for UCLA as they look forward to the rest of their season as well as post season play. The game against Purdue at Mackey Area gives them a great chance to prove their status as one of the top teams in the conference.
5. Maryland Terrapins
Week 16 rankings: 5 (-)
Record: 21-6 (11-5)
Last week: W vs. USC (88-71)
This week: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 26 – 6:30 p.m.), @ Penn State (Mar. 1 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Wisconsin, vs. UCLA, at Illinois
Bad losses: at Washington, at Northwestern
Seed projection: 5 seed (ESPN)
Maryland’s offense continues to be dominant against its opponents, posting a 17 point win over USC last week. All five of the players in the starting lineup are averaging double digit points on the season. Leading the way is Derik Queen who is averaging 15.9 points a game. There is no doubt that the Terrapins could make a run in the NCAA tournament and see lots of success in the Big Ten tournament. However, before they think too far ahead, they will need to get past their game against Michigan State this week.
6. Purdue Boilermakers
Week 16 rankings: 3 (-3)
Record: 19-9 (11-6)
Last week: L @ Indiana (73-58)
This week: vs. UCLA (Feb. 28 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Alabama, vs. Michigan, at Oregon, vs. Maryland, vs. Ole Miss, vs. Yale
Bad losses: at Penn State
Seed projection: 4 seed (ESPN)
The Purdue Boilermakers are currently on a four game losing streak and are seeming to have a hard time getting out of it. Their most recent loss comes from rival Indiana where they lost by 15 points. What’s most concerning about this is the fact that about three weeks before, they had beat Indiana with a final score of 81-76. One thing to point to is junior guard Braden Smith’s lack of scoring over a couple of their past four losses. Against Indiana, Smith had only eight points, which is not common for him. If Smith can return to the incredible three-point shooter Purdue fans know and love, the team will go back to the unstoppable force they once were. Their upcoming game against UCLA will be the perfect opportunity to get things turned around in front of a home fan base.
7. Oregon Ducks
Week 16 ranking: 8 (+1)
Record: 20-8 (9-8)
Last week: W @ Iowa (80-78), W @ Wisconsin (77-73)
This week: vs. USC (Mar. 1 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Wisconsin, vs. Alabama, vs. Texas A&M, vs. San Diego State
Bad losses: at Minnesota
Seed projection: 5 seed (ESPN)
In their past four games, the Oregon Ducks have undoubtedly proved that they can be a competitive force in the Big Ten conference. Most recently, they have shown that they can remain strong in close end-of-game situations.
8. Indiana Hoosiers
Week 16 ranking: 11 (+3)
Record: 16-11 (7-9)
Last week: W vs. Purdue (73-58)
This week: vs. Penn State (Feb. 26 – 8:30 p.m.), @ Washington (Mar. 1 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Michigan State, vs. Purdue
Bad losses: at Northwestern
Seed projection: First Four OUT (ESPN)
One story in college basketball that has come up many times this season is the one of the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana’s roster has a significant amount of talent on it and it seems like all of the pieces are there. However, this team has not had the success that they were projected to have in the beginning of the season. That’s not to say that they still can’t turn it around. Their performance against Purdue on Sunday was incredible and if they can keep up that same intensity and drive going into their last few regular season games, they may see some surprising success going into the post season.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini
Week 16 ranking: 6 (-3)
Record: 17-11 (9-8)
Last week: L @ Duke (110-67)
This week: vs. Iowa (Feb. 25 – 9 p.m.), @ Michigan (Mar. 2 – 3:45 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Missouri, at Oregon, vs. UCLA
Bad losses: at Northwestern
Seed projection: 8 seed (ESPN)
What started out as a strong season for Illinois has now turned into a very disappointing one. They are currently on a three game losing streak, each of them with double-digit point differentials. While these games were against competitive opponents, it is still alarming to see losses by this much at this point in the season.
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Week 16 ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 17-11 (7-10)
Last week: L @ Penn State (89-72), L vs. Michigan (49-46)
This week: vs. Minnesota (Mar. 1 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Creighton, at Oregon, vs. UCLA, vs. Illinois
Bad losses: at Penn State
Seed projection: last four in (ESPN)
The Cornhuskers had two very disappointing losses this past week. While they will most likely still be making appearance in the Big Ten tournament taking place in about two weeks, it is starting to become more and more unlikely that they will see much action later on in March.
11. Ohio State Buckeyes
Week 16 ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 15-13 (7-10)
Last week: L vs. Northwestern (70-49), L @ UCLA (69-61)
This week: @ USC (Feb. 26 – 10:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Purdue, vs. Maryland, vs. Kentucky
Bad losses: vs. Northwestern
Seed projection: 11 seed (ESPN)
Despite their losses Ohio State has moved up to ESPN’s “last four byes” list. Ohio State had a fairly solid start with some impressive wins and very close losses. If they can find a way to hit their stride these next two weeks, they may see more success in the Big Ten tournament than people are guessing.
12. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Week 16 ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 14-13 (6-10)
Last week: L vs. Penn State (69-60)
This week: vs. Northwestern (Feb. 25 – 6 p.m.), @ Nebraska (Mar. 1 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: @ UCLA, vs. Oregon, vs. Michigan
Bad losses: vs. Wichita State, vs. Penn State
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN)
With Penn State falling towards the bottom of the Big Ten rankings, they were an incredibly disappointing loss for the Gophers. With how crucial wins are for any team at this point in the season, the loss to the Nittany Lions errs on the side of one of Minnesota’s worst of the season. They will have the chance this week to defeat UCLA for the second time this season. While this will be no walk in the park, it is definitely doable for this team.
13. USC Trojans
Week 16 ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 14-13 (6-10)
Last week: L @ Maryland (88-71), L @ Rutgers (95-85)
This week: vs. Ohio State (Feb. 26 – 7:30 p.m.), @ Oregon (Mar. 1 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Michigan State, at Illinois
Bad losses: vs. Cal, vs. Minnesota
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN)
USC is currently sitting on a three game losing streak. Perhaps the most disappointing of these was the three point loss to Penn State. The Trojans will have two opportunities to break this streak this week. While neither win will be easy, USC should not be counted out for having a shot.
14. Iowa Hawkeyes
Week 16 ranking: 14 (-)
Record: 15-12 (6-10)
Last week: L vs. Oregon (80-78), W vs. Washington (85-79)
This week: @ Illinois (Feb. 25 – 8 p.m.), @ Northwestern (Feb. 28 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: vs. Minnesota
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN)
Last week, Iowa experienced both ends of the spectrum: a two point loss and a double digit win. While the win was nice, it still doesn’t make that much of a difference when it comes to where the Hawkeyes fall in the rankings. At this point, there isn’t even a guarantee that the Hawkeyes will qualify for the Big Ten Tourney, much less the NCAA.
15. Rutgers Scarlett Knights
Week 16 ranking: 15 (-)
Record: 14-14 (7-10)
Last week: W @ Washington (89-85, OT), W vs. USC (95-85)
This week: vs. Michigan (Feb. 27 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. UCLA, vs. Illinois
Bad losses: at Kennesaw State, vs. Princeton
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN)
Even though the Scarlett Knights are on a two game winning streak, it is still not enough to improve their record to bring them to a higher spot in the rankings. Unfortunately, their schedule does not let up as their next two games are against Michigan and Purdue.
16. Washington Huskies
Week 16 ranking: 16 (-)
Record: 13-14 (4-12)
Last week: L vs. Rutgers (89-85), L @ Iowa (85-79)
This week: @ Wisconsin (Feb. 25 – 6 p.m.), vs. Indiana (Mar. 1 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Maryland
Bad losses: vs. Seattle
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN) (In position to not make Big Ten Tournament)
Once again the Washington Huskies fell to a conference opponent in a close match. It is looking extremely unlikely that Washington will see any action after their regular season play is over.
17. Northwestern Wildcats
Week 16 ranking: 17 (-)
Record: 14-13 (5-11)
Last week: W @ Ohio State (70-49)
This week: @ Minnesota (Feb. 25 – 6 p.m.), vs. Iowa (Feb. 28 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Maryland, vs. Illinois
Bad losses: vs. Butler, at Penn State
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN) (In position to not make Big Ten Tournament)
Despite their winning record, the Wildcats’ conference record is just not up to par. Their 21 point win over Ohio State is still not enough to move them further up and it continues to look unlikely that they will make the Big Ten tournament let alone the NCAA tournament.
18. Penn State Nittany Lions
Week 13 ranking: 18 (-)
Record: 15-13 (5-12)
Last week: W vs. Nebraska (89-72), W @ Minnesota (69-60)
This week: @ Indiana (Feb. 26 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Minnesota (Mar. 1 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Purdue
Bad losses: vs. Minnesota
Seed projection: OUT (ESPN) (In position to not make Big Ten Tournament)
And at the bottom of the list are the Penn State Nittany Lions, which is disappointing because they have recently had some very impressive wins. The story of the Nittany Lions is one example of why the expanded Big Ten has some issues. If all the teams were still eligible to play in the tournament, despite their record, Penn State may be a team that had a real shot of making a run. However, it is looking very likely that they will not get a shot at all in Indianapolis, unless they can create some momentum in their last three regular season games of the 2024-25 season.