This was arguably the best week of action of the season. We got a plethora of great games, including two top 10 matchups for the league. Interestingly, both featured Michigan. Of course, it all led to a shakeup in these Rankings.
So, let’s jump into this week’s Power Rankings.
Big Ten Week 13 Power Rankings
#1 – Illinois Fighting Illini (+1)
The Illini had another incredible week of play, beating a feisty Washington squad at home on Thursday and knocking off Nebraska on the road on Sunday. The latter marked a second top 15 KenPom win for Illinois in just two weeks
and pushed Illinois to 19-3 overall and 10-1 in Big Ten play.
We’ve been writing about how Illinois is underrated for weeks now and the Illini finally proved that over the last two weeks. Illinois is now a clear Big Ten title contender and has won 11 straight dating back to an early December loss to Nebraska. It’s been a ridiculous run considering the strength of this year’s Big Ten.
The run also put Illinois into a direct tie with Michigan atop the Big Ten standings with just nine games left. TRank currently favors the Wolverines in the title race, but only narrowly. By all realistic observations, it projects as a coin flip race and it going to make every upcoming game a crucial one. The team that avoids a letdown against lower-tier opponents will likely win the title.
Illinois will now prepare for another interesting slate, with Northwestern at home on Wednesday and Michigan State on the road on Saturday. KenPom projects a split.
#2 – Michigan Wolverines (+2)
The Wolverines might have had the best single week of the entire college basketball season, knocking off an undefeated Nebraska at home on Tuesday and then beating rival Michigan State on the road on Friday night. Adding two top 10 wins in a single week is always a massive accomplishment, but doing it against a 20-0 squad and a rival makes it even sweeter. All told, Michigan has now won six straight and enters the new week at 20-1 overall and 10-1 in Big Ten play.
At this point, there’s little denying Michigan deserves the top spot in these Rankings. The team not only has the best overall resume in the Big Ten, but arguably the nation as well. Michigan also seems to gradually be regaining its November and December form after a rough early part of January. The Wolverines are as deep and loaded as anybody and seem poised to accomplish some incredible things in March.
The biggest obstacle over the next two weeks will be to avoid looking ahead against a manageable slate. Michigan gets Penn State at home on Thursday and arch-rival Ohio State on the road on Sunday. The Wolverines already beat both opponents once this season and KenPom has Michigan as an overwhelming favorite in both contests. The question is whether Michigan can deliver on those projections and avoid a slip up like the squad had against Wisconsin in early January.
#3 – Nebraska Cornhuskers (-2)
The Huskers entered last week at 20-0 overall and 9-0 in Big Ten play. It was easily the best start in program history and led into an epic slate of games, with Michigan on the road on Tuesday and Illinois at home on Sunday. It seemed unlikely Nebraska could make it through both games unblemished, but the Huskers had proven the naysayers wrong before, so fans had hope. Nebraska had also already beaten Illinois on the road in December, so playing the Illini at home seemed like a favorable bounce.
Unfortunately, things didn’t shake out well for the Huskers. While the team played well on Tuesday, it didn’t have quite enough to overcome Michigan’s size advantage, particularly without Rienk Mast. Nebraska then fell short against a red hot Illinois at home on Sunday in a rougher performance. The two losses dropped the Huskers to 20-2 overall and 9-2 in Big Ten play.
Generally speaking, Nebraska remains in excellent position. While last week was a rough one, it wasn’t realistic to believe the Huskers were going to remain unblemished all season, particularly when facing off against elite opponents like Michigan and Illinois. Slip ups are going to happen and Nebraska just got bit. There’s no use panicking about it.
With that said, the two losses are going to weigh heavily in Nebraska’s quest for a conference title. The Huskers entered the week atop the standings, but are now a full game out of first and tied with Michigan State. Making up that deficit with only nine conference games remaining is going to be tough. For perspective, TRank now gives the Huskers just an 18.3 percent chance of earning a share of the Big Ten title. It’s certainly not over, but that’s a colossal drop in just a handful of days.
Nebraska will get most of this week off before returning to action on Saturday on the road against Rutgers. It should be a good opportunity to get healthy and reset after a tough week.
#4 – Michigan State Spartans (-1)
The Spartans had a rough week. Michigan State opened with near disaster on Tuesday, needing a dramatic comeback to avoid a loss to Rutgers. The game ended in overtime, but raised some serious concerns about the squad. The team then hosted arch-rival Michigan on Friday and fell short in a hard fought matchup. The game had plenty of competitive segments, but the Wolverines were unquestionably the better team at the final buzzer.
