Another week and another team holding the No. 1 spot in our power rankings.
Last week, Michigan State premiered as the top team in our weekly power rankings but the Spartans were unable to hold onto that spot. So who is the new top team and where does Michigan State land this week?
Check out our complete Big Ten power rankings below:
No. 14: Nebraska
Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 6-15 (0-10 in Big Ten)
Nebraska came close to picking up their first conference win on Saturday but came up short yet again. The Cornhuskers remain winless in conference play and last in our power rankings.
No. 13: Penn State
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
Record: 8-9 (3-6 in Big Ten)
Penn State was blown out in their only game this week and now has dropped their last two games by a combined 34 points. The Nittany Lions will look to get back on track on Monday against Iowa.
No. 12: Northwestern
David Banks/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 9-10 (2-8 in Big Ten)
Northwestern basketball is just like Nebraska football — they’ll play you tough but come up short in the end. That happened two more times this week and the Wildcats have now dropped eight of their last nine games.
No. 11: Minnesota
Mary Langenfeld/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 11-7 (2-7 in Big Ten)
Minnesota dropped a pair of close games this week against top-tier competition (Ohio State and Wisconsin) but they are at the point where they need to start winning these close games. The Golden Gophers have now lost six of their last seven games.
No. 10: Rutgers
Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 12-8 (6-4 in Big Ten)
It wasn’t a great week for Rutgers as they continue to fall down our power rankings. The Scarlet Knights first dropped a home game against Maryland earlier in the week, then barely squeaked out a win against Nebraska on Saturday.
No. 9: Maryland
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 11-10 (3-7 in Big Ten)
Maryland has been better lately, but they clearly aren’t a consistent squad from game to game. The Terps picked up a nice road win over Rutgers early in the week only to get their doors blown off by Indiana at home on Saturday.
No. 8: Michigan
Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
Record: 10-8 (4-4 in Big Ten)
Pound for pound, Michigan is an upper-half Big Ten team based on talent alone. But they haven’t been able to piece it all together this year and that again happened in Saturday’s blowout loss to Michigan State.
No. 7: Iowa
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Record: 14-6 (4-5 in Big Ten)
Iowa had a great opportunity in a home big-time matchup against Purdue this week, but simply failed the test. The Hawkeyes are still NCAA Tournament good but don’t appear to be a top-tier team in the Big Ten.
No. 6: Ohio State
Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier
Record: 13-5 (6-3 in Big Ten)
This is where it starts to get tough in ranking the Big Ten teams because No. 6 seems too low for the Buckeyes but I also believe the other five teams ahead of them are worthy of those spots. Ohio State is good enough to be the top team in the league eventually, and don’t be surprised if they play their way up these rankings in the coming weeks.
No. 5: Indiana
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
Record: 16-5 (7-4 in Big Ten)
Indiana bounced back from a brutal home loss vs. Michigan to end last week, with a pair of convincing victories this week. The Hoosiers belong in the conversation of the top teams in the Big Ten.
No. 4: Wisconsin
MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
Record: 17-3 (8-2 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin dropped one spot this week, but not by their own fault but from another team leaping them. The Badgers are tied for first place in the conference and will continue to be part of the conversation for the top spot in our rankings.
No. 3: Michigan State
Nick King/Lansing State Journal
Record: 16-4 (7-2 in Big Ten)
We saw both the really good and really bad of Michigan State this week, with a disappointing loss at Illinois and dominant win over Michigan. The Spartans’ ceiling is pretty darn high but we also need to take into account their floor — which is pretty low as well.
No. 2: Illinois
David Banks/USA TODAY Sports
Record: 15-5 (8-2 in Big Ten)
A depleted Illinois squad knocked off Michigan State earlier this week and when back to full strength snuck by Northwestern in a rivalry road game. The Fighting Illini aren’t super consistent right now but worthy of being near the top of our power rankings.
No. 1: Purdue
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Record: 18-3 (7-3 in Big Ten)
Purdue has returned to the top spot in our weekly power rankings, with the Boilermakers playing great basketball yet again. Purdue picked up an impressive road win over Iowa on Thursday and home ranked victory over Ohio State on Sunday to cap off a great week.
Complete Rankings
AP Photo/Al Goldis
Big Ten Power Rankings
1. Purdue
2. Illinois
3. Michigan State
4. Wisconsin
5. Indiana
6. Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Michigan
9. Maryland
10. Rutgers
11. Minnesota
12. Northwestern
13. Penn State
14. Nebraska
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