Luc’s Big Ten Power Rankings: Michigan Eyes Conference Championship
If every week it seems the matchups are bigger, that’s because they are. As we approach tournament season, NCAA pins ranked teams, conference rivals, and college basketball blue bloods against one another to weed out the pretenders from championship caliber programs. This weekend was “rivalry week” for college basketball, where fans witnessed number one Auburn take down number two Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Wisconsin upset Purdue in the always hostile Mackey Arena, and UConn fall to Seton Hall in one of the most surprising outcomes of the season. This ranking will focus on the Big Ten, where I continue to produce my own power rankings based on results and stories I follow throughout the season. Here are my rankings as of February 16th.
Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Purdue
Maryland
UCLA
Illinois
Ohio State
Nebraska
Indiana
Oregon
USC
Iowa
Rutgers
Minnesota
Northwestern
Washington
Penn State
Top Third Highlights
Michigan
What a difference one year makes! A season ago, Michigan finished in the cellar of the Big Ten with a 3-17 conference record. They weren’t even invited to the NIT or CBI. Now, Michigan holds a commanding lead of the Big Ten and looks to claim its 16th conference title. Immediately after his hire, first-year head coach Dusty May went to the transfer portal to rehaul almost the entire roster, including five new starters. It has worked to perfection, especially with Yale transfer Danny Wolf and FAU transfer Vladislav Goldin. This past week was Michigan’s best of the season, taking down Purdue at home before heading to Columbus, Ohio, and striking down the school’s biggest rival on Sunday. This Friday, the 21st, will be Michigan’s biggest game of the year. They look to win the first game of the series against bitter rival Michigan State on a primetime matchup at 8:00 p.m. in the Crisler Arena. It should be an exciting one for all fans of the sport.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is quietly putting together a remarkable resume as we approach the end of this season. After losing their first two conference games of the year, the Badgers now sit with a 10-4 record in conference play for fourth in the standings. Among their wins, last Saturday’s upset over Purdue on the road stands out as the most impressive, paving the way for the team to make a bid for a second or three seed in the National Tournament. Wisconsin guard John Tonje has been the leader of the pack. His 19.2 points per game is fifth in all of the Big Ten. Don’t rule out this team making a deep run in March Madness, they seem to be getting hot at the right time.
Middle Third Highlights
Illinois
It was a brutal week for Illinois fans. A disastrous jersey retirement for recent Illinois basketball alumn Terrance Shannon Jr. was only made worse by a historic collapse at home to Michigan State. I don’t think anyone at State Farm Center thought that when forward Ben Humrichous made a two-point jumper at the 8:29 mark in the second half, it would be Illinois’ last points of the game. MSU scored 15 unanswered to end the game, from a 65-64 deficit to a 79-65 victory in the most shocking way possible, also giving Tom Izzo a record-breaking 354th win in conference play. Illinois’ remaining schedule is the most difficult of any Big Ten team. Four of their last five opponents are ranked, two of which are away, the others being third-ranked Duke and seventh-ranked Purdue. Illinois has a decent resume, but if they want to secure a tournament bid, they will need to pick up at least a couple of surprise wins coming down the stretch.
Bottom Third Highlights
Rutgers
I am not sure there is any fanbase in college basketball more frustrated with the outcome of this season than Rutgers. After landing Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey this past offseason, widely regarded as two of the top three players from their high school class, the team has been just short in just about every game. They have some good quad one wins, such as their February 5th victory over Illinois and their road upset over Nebraska last month, but four non-quad one losses absolutely crush any team’s season. Rutgers will likely make the Big Ten Tournament, where now 15 teams out of the 18 clinch a spot, but they are a longshot to make a run in one of college’s toughest conferences.
Penn State
Penn State is now in free fall mode after dropping their seventh straight game as part of a 1-11 skid in conference play. Whether it’s coaching, execution, or some mixture of both, the Nittany Lions continue to be unable to stay out of foul trouble. It’s cost them game after game, and really the season as a whole. Ace Baldwin Jr. has been the one bright spot in what is a year to forget for most Penn State fans. Their schedule is fairly light to end the year, but even a bid for the Big Ten Tournament at this point.