While the split left Michigan State sitting with a solid record at 19-3 overall and 9-2 in Big Ten play, the damage may prove to be too much to overcome in the Big Ten title race. The Spartans entered Friday tied atop the conference standings, but now find themselves a full game back from arch-rival Michigan with an absolutely brutal closing stretch. For perspective, TRank now only gives Michigan State a 6.4 percent chance to share the Big Ten crown, which isn’t exactly an encouraging stat heading into February.
The team’s primary issue remains its limited offensive options. Jeremy Fears continues to play like an All-American, but Tom Izzo has struggled to find reliable pieces around him. Everyone can defend, but there aren’t many “bucket getters” on this squad. The season will be defined by whether Izzo can find another one before the calendar turns to March.
Michigan State will now prepare for another big week of action, with Minnesota on the road on Wednesday and Illinois at home on Saturday. KenPom favors the Spartans in both games, but avoiding a split is going to be tough. Two losses would likely end the team’s conference title hopes.
#5 – Iowa Hawkeyes (+1)
The Hawkeyes swept the team’s games last week, beating USC at home on Wednesday and Oregon on the road on Sunday. The game against the Trojans was pretty competitive, but Iowa cruised to a win against the Ducks. The sweep left Iowa sitting at 16-5 overall and 6-4 in Big Ten play.
Iowa will get two more winnable games this week, with Washington on the road on Wednesday and Northwestern at home on Sunday. KenPom has the Hawks as favorites in both games.
#6 – Purdue Boilermakers (-1)
The Boilermakers had a disappointing week, splitting against what projected as a manageable slate. Purdue fell on the road to arch-rival Indiana on Tuesday and bounced back on the road against Maryland on Sunday. The split left Purdue sitting at 18-4 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play. The win over the Terps snapped a three-game skid.
While Purdue’s overall resume remains strong, the three-game skid did major damage to the team’s Big Ten title hopes. For perspective, the Boilers now have just a 2.6 percent chance of earning a share of the league crown, at least according to TRank. And it’s easy to see why — Purdue is now two full games out of first place and has a challenging final nine games, with Nebraska and Iowa on the road and games against Michigan and Michigan State as well. It’s going to be an uphill climb.
Purdue will now get most of the week off before returning to action at home against Oregon on Saturday. KenPom has the Boilers as significant favorites heading into tip.
#7 – Wisconsin Badgers (—)
The Badgers swept the team’s games last week, beating arch-rival Minnesota at home on Wednesday and handling Ohio State at home on Saturday. While the win against the Gophers took quite a comeback, Wisconsin found a way to get the job done. Wisconsin is now 7-1 over its last eight games. The wins left Wisconsin sitting at 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play.
At this point, Wisconsin is looking like a safe bet for the NCAA Tournament. TRank currently has the Badgers as a nine seed and it will probably only take a few more wins to remove any doubt. However, getting there is going to be quite a challenge, as Wisconsin has one of the toughest slates of anyone in the country in February. The team’s next five games all come against opponents rated 41st or better, with three coming away from home. It’s going to be an absolutely brutal challenge for the team.
Wisconsin will get most of this week off before facing off against Indiana on the road on Saturday. KenPom favors the Hoosiers. We’ll see if the Badgers can find a way to pull off an upset.
#8 – Indiana Hoosiers (+2)
The Hoosiers had their best week of the season, knocking off arch-rival Purdue at home on Tuesday and following it up with a wild win at UCLA on Saturday in double overtime. Indiana had been winless against top 40 opponents entering the week, but now has two in its pocket. The wins pushed UCLA to 15-7 overall and 6-5 in Big Ten play. The team has now won three straight and is looking like a safe NCAA bet.
Indiana will get two more intriguing opportunities this week, with USC on the road on Tuesday and Wisconsin at home on Saturday. KenPom favors the Hoosiers in both games, though not significantly, so Indiana will have to play well to avoid a split.
#9 – Ohio State Buckeyes (-1)
The Buckeyes had a mixed week, beating Penn State at home on Monday and falling on the road to Wisconsin on Saturday. Ohio State had some decent moments in the Badgers game, but ended up falling by double-digits. As a result, Ohio State now sits at 14-7 overall and 6-5 in Big Ten play. The split kept Ohio State squarely on the NCAA bubble. TRank has the Buckeyes as one of the last four teams in the field.
Ohio State will now prepare for another lopsided week, with a struggling Maryland on the road on Thursday and arch-rival Michigan at home on Sunday. KenPom expects a split. However, if the Bucks can find a way to upset the Wolverines, it would go a long way toward securing an NCAA bid. It will take the team’s best effort of the season, as Ohio State enters the week without a win against a top 35 opponent.
