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Wait, what? These standings are the exact same as last week!
I promise I didn't leave the standings the same out of laziness, but with almost every team outside of the top two losing at least one game, it was hard to justify any movement this week.
| RECORD (Overall, Big Ten) | LAST WEEK (Change) | COMMENTS | |
| 1. INDIANA HOOSIERS | 23-3, 11-2 |
1 (--) | I know, many people probably think Michigan State should be No. 1 this week after shellacking Michigan at home, but Indiana took care of business this week, too. Sure, the Hoosiers played two of the Big Ten's bottom-dwellers in Nebraska and Purdue, but they can't be faulted for having an easy week. Indiana beat both the Cornhuskers and Boilermakers by over 25 points and has the decisive win over Michigan State earlier in the season. So Indiana is still top-ranked, for now. |
| 2. MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS | 22-4, 11-2 |
2 (--) | Michigan State completely destroyed Michigan on Tuesday thanks to solid play from Gary Harris, who dropped 17 points, and all of the starters who took part in the Wolverine massacre. Nebraska put up more of a fight against the Spartans on Saturday, though Michigan State came away with a 73-64 win. The way Michigan State has been playing lately, it could easily be No. 1 on this list. But the Spartans can prove once and for all they are now the team to beat in the Big Ten with a win against Indiana this coming Tuesday. |
| 3. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES | 22-4, 9-4 |
3 (--) | Come on, man! 23 points? You lost to Michigan State by 23 points? Wasn't Michigan ranked No. 1 in the NCAA just a couple of weeks back? Well, that seems like a long time ago now for a team who is suddenly struggling to put together wins. The Wolverines were even down to Penn State for a while on Sunday! Penn State! Granted, the Wolverines pulled off an eight-point win over the Nittany Lions, but things are starting to look bleak in Ann Arbor. Michigan is lucky Wisconsin lost to Minnesota, or it would find itself lower on this list. |
| 4. WISCONSIN BADGERS | 18-8, 9-4 |
4 (--) | It continues to be a rollercoaster season for Wisconsin. Just when the Badgers seemed to have it all figured out after an epic overtime win against Michigan last weekend, it chokes in Minneapolis to rival Minnesota. Then Wisconsin comes home to the Kohl Center and makes Ohio State look like a high school JV team, routing the Buckeyes by 22 points. The "Killer B's", as they are starting to be called, in Ben Brust, Jared Berggren and Mike Bruesewitz had their way with Ohio State in combining for 37 points and 21 rebounds. Wisconsin's inconsistency continues to plague the season, but the Badgers always seem ready to play against ranked opponents -- a characteristic that should prove handy come postseason play. |
| 5. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES | 18-7, 8-5 |
5 (--) | For the second week in a row, Ohio State was blown out against a ranked conference opponent. The Buckeyes are now a despicable 1-7 against ranked competitors this season. Despite Deshaun Thomas' best effort on Sunday, the Buckeyes failed to find any offensive rhythm at the Kohl Center, shooting 37.5 percent from the field. The Buckeyes were getting good looks against the Badgers' defense but just couldn't get the ball in the hoop. Ohio State has now last three of its last four games and is in danger of becoming irrelevant in the Big Ten. |
| 6. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI | 18-8, 5-7 |
6 (--) | Illinois had the benefit of a less-than-difficult schedule last week with Purdue and Northwestern on the slate. The Fighting Illini continue to get good efforts from D.J. Richardson, who had a pair of 18-point games last week, and are now riding a four-game winning streak. Illinois is starting to get its act together and is definitely my dark horse for the Big Ten Tournament right now. |
| 7. MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS | 18-8, 6-7 |
7 (--) | I don't think anyone saw Tubby Smith dancing after Minnesota's game with Iowa on Sunday, when the Golden Gophers were trampled, 72-51. Minnesota may have saved its season with an overtime win against Wisconsin on Thursday, but it can lose the season just as quickly. A couple of more losses like Sunday's, and the Gophers -- and Tubby -- will be dancing their way to the NIT. |
| 8. IOWA HAWKEYES | 17-9, 6-7 |
8 (--) | Iowa continues to be a tough out in the Big Ten, proving again it is a capable opponent with a big win against Minnesota on Sunday. Forwards Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White each put up 15 points against the Gophers. Iowa is still fighting admirably through a conference schedule. The chances of the Hawkeyes making the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid are slim, so Iowa will have to do its damage in the Big Ten Tournament if Fran McCaffery's squad still has aspirations of making the Big Dance. |
| 9. NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS | 13-12, 4-8 |
9 (--) | Northwestern lost both of its games last week against Ohio State and Illinois. Reggie Hearn was the lone bright spot for the Wildcats, scoring 11 of Northwestern's 41 points in their 62-41 loss to Illinois on Sunday. |
| 10. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS | 12-14, 5-8 |
10 (--) | Purdue lost by 20 points to surging Illinois and then backed that game up with a 28-point loss to Indiana on Saturday. Junior guard Terone Johnson continues to produce for the Boilermakers, scoring a combined 29 points against Illinois and Indiana, but Purdue's lack of bench production is too much to overcome this season. |
| 11. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS | 12-14, 3-10 |
11 (--) | Nebraska had a brutal lineup last week with games against Indiana and Michigan State. Let's just say the games went as expected. The Cornhuskers failed to pull off the upset against either of the top-10 teams and might have a hard time getting another conference win this year with all formidable opponents left on the schedule. |
| 12. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS | 8-17, 0-13 |
12 (--) | Hey, good news, Penn State fans! No, your team hasn't won a Big Ten game yet this season, but it almost did! Penn State lost by only two points to Iowa on Wednesday and then almost shocked the entire country by beating Michigan. But in the end, the Nittany Lions ended the week without a conference win under the belt. Perhaps last week was a sign of good things to come for the Penn State squad, but frankly, who cares? |