Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Spartans drop after upset loss to NW
It wasn’t a great week of basketball for Michigan State.
The Spartans’ nine-game winning streak was snapped this weekend in a disappointing home loss to Northwestern. Earlier in the week, Michigan State also needed late-game heroics to survive Minnesota’s upset bid. So it’s safe to say it wasn’t a great week for Michigan State.
With things not going as many Spartans’ fans thought they would, how far will Michigan State drop in our weekly power rankings? Let’s take a look at where we have the Spartans and the rest of the Big Ten teams in our updated weekly power rankings:
No. 14: Nebraska
Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 6-12 (0-7 in Big Ten)
Nebraska remains the only team in the Big Ten to not have a conference win yet this season. The Cornhuskers also remain at the bottom of our power rankings for yet another week.
No. 13: Michigan
Ron Johnson/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 7-7 (1-3 in Big Ten)
Michigan put forth a solid effort in their lone game this week against Illinois. However, Illinois was too much in the end and the Wolverines remain winless in nearly a month.
No. 12: Minnesota
Nick King/Lansing State Journal
Record: 10-5 (1-5 in Big Ten)
The early-season darlings of the Big Ten continue to fall, with two more losses this past week. Minnesota nearly upset the Spartans — which was promising to see — but a four-game losing streak has me dropping the Gophers once again.
No. 11: Maryland
Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 9-8 (1-5 in Big Ten)
Maryland finally got their first Big Ten win of the year in a road overtime victory over Northwestern. But they backed it up with a home loss to Rutgers this weekend — so I can’t move them up much further than one spot.
No. 10: Northwestern
AP Photo/Al Goldis
Record: 9-6 (2-4 in Big Ten)
Northwestern got a potentially season-saving victory over Michigan State this weekend to snap a four-game losing streak. While the win is big on paper, I believe it had a lot to do with how poorly the Spartans played so I’m only moving the Wildcats up one spot in our updated rankings.
No. 9: Rutgers
Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 10-6 (4-2 in Big Ten)
It was an up-and-down week for the Scarlet Knights — which has me dropping them a couple of spots. Rutgers was blown out by Penn State earlier in the week but came back to win at Maryland over the weekend.
No. 8: Penn State
Joseph Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 8-7 (3-4 in Big Ten)
The record doesn’t suggest it but Penn State is a dangerous team. The Nittany Lions have looked like a much-improved team in their last five games and will be a tough matchup for many in the league going forward.
No. 7: Indiana
Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 12-4 (3-3 in Big Ten)
Indiana dropped their lone game this week — a road tilt at Iowa. The Hoosiers are a different team away from home without a true road win yet this season.
No. 6: Iowa
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Record: 13-4 (3-3 in Big Ten)
It was a great week for the Hawkeyes, who picked up wins over Indiana and Minnesota. Iowa is 6-1 since snapping their three-game losing streak, and looking more and more like an NCAA Tournament team again this year.
No. 5: Ohio State
Joseph Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 11-4 (5-2 in Big Ten)
Ohio State went 1-1 again this week, with a road loss at Wisconsin and a narrow home victory over Penn State. The Buckeyes have the potential to be higher in these rankings but have been very inconsistent lately.
No. 4: Michigan State
Nick King/Lansing State Journal
Record: 14-3 (5-1 in Big Ten)
If you continue to play with fire you will eventually get burned — that’s what happened to Michigan State this week. The Spartans have survived upset scares for weeks now and finally couldn’t sneak by. Maybe this loss to Northwestern will be good for them in the long run, but things are about to get tougher with road games at Wisconsin and Illinois looming next on the schedule.
No. 3: Purdue
Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 14-2 (3-2 in Big Ten)
Purdue only had one game this past week, and it was a major blowout of Nebraska. The Boilermakers have a big week ahead of them with road trips to Illinois and Indiana, and a home tilt against Northwestern on the slate for this upcoming week.
No. 2: Illinois
Ron Johnson/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 13-3 (6-0 in Big Ten)
Illinois is the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten, with the Fighting Illini continuing to take care of business. They have a massive game against Purdue on Monday to prove how big of a contender they truly are in the Big Ten.
No. 1: Wisconsin
Mary Langenfeld/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 14-2 (5-1 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin remains red hot right now, with another Quad 1 win this week (home vs. Ohio State). The Badgers are playing the best in the Big Ten right now and will remain at the top of these rankings until someone knocks them off.
Complete Rankings
Nick King/Lansing State Journal
Big Ten Power Rankings
1. Wisconsin
2. Illinois
3. Purdue
4. Michigan State
5. Ohio State
6. Iowa
7. Indiana
8. Penn State
9. Rutgers
10. Northwestern
11. Maryland
12. Minnesota
13. Michigan
14. Nebraska
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