Mat Mlodzinski gives his Big Ten basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2025 season.
Week 1 team of the week:Â Indiana Hoosiers
Week 1 game of the week:Â Michigan State vs. Arkansas
Week 1 player of the week:Â Tucker DeVries, Indiana
Week 2 matchup of the week:Â #14 Illinois vs. #12 Texas Tech – Nov. 11 at 8:30 p.m.
Week 2 under-the-radar matchup of the week:Â Iowa vs. Xavier – Nov. 14 at 8 p.m.
Before you read this, keep in mind that this is solely judging the first week. This doesn’t take into account any preseason rankings, only each team’s performance so far this season.
All games listed are EST
1) Indiana Hoosiers
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Alabama A&M (98-51), W vs. Marquette (100-77)
Next week: vs. Milwaukee (Nov. 12 – 7 p.m.), vs. Incarnate Word (Nov. 16 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Marquette
Bad losses:
Dropping 100 points on a Shaka Smart-led Marquette club is a huge testament to what Darian DeVries does as a head coach and what Tucker DeVries does as a player. Tucker and backcourt teammate Lamar Wilkerson combined for half of the Hoosiers’ points against the Golden Eagles and may be the most deadly duo in Big Ten basketball. Plus, 34 bench points in the win also speak volumes about their depth.
2) Illinois Fighting Illini
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Jackson State (113-55), W vs. FGCU (113-70)
Next week: vs. #11 Texas Tech (Nov. 11 – 8:30 p.m.), vs. Colgate (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Illinois played two mid-majors in week one but absolutely crushed both of them, scoring 113 points in each win. The offense was on full display, and through those two games, Illinois is shooting 55.1% from the field. The frontcourt play is out of this world, with Zvonimir Ivisic averaging 9.0 rebounds per game, but being second behind David Mirkovic’s 12.5 RPG.
This week, a game against Texas Tech on Tuesday should give us an early look at how serious we should take Illinois.
3) Michigan Wolverines
Record: 1-0
Last week: W vs. Oakland (121-78)
Next week: vs. Wake Forest (Nov. 11 – 6:30 p.m.), at TCU (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
We’ll get to Purdue in a second, but Michigan faced a common opponent in Oakland and throttled them, 121-78. SIX players scored in double-figures, they dished out 29 assists, outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies by 18, and went 19-of-35 from three-point range. The Michigan offense could be the best out of all of the great ones in Big Ten basketball.
4) Purdue Boilermakers
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Evansville (82-51), W vs. Oakland (87-77)
Next week: at #8 Alabama (Nov. 13 – 7 p.m.), vs. Akron (Nov. 16 – 7:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
In Purdue’s game against Oakland, I was convinced they might get upset by the Golden Grizzlies. At one point in the first half, Oakland led 23-17 and was completely controlling the offensive glass. Of course, Purdue came back to win by 10, but this was still a one-possession game with under eight minutes to go.
It could just be a wake-up call, and Greg Kampe always seems to have an upset bid or two under his sleeze each season. But for a Purdue program that’s known for losing games they shouldn’t on paper, this wasn’t a good week to shut up the doubters.
5) Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. IU Indy (118-102), W vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (94-68)
Next week: vs. App State (Nov. 11 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 16 – 12:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Bruce Thornton looks like a man on a mission. The Ohio State star dropped 26 points on 10 shots in the high-scoring game against IU Indy and followed it up with 38 on 14-of-17 shooting against Purdue Fort Wayne. He’s also averaging 4.5 assists. I’m not sure if there’s anyone in the country playing more efficiently than Bruce Thornton right now.
But Ohio State? While their offense looks great, giving up 102 points to IU Indy is a little bit concerning. We’ll see if the Jaguars just happen to have an explosive offense themselves as the season goes on.
6) Michigan State Spartans
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Colgate (80-69), W vs. Arkansas (69-66)
Next week: vs. San Jose State (Nov. 13 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: vs. Arkansas
Bad losses:
The Spartans were tested in their win over Colgate, only shooting 25-of-60 from the field against a program not known for its defense. But against Arkansas, the Spartans showcased their defense, holding a John Calipari-coached team to just 39.3% from the floor.
Michigan State plays next on Thursday with an important tune-up game against San Jose State to try and get the offense going.
7) Wisconsin Badgers
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Campbell (96-64), W vs. Northern Illinois (97-72)
Next week: vs. Ball State (Nov. 11 – 8:30 p.m.),
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
It is John Blackwell’s time in Wisconsin. The guard had 31 points against Campbell, showing he’s ready to take the reins as the go-to scorer and replace John Tonje.
But even more impressive? He only put up eight shot attempts in a 25-point win over NIU. Guys like Nick Boyd and Nolan Winter are no slouches, giving the Badgers a legit ‘big three’.
8) Iowa Hawkeyes
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Robert Morris (101-69), W vs. Western Illinois (77-58)
Next week: vs. Xavier (Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
The Ben McCollum era is off to a fast start in Iowa City after two convincing wins to start the season. Bringing star guard Bennett Stirtz over from Drake was an excellent decision, as he looks ready to be a major player in Big Ten basketball this season.
This week, the Hawkeyes only have one game, but it’s against Xavier, so we’ll get a better glimpse into how dangerous they can be in conference play.
