Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
A basketball power ranking of every team in the Big Ten
There will be a lot of movement in the AP Poll come Monday, especially with Big Ten teams. The Big Ten has been well-represented in some of the biggest challenges and early season tournaments so far. However, as the conference heads into the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the conference simply hasn’t held up against other great teams.
The Big Ten is historically a strong basketball conference, and they have good teams this year, but there might not be a national title contender like in past years. Indiana climbed to third in last week’s AP Poll, however a loss to Fort Wayne will likely drop them out of the top-10.
This power ranking has nothing to do with the AP Poll, though. Teams are ranked by how well they’re playing and who is the best team in the conference right now. Therefore, strength of schedule, quality wins and how teams win or lose is all accounted for.
It’s still early in the season, therefore some teams already have multiple games against ranked teams and other don’t have any. Although, by seasons end, just like every year, it will all even out.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
No. 14 – No. 10
14. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-3): Penn State only lost by 10 to Duke, but they got embarrassed by Cincinnati and suffered a six-point loss to Albany to start the season. The Nittany Lions are supposed to finish near the bottom of the conference, and right now they’re showing why. Penn State is playing better as of late, but not enough to move out of the bottom spot.
13. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3): Iowa is young and will get better as the season goes on. That being said, they lost by 33 points to Virginia, and looked bad in crunch time against both Seton Hall and Memphis. Iowa is the only team not above .500 in the conference, but at least they’re dominating mid-majors. Next step is to beat a decent team.
12. Illinois Fighting Illini (4-3): John Groce‘s job is starting to look less and less safe. After a 4-0 start, Illinois lost to Winthrop then ranked West Virginia and Florida State. Losing to West Virginia by 32 points won’t sit well with the Illini, but at least they played a ranked Florida State team tough. Illinois still lost to Winthrop, though, which hurts no matter how good they are.
11. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1): Nebraska has had a fairly easy schedule to start the year, but give them credit. They took down a good Dayton team 80-78 and hung tough against UCLA. The Bruins are one of the best teams in the nation right now, and the Cornhuskers outscored them by two in the second half. Nebraska needs to prove they can keep this up.
10. Northwestern Wildcats (4-2): Maybe Texas is overrated, but Northwestern handily beat them 77-58 to give Chris Collins one of the most impressive wins of his career. That being said, the Wildcats lost to Butler and Notre Dame, but by a mere six points combined. Northwestern could be 6-0 right now, but losing those games speak volume. The Wildcats need to win them if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.
Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
No. 9 – No. 6
9. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-0): Rutgers won seven games last season but already have six wins through the first couple weeks of the 2016-17 season. Sure, the Scarlet Knights toughest opponent to this point has been DePaul, but they have a legitimate chance to finish non-conference play 11-2, and that’s impressive. Until they beat a respectable team, though, they’ll stay down here.
8. Michigan State Spartans (4-3): Michigan State’s three losses have all come to ranked teams. Although, considering the Spartans started the season ranked 12th in the AP Poll, they should have at least won one. Besides, they blew a big lead to Arizona to start the season, lost a halftime lead to Baylor, and Kentucky dominated them from the start. Michigan State will be fine, but right now they’re not fine and not a top-25 team.
7. Indiana Hoosiers (3-1): The great thing about college basketball is that anything can happen. Fort Wayne proved that when they upset Indiana in the biggest upset of the young season. The Hoosiers are good. Thomas Bryant, Og Anunoby and James Blackmon Jr will lead this team deep in the NCAA Tournament. Although, even with a win over Kansas, losing to Fort Wayne in the fourth game of the season doesn’t sit well.
6. Wisconsin Badgers (4-2): Wisconsin’s bench has to step up. They didn’t in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational and the Badgers lost by 15 to North Carolina in a game that didn’t even feel that close. Although, what we learned is that Wisconsin will have a tough time winning against anyone if Nigel Hayes, Ethan Happ and Bronson Koenig all struggle. Still, Wisconsin doesn’t look terrible. Plus, they have a quality win over Georgetown and their two losses are to ranked opponents.
No. 5- Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)
Ohio State might make the College Football Playoff, but they’re basketball team is also off to a hot start. The Buckeyes toughest opponent up to this point has been Providence, who they beat by five. Ohio State looks like a tournament team early in the season.
They’re playing solid on both ends of the floor and their deep bench is making up for their lack of a star. Ohio State has six players averaging double-digit points per game, four averaging at least five rebounds per game and JaQuan Lyle leads the team with 5.5 assists per game.
Like a lot of teams, only time will tell about how their deep bench and lack of a go-to player will fare against tougher competition. That being said, Ohio State has their first true test of the season in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against Virginia.
The Cavaliers dismantled Iowa and have been impossible to score against. Even though Ohio State will be a sizable underdog, it will be a good measuring stick game for a team who has had a pretty easy schedule up to this point.
Sure, the Buckeyes could rank outside the top-five in the Big Ten, but they’re beating all the teams they should. Their schedule will start to get harder soon, but an 11-2 non-conference schedule record isn’t out of question for this team. Although, until they play Virginia, it’s hard to give them any more credit for a 6-0 start.
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4 – Michigan Wolverines (5-1)
A week after being ranked 25th in the AP Poll, the Michigan Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season. South Carolina upset Michigan 61-46 to give them their first loss of the year. Although, the Wolverines bounced back nicely with a 17 point win over Mt. Saint Mary’s.
