Purdue has fronted the pack in most of my Big Ten power rankings this season, however, the Boilermakers dropped their last two games to Michigan and Wisconsin.
Head coach Matt Painter has been the gold standard of the Big Ten conference recently, winning the Big Ten regular season the last two seasons. Along with his conference regular season success, Painter has won 14 NCAA tournament games since 2017, including a National Championship appearance last year, ultimately losing to one of the best college basketball teams of all time, UConn.
It was a tough week for Purdue, but they’ll bounce back strong. Painter has made great lineup adjustments throughout this season, and Purdue looks to break its losing streak on the road against Michigan State on Tuesday.
Let’s dive into the power rankings, starting with a fresh, brand new No. 1 team:
Winners of its last six games, including wins over Purdue at home and Ohio State on the road this week, Michigan climbs to the top spot of these rankings. Senior point forward Danny Wolf averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds last week to lead Michigan past two of the conference’s best squads. Michigan looks to keep it up with a Friday night rivalry matchup against Michigan State in Ann Arbor.
I stated last week that Greg Gard just wins basketball games, and he did just that against Purdue in West Lafayette last Saturday. Wisconsin shot 20/22 from two and made 12 threes against the Boilermakers, just absolutely dominating in every facet of the game. John Tonje is a first-team All-Big Ten caliber player, scoring 32 points in the double-digit victory.
Maryland started its week with a quad-one victory on the road against Nebraska, then posted 101 points against Iowa on Sunday. The Terps have the best top-to-bottom starting five in the conference, and those five combined for 95 points against Iowa. Freshman center Derik Queen is one of, if not the best big man in the conference, and he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game last week.
Purdue slips to No. 4 this week after getting swept by Michigan and Wisconsin. Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn averaged 26 points a game this past week, however, it was not enough to defeat either of the top two teams in the power rankings.
Michigan State began its week with a brutal home loss to Indiana but bounced back with a road victory over Illinois. It’s tough to rank the Spartans this week, but I do believe they are a top-five team in the country. Forward Jaxon Kohler had a monster week, posting double-doubles in both contests.
UCLA traveled to the midwest and split its games with a loss against Illinois, and a victory over Indiana at Assembly Hall. The Bruins’s win over Indiana is shockingly its first win in the eastern or central time zone this season. Though not a flashy team, Mick Cronin’s squad is built on defensive prowess and will be a tough out in March.
The Fighting Illini have been the most difficult team to rank this season. In a season filled with peaks and valleys, Illinois dropped its last game at home to Michigan State after defeating UCLA earlier in the week. Illinois did not score a single point in the last eight minutes of its game against the Spartans, as Michigan State closed it out on a 15-0 run. Brad Underwood needs to find answers for his team, and I don’t envision this team making the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
In my opinion, there is a large gap between Illinois and Ohio State, but Ohio State is still a clear NCAA tournament team. The Buckeyes took care of business against Washington before dropping a close battle with Michigan. Ohio State is rated very high in the metrics, ranking 28th in KenPom and 32nd in Torvik.
Nebraska slots in at No. 9 in the power rankings, another team that is currently inside the bubble. The Cornhuskers lost at home against Maryland, then had a nice comeback victory over Northwestern on the road. Brice Williams and Juwan Gary combined for 38 of Nebraska's 68 points in its victory this week, and have been keeping the Cornhusker squad inside the bubble.
Oregon rounds out the top ten and barring any unforeseen circumstances and results, will be the last one in the conference to make the NCAA tournament. The Ducks swept Northwestern and Rutgers last week at home. Starting point guard Jackson Shelstad led the Ducks to these victories, averaging 22.5 points in the contests.
Indiana has the best chance among the outside-the-bubble Big Ten teams of making the tournament but has major work to do. The Hoosiers took a step in the right direction with a monster win at Michigan State, yet dropped its home meeting with UCLA. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Indiana in his “Next Four Out” section of his latest bracket release.
Minnesota jumps up to No. 12 after a great road win over USC this past weekend. Senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson scored 25 points in the 69-66 victory, providing much-needed help for All-Big Ten forward Dawson Garcia. The Golden Gophers have a very good chance to make the Big Ten tournament in just a few weeks.
USC dropped its last game against Minnesota at home but blew out Penn State at home the game before. The Trojans have yet to build any momentum this season, but they have a few great wins this season over Michigan State, then defeating Nebraska and Illinois on the road.
The Hawkeyes have not lived up to expectations this season with a 5-9 conference record this season. Iowa had a nice win on the road against Rutgers but got smashed against Maryland on Sunday. The Hawkeyes might not make the Big Ten tournament, and it would be largely due to losing starting center Owen Freeman for the season due to a finger injury.
A preseason top-25 team, Rutgers might be the most disappointing team in the country if not just the conference. Freshmen superstars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have lived up to their own expectations, but the team as a whole has been underwhelming. The Scarlet Knights are 2-6 in its last eight and continue its road trip against Washington on Wednesday.
Washington traveled east this week, losing its first game to Ohio State, then defeating Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Huskies have won three of its last five games, including two on the road. Zoom Diallo has been one of the best freshmen in the conference, as he’s eclipsed double-digit points in his last five games.
Northwestern has been plagued with injuries recently, losing Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach for the season due to injuries. The Wildcats have lost six of its last seven, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with a meeting in Columbus against Ohio State on Thursday.
There really isn’t much to say about this Penn State team this season, as they move to 1-11 in its last twelve games. The lack of motivation, urgency, efficiency and effort is so apparent with this team.
Mike Rhoades has been poor in late-game situations this season, drawing up ineffective last plays and the lack of timeout usage. Just take a look at this effort by Ace Baldwin as Washington takes a four-point lead with under a minute left
Watch Ace on this possession defending D.J. Davis… pic.twitter.com/d4Hikk3Fk1
— Rocco Pellegrino (@rp_21_) February 16, 2025
Nothing more is needed to be said, as that play is a microcosm for the 2024-25 Penn State Nittany Lions men’s basketball team.