9) USC Trojans
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Cal Poly (94-64), W vs. Manhattan (114-83)
Next week: vs. Illinois State (Nov. 14 – 7:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Eric Musselman brought in a ton of talent in the offseason, and early on, it looks like it’s paying off. And Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara is shining as a star of this team, averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds early on. But the biggest reason why you should believe in USC is how they have five players all averaging at least 11.5 points per game. They brought in a lot of talent, and it looks like they’ll be able to score the ball with the best of them.
10) Washington Huskies
Record: 2-1
Last week: W vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (94-50), W vs. Denver (84-70), L at Baylor (78-69)
Next week: at Washington State (Nov. 14 – 11 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Credit to Washington for scheduling three games in week one of the college basketball season, but it caught up with them on Sunday, falling at Baylor by nine.
Hannes Steinbach looks like he’ll be a handful for other Big Ten basketball teams to handle, and Quimari Peterson will either be hot or not. It’s an intriguing bunch, and I’m willing to give them a pass for playing so many games right off the bat and challenging themselves with Baylor.
11) UCLA Bruins
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Eastern Washington (80-74), W vs. Pepperdine (74-63)
Next week: vs. West Georgia (Nov. 10 – 10 p.m.), vs. #5 Arizona (Nov. 14 – 10 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Mick Cronin sounded off after a season-opener where UCLA only took down Eastern Washington by six points. They only led the rebounding margin, 35-30, and shot the ball poorly from three.
Things didn’t change against Pepperdine. The Waves and Bruins tied with 34 rebounds, and after going 5-for-21 from deep, that just may not be a strong suit for UCLA this season.
With No. 5 Arizona coming up on Friday night, the Bruins have a lot to figure out.
12) Minnesota Golden Gophers
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Gardner-Webb (87-60), W vs. Alcorn State (95-50)
Next week: at Missouri (Nov. 12 – 8 p.m.), vs. Green Bay (Nov. 15 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Niko Medved took over for Minnesota in the offseason and has the Golden Gophers playing some very efficient basketball to start the season. Cade Tyson has been virtually unstoppable, averaging 25.5 PPG on 61.9% from the field. While Jaylen Crocker-Johnson can’t buy a bucket to start the season, all of the other key players have, so it seems like it can only go up from here.
Minnesota will travel to play at Missouri on Wednesday, which will be the perfect litmus test.
13) Northwestern Wildcats
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Mercyhurst (70-47), W vs. Boston U (76-52)
Next week: vs. Cleveland State (Nov. 10 – 8:30 p.m.), at DePaul (Nov. 14 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
I’m not sure how much stock you can put into Nebraska failing to score at least 80 points in two games against low-major opponents, but it’s not a very positive sign. However, we can’t just forget about defense. The Wildcats are only allowing 49.5 points per game and start the week 29th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency ratings. That’s a good sign, but they’ll need to start getting more offensive production from returners like KJ Windham and Justin Mullins.
14) Nebraska Cornhuskers
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. West Georgia (86-53), W vs. FIU (96-66)
Next week: vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m.), vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 15 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
It’s tough to make a good judgment on Nebraska after two games against opponents not nearly close to the power five level. But we can speak very highly of Rienk Mast, who had a triple-double in the win over FIU. Mast missed all of last season after getting knee surgery, so it’s very encouraging to see him balling out like that.
Nebraska does play Oklahoma this week – a game the Sooners will be very hungry going into after getting blown out by Gonzaga over the weekend. It’s a chance for Nebraska to pick up a solid win, but they’d better be ready.
15) Oregon Ducks
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Hawai’i (60-59), W vs. Rice (67-63)
Next week: vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 12 – 9:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Oregon nearly blew its first game of the season to Hawai’i, escaping with a one-point win. They had a slight excuse that Jackson Shelstad didn’t play, but you can’t use that same excuse against Rice. In a four-point win over the Owls, Shelstad played 35 minutes. He shot 2-for-12 from the field, which may just be a case of his feet not being under him yet, but regardless, it was not a great week for trying to build an early-season resume. Luckily, they’ve got just one game this week, so Shelstad can continue to ramp up cautiously.
16) Maryland Terrapins
Record: 1-1
Last week: W vs. Coppin State (83-61), L vs. Georgetown (70-60)
Next week: vs. Alcorn State (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Marquette (Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Maryland found themselves with just a seven-point lead against Coppin State with under 14 minutes to play, eventually winning by 22.
Then against Georgetown, they only scored 60 points, hitting just 13 field goals all game long. That’s some atrocious offense, and could be a sign that they’re in for a bad first year under Buzz Williams.
17) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Record: 1-0
Last week: W vs. Rider (81-53)
Next week: vs. Maine (Nov. 10 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. Lehigh (Nov. 14 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Rutgers started the season with very low expectations, so it’s hard to rank them much higher than this after just playing one game against an inferior opponent. Plus, while they grabbed 47 rebounds, they gave up 46 to Rider, which doesn’t give an indication that they’ll be a great team inside.
This week, Rutgers plays Maine and Lehigh – two teams they should beat easily and be able to fine-tune some things.
18) Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 2-0
Last week: W vs. Fairfield (76-68), W vs. New Haven (87-43)
Next week: vs. Navy (Nov. 11 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. La Salle (Nov. 15 – 1 p.m.)
Quality wins:
Bad losses:
Penn State was at the bottom of my Big Ten basketball preview rankings, and I guess they proved me why, narrowly beating Fairfield, 76-68. They then blew out New Haven, playing the game in Connecticut, doing the new Division I program a favor.
This week, the Nittany Lions face some interesting competition – a good Navy team and an Atlantic 10 team in La Salle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two losses this week, because it’s tough to see any sort of consistent production on this roster.