The Big Ten Tournament officially kicks off today. As the Michigan Wolverines look to repeat as tournament champions and tie it to their 2025-26 regular season championship, here is how all 18 teams have fared over the last couple weeks as things get going Tuesday afternoon.
No. 18 – Penn State Nittany Lions – COLD
Penn State was the worst team in the conference this season and has lost five of its last six by double-digits. Its only win in the last month was a stunning two-point home win over Iowa.
No. 17 – Maryland Terrapins – COLD
Maryland has just one win this year over
a conference team that finished above .500, and it was over a month ago at home vs Iowa. The Terrapins nearly upset Illinois on Sunday, but this team has been far from impressive in 2025-26.
No. 16 – Oregon Ducks – ROOM TEMP
It’s been an injury-riddled season for the Ducks, but they’ve gotten a little healthier down the stretch. They beat a scorching hot Wisconsin team by 14 and finished 4-3 over their final seven games. If there is one bottom-feeder who could go on a mini run in this tournament, it’s them.
No. 15 – Northwestern Wildcats – ROOM TEMP
After losing five straight in early February, the Wildcats leveled out over the last few weeks. They went 3-2 over their final five games, with their two losses coming by a combined five points. Nick Martinelli led the conference in scoring with 22.7 points per game and put up 20+ in each of the Wildcats’ last five.
No. 14 – Rutgers Scarlet Knights – COLD
Rutgers has won just four of its last 14 games, and those wins were twice against Penn State and twice against Maryland, the two worst teams in the conference.
No. 13 – USC Trojans – COLD
Leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara was told to hit LinkedIn earlier this month, as he was dismissed from the team in his final year of eligibility. That’s amid a current seven-game losing streak heading into this tournament.
No. 12 – Washington Huskies – COLD
Opening the year 10-6 and beating Ohio State in early January had the Huskies hopeful. But they are 5-10 in their last 15, and that win over the Buckeyes two months ago is their only victory against any team above .500 in the conference.
No. 11 – Minnesota Golden Gophers – ROOM TEMP
The Golden Gophers have been a conundrum this season. They’ve defended their home court at a really high level with a 13-4 record, including an upset over Michigan State. Away from Minneapolis? They’re 2-12. It makes for a really interesting matchup with Rutgers on Wednesday.
No. 10 – Indiana Hoosiers – COLD
On Feb. 9, Indiana looked like a sure fire tournament team at 17-8. Since then, a 20-points loss to Illinois, a nearly 30-point loss to Purdue and a 13-point loss to Michigan State en route to a 1-5 finish to the regular season. They’re currently Joe Lunardi’s First Team Out and are desperate for a run this week to earn a spot.
No. 9 – Iowa Hawkeyes – COLD
Another team on the bubble, Iowa is one of Lunardi’s final teams in. A mid-February, five-point win at home vs Nebraska is keeping the Hawkeyes in by a thread. Another shot against Michigan on Friday could be exactly what they need, but they’ll have to get by either Maryland, Oregon or Ohio State before then.
No. 8 – Ohio State Buckeyes – HOT
Since being drubbed by Michigan in Columbus last month, Ohio State’s been on a nice run, earning two top-25 wins against Wisconsin and Purdue. The Buckeyes also were within two possessions of beating both Virginia and Michigan State. Even at 4-3 over their last seven, they’ve proven they can hang with some of the nation’s best.
No. 7 – Purdue Boilermakers – COLD
Relative to expectations, the Boilermakers might be on the worst run of any Big Ten team. They were a top-10 team when Michigan beat them a few weeks ago, but that was the start of a 2-4 finish to the regular season. It also took a late push to beat Northwestern by four points last week. After being the No. 1 team in the country to open the season, the Boilermakers are desperately searching for answers. This is not a place a team that has been historically bad in tournaments wants to be in heading into their first of the postseason.
No. 6 – UCLA Bruins – HOT
Following a rough trip to Michigan in mid-February, UCLA has two top-10 wins over Illinois and Nebraska at home. Like Minnesota, the question remains if this can be a team that wins away from home. The Bruins were 4-9 in neutral site/road games this season.
No. 5 – Wisconsin Badgers – HOT
If there is one “dark horse” to win the Big Ten Tournament, it’s the Badgers. Their three best conference wins stack up with the best in the Big Ten, beating Michigan, Illinois and Purdue on the road. Wisconsin’s ability to light things up can have even the best teams trip up.
No. 4 – Illinois Fighting Illini – COLD
The Fighting Illini went on a 12-game winning streak midseason, but they’ve cooled off significantly since then by going 4-4 in their final eight games. They could have finished as high as the No. 2 seed had they played strong down the stretch, but they’ll have to get through Wisconsin and Michigan, two teams that have beaten them in the last month, to get to the title.
No. 3 – Michigan State Spartans – HOT
Michigan State has been a tough team to gauge over the last couple weeks. The Spartans’ record is strong at 6-2 with their only losses at Wisconsin and at Michigan, but they were within four points of losing to Rutgers and six points of losing to Ohio State. Overall, five of their last nine games were within two possessions, and one was a loss to Minnesota.
No. 2 – Nebraska Cornhuskers – ROOM TEMP
The analytics have been skeptical of the Cornhuskers all season, and things started to catch up to them after their first loss of the season to Michigan. The Huskers lost to Illinois, Purdue, Iowa and UCLA after that, and a Jan. 2 win against Michigan State is the only reason they kept the No. 2 seed. A potential matchup with Purdue on Friday could be trouble for them.
No. 1 – Michigan Wolverines – HOT
Michigan had more double-digit conference wins (17) than any other Big Ten team had outright wins (Nebraska, Michigan State, Illinois tied at 15). In their toughest stretch of the season, Michigan went 3-1, beating top-10 ranked Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State teams by double-digits. Even the Wolverines have had troubles at times, highlighted by one-possession wins at Iowa and Penn State, and their lone Big Ten loss to Wisconsin, but they’re the heavy betting favorites for a reason.