#10 – UCLA Bruins (-1)
The Bruins nearly completed a sweep of the team’s games last week, beating Oregon on the road on Wednesday, but falling short against Indiana at home on Saturday in a wild double overtime game. UCLA was in position to beat the Hoosiers numerous times in the closing minutes, but couldn’t close the deal, particularly with multiple players fouling out as the game went on. The split left UCLA sitting at 15-7 overall and 7-4 in Big Ten play.
UCLA will now prepare for two winnable games, with Rutgers at home on Tuesday and Washington at home on Saturday. These really need to be a sweep if the Bruins want to feel confident on Selection Sunday.
#11 – USC Trojans (—)
The Trojans split the team’s games last week, falling to Iowa on the road in a close one on Wednesday, but rebounding against Rutgers at home on Saturday. The mixed results left USC sitting at 16-6 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play. The group appears to be gaining a bit of momentum, having won two of its last three games.
USC will now prepare for Indiana at home on Tuesday and Penn State on the road on Sunday. This is probably the team’s best shot of earning a sweep the rest of the way, given the schedule, so it will be crucial for the Trojans to play well. Most projections continue to have USC right on the NCAA bubble.
#12 – Washington Huskies (—)
The Huskies went 1-1 last week, falling at Illinois on Thursday, but rebounding with a win over Northwestern on the road on Saturday. The split kept Washington right on the edge of NCAA at-large consideration. The team probably won’t have enough to complete the uphill climb, but a path is there with a favorable closing slate. Washington now sits at 12-10 overall and 4-7 in Big Ten play.
Washington will now prepare for Iowa at home on Wednesday and UCLA on the road on Saturday. The Huskies need to find a way to at least split the games.
#13 – Northwestern Wildcats (—)
The Wildcats had a disappointing week. While Northwestern opened with a win against a struggling Penn State at home on Thursday, all the momentum of that was lost with a 14-point loss at home to Washington on Saturday. That loss left Northwestern sitting at 10-12 overall and 2-9 in Big Ten play.
This week presents as Northwestern’s “last stand” of the season. If the Wildcats want to be an at-large NCAA contender, now is the time to make a statement. Northwestern gets Illinois on the road on Wednesday and Iowa on the road on Sunday. The team must win one of these two, and potentially both, to remain in serious consideration. Unfortunately, both look like uphill challenges.
#14 – Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+2)
The Scarlet Knights lost both of the team’s games last week, blowing a game against Michigan State at home in overtime on Tuesday and falling to USC on the road on Saturday. While both games were competitive, Rutgers just can’t seem to break through. The team has now lost five straight and fell to 9-13 overall and 2-9 in Big Ten play.
Rutgers will hope to snap its losing streak against UCLA on the road on Tuesday and Nebraska at home on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights are massive underdogs in both games.
#15 – Penn State Nittany Lions (+3)
The Nittany Lions fell to Northwestern on the road on Thursday, but finally broke through in Big Ten play on Sunday at home against Minnesota. The win snapped a eight-game skid for Penn State. The team now sits at 10-12 overall and 1-10 in Big Ten play. The win over the Gophers was clearly Penn State’s best win of the season.
Penn State will now prepare for another challenging week, with Michigan on the road on Thursday and USC at home on Sunday. Fans will hope the win from the Minnesota game will carry over against the Wolverines, who Penn State played down to the wire in early January.
#16 – Minnesota Golden Gophers (-2)
The Gophers lost both of the team’s games last week, falling on the road to arch-rival Wisconsin on Wednesday and on the road against a reeling Penn State on Sunday. The losses dropped Minnesota to 10-12 overall and 3-8 in Big Ten play. Minnesota has now lost seven straight. We’ll see if the group can get back on track against Michigan State at home on Wednesday and Maryland at home on Sunday.
#17 – Oregon Ducks (-2)
The Ducks went 0-2 last week, falling to UCLA at home on Wednesday and against Iowa at home on Sunday. The losses left Oregon sitting at 8-14 overall and 1-10 in Big Ten play. The team will now get most of the week off before facing off against Purdue on the road on Saturday.
#18 – Maryland Terrapins (-1)
The Terrapins fell to Purdue at home on Sunday in the team’s only game of the week. It was an utterly uncompetitive game, with Maryland falling by 30 points at home. The loss dropped Maryland to 8-13 overall and 1-9 in Big Ten play. The group will now try and get back on track against Ohio State at home on Thursday and Minnesota on the road on Sunday.