Despite the Wolverines loss, they’re playing very good basketball to start the season. The Wolverines have wins over Marquette and a very good SMU team.
More from Dear Old Gold
In a game where SMU was favored, Michigan took a 19 point lead into halftime and won 76-54, despite losing the rebounding battle 41-13. Michigan shot an astounding 52.9 percent from the field and hit 13 threes, while holding SMU to a mere 37.3 percent shooting.
That being said, Michigan’s worst nightmare came into fruition against South Carolina. Derrick Walton Jr shot 3-of-14 from the field and a dreadful 2-of-9 from deep. As a team, Michigan shot a terrible 19.2 percent from the field and connected on just 2-of-26 threes.
Not many teams can win with those shooting numbers, and it also shows how poor of a shooting team Michigan can be.
Michigan has winnable games against Virginia Tech and Kennesaw State before taking on Texas and UCLA in back-to-back games. The Wolverines’ outside shot has been trustworthy so far, but it’s been inconsistent in the past, and that’s the scary part for this team.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3 – Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-0)
Minnesota is a team that you simply have to give credit where credit is due. The Gophers are 6-0 after an eight win season a year ago. The Gophers have a chance to enter conference play 11-2 or 12-1, possibly even 13-0 if they upset Florida State this week.
hawkeyes
Dear Old Gold 17hIowa Football: We Have 60 More Minutes of Desmond King
More headlines around FanSided:
21h - Iowa Basketball: Get to Know The Memphis Tigers2d - Iowa Basketball vs Virginia Cavaliers: How Hawkeyes Can Pull the Upset2d - Iowa Football: Keys to Beating Nebraska Cornhuskers3d - Iowa Football vs Nebraska Cornhuskers: Four Players to Watch3d - Iowa Basketball: Get to Know the Virginia CavaliersMore News at Dear Old Gold
It’s hard to tell if Minnesota is a legitimate contender in the Big Ten, but they haven’t had a cakewalk of a schedule. The Gophers faced two Power Five teams in St. Johns and Arkansas. The Gophers handily beat both — beat St. Johns by 16 and Arkansas by 14.
Minnesota’s early season success is due to their better offensive production. The Gophers scored at least 80 points in five of their first six games. The Gophers only reached that mark four times during the 2015-16 season.
Freshman Amir Coffey deserves a lot of the credit. He leads the team with 15.8 points per game and is shooting 52.5 percent from the field. He stepped up in Minnesota’s biggest games, too. Coffey scored 30 points versus St. Johns and 19 points against Arkansas.
He’ll be an even bigger weapon on the offensive end when he becomes a more consistent three-point shooter. Coffey is shooting a measly 31.6 percent from the field, but he’s still putting up big numbers.
Minnesota is 6-0, and that deserves credit. They might not be a true contender, but right now they’re playing better than anyone could have anticipated.
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2 – Maryland Terrapins (7-0)
It hasn’t been pretty the whole way, but Maryland is 7-0 and looks good. After starting the season ranked and dropping out after the first week, the Terrapins look like a legitimate threat in the Big Ten. Melo Trimble is playing like a star and he has a solid supporting cast if he continues this high-level of play.
Maryland’s most impressive win of the early season came against Georgetown in their second game. The Terrapins trailed 70-63 with 1:14 left. A couple of defensive stops and mental lapses by Georgetown, and Maryland came all the way back and won 76-75.
Freshman Kevin Huerter played a huge role, as he hit a three to bring Maryland within six and had a game saving block on a Jagan Mosely layup as time expired. Plus, Trimble, their star player, stepped up and hit the tying and go-ahead free-throw.
Last night, Maryland won their Big Ten high seventh game of the season. They handed Kansas State their first loss of the season, winning 69-68.
There is a realistic chance that Maryland starts the season 20-2. Sure, they have tough non-conference opponents in Pittsburgh and Oklahoma State, and the Big Ten is never easy to win in, but Maryland looks really good right now and have a lot of winnable games on their schedule.
Their stars are stepping up, their star freshman in Huerter is finding his footing, and Maryland is proving they know how to win close games. They’ve answered a lot of questions early in the season, look for Maryland as a dark horse in the Big Ten.
Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1 – Purdue Boilermakers (5-1)
Purdue’s lone loss so far is against the second ranked Villanova Wildcats. They were tied with Villanova at halftime but couldn’t hold on and lost 79-76.
Also, their close eight point win over Georgia State, in which they needed a 20-0 run to complete the comeback, isn’t as bad as it sounds. Georgia State isn’t a great team, but they’re good and one of the better mid-majors in basketball this year.
Other than that near mishap, Purdue has looked great. Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan form one of the toughest front courts in the nation.
Both are averaging 18.2 points per game and Swanigan has dominated on the glass. If Haas increases his 4.8 rebounds per game, it will become impossible to grab offensive rebounds with Swanigan also averaging 11.8 rebounds per contest.
Five players are averaging double-digit points per game, they’re rebounding well and all this is happening with transfer Spike Albrecht not playing great basketball. Albrecht isn’t a star who will form a Big Three with Haas and Swanigan, but Purdue will become even more dangerous with him coming off the bench once he starts playing well.
Purdue and Louisville will be a great matchup this week. After almost upsetting Villanova at home, the Boilermakers will see how their team handles a hostile environment on the road.
Winning against Louisville would solidify them as the best team in the Big Ten. Either way, it’s going to be really hard for any team to stop the two-headed monster down low of Haas and Swanigan this season.
This article originally appeared on 
