Where do the Big Ten teams rank as we head into the Christmas holiday?
The college basketball season is in full swing and we have seen our share of upsets and great games.
The Big Ten has already seen two conference games played by most of the teams, but the full schedule will kick off right after the New Year. Before we get to the thick of the schedule we take a look at our first power rankings of the year.
1. Purdue Boilermakers 10-1, 1-1 in the Big Ten
Yes, the Boilermakers were shocked by Northwestern in their first Big Ten game of the year, but they have been the unquestioned top team in the conference all season long. They own four ranked wins and are coming off a huge 92-84 victory over No. 1 Arizona on Saturday. The Boilermakers are the team to beat in the Big Ten and the country.
2. Illinois Fighting Illini 8-2, 1-0
The Fighting Illini have been playing good basketball to start the year. Their two losses have both come against ranked opponents and they also own a win over No. 11 FAU. They opened Big Ten play with an easy win over Rutgers, but will get tested to begin the new year as they have Northwestern, Purdue and Michigan State in three straight games.
3. Wisconsin Badgers 8-3, 1-0
The Badgers three losses this year have come against No. 8 Tennessee, Providence and No.1 Arizona. They own wins over No. 24 Virginia, No. 3 Marquette and Michigan State. They have shown they can play with anyone and are going to be tough in the Big Ten this year.
4. Indiana Hoosiers 7-3, 2-0
The Hoosiers struggled against No. 5 UConn and Auburn, but nearly upset No. 2 Kansas on Saturday at home. They had the Jayhawks down double digits in the second half, but just couldn’t put them away. They did start the Big Ten with two straight wins and looks like they will be a tough out in conference play.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes 9-2, 1-1
The Buckeyes were shocked by Penn State in their second Big Ten game, but turned around and beat a good UCLA team 67-60 on Saturday. The Buckeyes have played great this year and are a true threat in the Big Ten.
6. Nebraska Cornhuskers 9-2, 1-1
The Cornhuskers have lost two games this year, one against No. 15 Creighton and one when they blew a huge halftime lead to Minnesota. Since that loss, they have beat Michigan State and held Kansas State to 12 second-half points in a win. The Cornhuskers are a good team.
7. Northwestern Wildcats 8-2, 1-0
The Wildcats have been a part of two of the biggest upsets of the year. They dealt Purdue their only loss of the year, but then were shocked by Chicago State last week. They aren’t as bad as they looked against the Cougars and would probably lose more times than not against Purdue. They are somewhere in between but are still a very good team.
8. Michigan State Spartans 5-5, 0-2
The Spartans have had a rough start to the year and are just 5-5, but are coming off a huge 88-64 win over No. 6 Baylor on Saturday. Three of their losses have come against ranked opponents at the time. One other was against a current ranked team and the last was on the road at Nebraska. This team isn’t a top-five team, but they are much better than their record shows.
9. Michigan Wolverines 6-5, 1-1
The Wolverines have had a tough schedule and it has taken its toll. They have three losses by four or fewer points and could very easily be 9-2 right now. They have won two in a row, but will get tested again this week against Florida. They do own a road Big Ten win at Iowa, but are going to have to be more consistent if they want to compete in the conference.
10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7-3, 0-1
The Scarlet Knights are on the edge of getting into the top half of the Big Ten. They were upset by Princeton to start the year, but their other two losses have been against Illinois and Wake Forest. They have a tough test this weekend against a good Mississippi State team.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers 8-3, 1-1
The Golden Gophers have won three in a row including a huge comeback win over Nebraska for their first Big Ten win of the year. The Golden Gophers have a good record, but their win over the Cornhuskers is the only major conference opponent they have beaten.
12. Maryland Terrapins 6-4, 1-1
The Terrapins struggled out of the gate and were 1-3 in their first four games. They have righted the ship, but have just one win over a major conference opponent and that came against Penn State. They have a tough test on Friday when they go to UCLA to take on the Bruins.
13. Iowa Hawkeyes 6-5, 0-2
The Hawkeyes won over the weekend to snap a three-game losing streak and get back over .500. They have struggled against the best teams on their schedule as their defense has had a tough time stopping teams. They have a couple of winnable games coming up before a tough game at Wisconsin to start the new year.
14. Penn State Nittany Lions 5-6, 1-1
The Nittany Lions have lost six of their last seven games after starting the year 4-0. The lone win was a huge comeback victory over Ohio State, but they turned around and lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday. They have struggled against good teams and look like the worst team in the Big Ten right now.
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