After this weekend’s action everyone in the conference has played at least five of their 20 Big Ten games, so we’re starting to get som separation in what is a bloated league. only two teams are at the top with undefeated league records. One is not a surprise, in preseason No. 1 Purdue. We live in a world where Nebraska, the only major conference teamt hat has never won an NCAA Tournament game, is undefeated in mid-January. This week they even matched their program high AP Poll ranking at 8th, last
done in 1966.
This is a programt hat has only been in the preseason top 25 twice, and this week is only the sixth week ever they have appeared in the top 10. The Cornhuskers aren’t up here cheaply, either. They already boast Tier 1 wins at Indiana, Ohio State, and Illinois and a home win over Michigan State. It is time to take them seriously as a contender.
Yes, we live in a world where Indiana football is 15-0, ranked No. 1, and in the national title game while Nebrasketball is ranked 8th at 16-0, and is a legit contedner for a top 3 NCAA Tournament seed.
I still think there are five true contenders for the league crown, and Purdue is in very good shape there with three of its remaining other four games against said contenders coming at home in Mackey Arena.
Contenders
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0) – Last Ranking: 4 – I debated having Purdue on top, but the Huskers have won 20 straight and they are sitting unbeaten overall. They also get Purdue at home. It is close, but for now, Nebraska is on top.
- Purdue Boilermakers (15-1, 5-0) – Last Ranking: 3 – Another factor in having Purdue under Nebraska right now: The strength of their 5-0 with wins over Michigan State and Illinois is much stronger than Purdue’s. Our strongest win is at Wisconsin, while Rutgers, Washington, and Penn State are near the bottom of the league.
- Michigan Wolverines (14-1, 4-1) – Last Ranking: 1 – Is Michigan finally mortal? This is a team that not only had beaten all comers before this week, but it had destroyed them. Now they barely escaped Penn State and lost at home to Wisconsin. This week they are on their west coast trip.
- Michigan State Spartans (14-2, 4-1) – Last Ranking: 2 – Sparty is still really good with the lone losses coming against Duke and Nebraska. They now get four games in a row against unranked teams before a huge January 30th game at home against Michigan.
- Illinois Fighting Illini (13-3, 4-1) – Last Ranking: 7 – The Illini are lurking for now. They have won five straight since losing to Nebraska, including a win at Iowa that was a top 25 win at the time. They should beat Northwestern, Minnesota, and Maryland before coming to Purdue.
Likely NCAA Teams
6. Wisconsin Badgers (11-5, 3-2) – Last Ranking: 11 – In terms of computer numbers and such there is a big drop off between the top 5 and the next tier. The top five represent five of the best 15 teams in the country according to the NET. The next highest is Iowa at 20, who is effectively out of the race now. Wisconsin gets this spot solely because of their impressive win at Michigan.
7. Indiana Hoosiers (12-4, 3-2) – Last Ranking: 10 – Indiana has a solid NET rankings of 34, but it is 0-3 in tier 1 games. They are also in a big danger zone, as they blew a big lead against Nebraska and now they go to Michigan State and Michigan in the next 8 days sandwiched around a home game with Iowa. We have officially reached the point where many recent Hoosier seasons have gone to die, but you can’t expect football schools to also compete in basketball.
8. Iowa Hawkeyes (12-4, 2-3) – Last Ranking: 6 – Just a really bad week for Iowa with a loss at Minnesota and a home loss to Illinois. They are now 0-3 in tier 1 games, but they are a dangerous team. Purdue getting them twice does us no favors.
NCAA Bubble
9. UCLA Bruins (11-5, 3-2) – Last Ranking: 8 – The Bruins are hanging on, but losses at Iowa and Wisconsin leave doubts as to if they can win on the road in this league. It should also be noted that, while the top 5 teams in the Big Ten have a combined 20 Tier 1 victories, the remaining 13 teams have a total of five. UCLA has one, at Washington.
10. USC Trojans (12-3, 2-3) – Last Ranking: 5 – After losing to both Michigan schools by a combined 59 points USC finished its road trip with a one point overtime win at Minnesota Friday night. This is a team that has spent time in the top 25, but they appear to be fading.
Could be Spicy
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-6, 3-2) – Last Ranking: 15 – The Gophers were not expected to do a lot this season, but they have been fierce in the Barn with wins over Indiana and Iowa. Had they beaten USC on Friday they would have only been a game out of first place, too. Teams going to Minneapolis get the “just be careful out there”, because messing with Minnesotans in their homes is a bad idea.
12. Washington Huskies (10-6, 2-3) – Last Ranking: 12 – Washington has a lot of talent, but it is not totally clicking yet. They hung around agaisnt Purdue in West Lafayette and they get travel as a great equalizer on their home court. If they could beat one or both of the Michigan schools this week I would appreciate it.
13. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-5, 3-3) – Last Ranking: 9 – I am not sure what to think about OSU. They played Nebraska to a three-point game at home, but have an ugly loss at Pittsburgh. This is a wildly inconsistent team. I can see them beating a top 10 team at home.
Big Ten Network is Contractually Obligated to Broadcast Games Between These Five Teams.
14. Northwestern Wildcats (8-8, 0-5) – Last Ranking: 14 – The Wildcats are 0-5 in the league, but they are at least still in the top 100 of the NET. You can’t say that about the remaining four. All five losses are by 10 points or less, but one was in overtime at Rutgers.
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-8, 2-4) – Last Ranking: 18 – Rutgers has clawed its way out of last place with overtime home wins over Northwestern and Oregon. They are still not a good team, but they won’t go winless.
16. Oregon Ducks (8-8, 1-4) – Last Ranking: 17 – Oregon is just 4-8 after starting the season 4-0 and they don’t have a single victory in the top two NET quadrants. Now they get Nebraska, Michigan, and Michigan State in consecutive games. Good luck!
17. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-7, 0-5) – Last Ranking: 13 – I thought Penn State had a really good week. They hung around a very long time at Purdue and came real close to knocking off Michigan. They still suck.
18. Maryland Terrapins (7-9, 0-5) – Last Ranking: 16 – I am stunned Maryland is all the way down here with a 164 NET rating. They have lost their five Big Ten games by 19, 18, 10, 18, and 12 points, so they are way behind almost everyone else.
