The Big Ten conference is the gift that keeps on giving. The parity in the conference makes for a great viewing experience as nearly any team in the conference can beat any other team on a given night, primarily exemplified in USC’s win in Champaign this past weekend, defeating Illinois 82-72 as 13.5-point underdogs.
The week started with a thriller, as Ohio State narrowly took down Minnesota in double overtime. Oregon had two games this week that came down to the wire in its trip to the Eastern time zone, coming out victorious in games against Ohio State and Penn State.
In his latest bracketology projection, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi forecasts 11 Big Ten teams in the tournament, two behind the projected 13 teams from the SEC. The Big Ten contains seven of KenPom’s top 25 rated Division I teams and nine of his top 32. The conference has had a strong season so far, ranking as KenPom’s second-highest-rated conference.
Michigan jumps Michigan State to claim the top spot for the week of January 13th, due to an impressive win at UCLA. This team is exciting and intriguing to watch, as its rotation is so balanced and filled with talented players. Michigan is a nightmare matchup for teams, largely due to them shooting 63.3% on two-point shots this season, which leads the nation.
Tom Izzo’s Spartans rank No. 2 this week, and had blowout wins over Washington and Northwestern this week. Michigan State is also undefeated in conference play this season and is truly a force to be reckoned with. The Spartans are a poor three-point shooting team, but their gritty interior scoring and rugged hard-nosed defense have Big Ten opponents struggling mightily.
Purdue rises to No. 3 in these rankings, and beware of this Boilermaker squad. Since losing to Penn State back in December, Purdue has been red hot, winning its last five conference games. The Boilermakers blew out Rutgers on the road and Nebraska at home, proving why they should be a top-three team in the conference.
Illinois slides just outside the top three here, due to a poor home loss against USC. The Fighting Illini had a great near 40-point victory over Penn State but followed it with a huge letdown against the Trojans. Standout freshman Kasparas Jakucionis missed last week’s action, and head coach Brad Underwood needs to make sure his squad does not falter further this week.
Oregon rounds out the top five, having a nice week with wins at Ohio State and Penn State. Sophomore Jackson Shelstad has been on absolute fire the past three games, averaging 21.3 points on 75% shooting from three. He’s been Oregon’s key to success lately and looks like an All-Big Ten player.
Wisconsin and Maryland follow the top five, two teams that I believe are extremely similar. Wisconsin took down Rutgers and Minnesota in two double-digit victories, bouncing back nicely from its 0-2 start. The Badgers’s offense looks terrific with John Tonje running the show.
Maryland is 2-3 in conference play, yet jump to No. 7 due to a great 18-point win over UCLA at home. The metrics are very high on the Terrapins, and the big man duo of five-star freshman Derik Queen and senior Julian Reese has been a joy to watch.
UCLA slides down to No. 8 in the power ranking with a horrendous week. Head coach Mick Cronin called his team ‘soft’ and ‘delusional’ after the Bruins loss to Michigan, then proceeded to get ejected in its loss to Maryland. UCLA is certainly trending in the wrong direction with three consecutive losses, yet the Bruins have an opportunity to bounce back with a match against Rutgers on Monday.
Penn State slots in at No. 13 this week, and had a week to forget with a 39-point loss to Illinois on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions lost a crucial, nail-biting game at home against Oregon on Sunday, lowering their March Madness chances by the game. The Nittany Lions have another tough test in East Lansing against Michigan State this week and hope to get star point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. back soon.