Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 5): Illinois Looks Like a Conference Contender

Illinois cruised to a 97-73 win over Missouri in the Braggin' Rights game last Friday. When Terrence Shannon Jr., Coleman Hawkins and Quincy Guerrier are all playing at a high level, the Fighting Illini have one of the best teams in the country.

Dustin Schutte | Dec 26, 2023

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 5): Illinois Looks Like a Conference Contender /

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It might have taken a few weeks, but it appears that we have finally found a challenger to Purdue in the Big Ten. Welcome to the top-tier of the conference, Illinois.

The Fighting Illini were always projected to be a contender to the Boilermakers this season, but losses to Marquette and Tennessee cast some doubt on Illinois' chances. That changed on Friday.

Not only did Illinois pulverize Missouri in the Braggin' Rights game, Terrence Shannon Jr.'s elite athleticism was on full display. Quincy Guerrier knocked down a ton of shots. Coleman Hawkins was dialed in. When those three guys are at their best, the Illini can beat anyone.

So, while there wasn't a ton of action this past week in the Big Ten, we may have discovered something from Friday's game in St. Louis between Illinois and Missouri.

Now, without further ado, let's dive into this week's power rankings.

1. Purdue Boilermakers

Records: 11-1, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP Poll: No. 1; Coaches Poll: No. 1; KenPom: No. 2
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 11 Gonzaga; Beat No. 7 Tennessee; Beat No. 4 Marquette (all in Maui Invitational); Beat Alabama; Beat No. 1 Arizona.
Last week: Beat Jacksonville 100-57.
This week: Eastern Kentucky on Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: The Boilermakers were dialed in against Jacksonville, cruising to a 43-point victory before the holiday break. Purdue hit the 100-point milestone for the first time this season, thanks to double-digit performances from Zach Edey, Lance Jones, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Myles Colvin.

2. Illinois Fighting Illini

Records: 9-2 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: No. 11; Coaches: No. 13; KenPom: No. 9
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Oakland; Beat Florida Atlantic.
Last week: Beat Missouri 97-73.
This week: Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, 9 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
The skinny: When Shannon gets the ball in the open court, watch out. Missouri learned that lesson the hard way on Friday, and the rest of the Big Ten should take notes. The Fighting Illini are also getting great production from Guerrier, who has reached double figures each of his last three games.

3. Wisconsin Badgers

Records: 9-3 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: No. 23; Coaches: No. 24; KenPom: No. 14
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 24 Virginia; Beat No. 3 Marquette; Beat Michigan State.
Last week: Beat Chicago State 80-53.
This week: No games.
The skinny: Wisconsin did not fall into the same trap as Northwestern did a few weeks ago against Chicago State. AJ Storr put on a show, scoring 29 points in a comfortable win to improve to 9-3 on the season. The Badgers enjoyed a sizable victory despite making just four shots from behind the 3-point line.

4. Northwestern Wildcats

Records: 9-2 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP:Received 5 votes; Coaches: Received 68 votes; KenPom: No. 56
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Dayton; Beat No. 1 Purdue; Lost to Chicago State.
Last week: Beat Arizona State 65-46.
This week: Jackson State on Friday, 8 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
The skinny: The old saying, "defense wins championships" certainly applied for Northwestern last week. The Wildcats held Arizona State to just 13 (!) first-half points and cruising to a 19-point win. Northwestern has bounced back nicely since that Chicago State loss, holding each of its last two opponents to under 50 points.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

Records: 10-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: Received 10 votes; Coaches: Received 17 votes; KenPom: No. 27
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 17 Alabama; Lost to Penn State; Beat UCLA
Last week: Beat New Orleans 78-36.
This week: West Virginia on Saturday (Neutral site in Cleveland, Ohio: Legends of Basketball Showcase), 7 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
The skinny: It seems like Ohio State is finding some really good offensive balance. Jamison Battle knocked down five 3-point attempts in a win over New Orleans, one of four players to reach double figures in the victory. Did we learn much about the Buckeyes last week? Not really. But multiple players are stepping up on the offensive end, which is a good sign.

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Records: 10-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: Received 4 votes; KenPom: No. 54
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Michigan State; Lost to Minnesota; Beat Kansas State.
Last week: Beat North Dakota 83-75.
This week: South Carolina State on Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network-Plus).
The skinny: Disaster averted. Nebraska needed a 51-point second half to overcome a 10-point deficit to North Dakota last week and hit the 10-win mark on the season. The Huskers are going to need some help on the inside, with Rienk Mast out while recovering from knee surgery. It's pretty easy to see how important he is to Fred Hoiberg's squad.

7. Michigan State Spartans

Records: 7-5 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: Received votes; Coaches: Received 18 votes; KenPom: No. 21
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Butler; Beat No. 6 Baylor.
Last week: Beat Stony Brook 99-55.
This week: Indiana State on Saturday, 2 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1).
The skinny: After back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska, Michigan State has ripped off three consecutive wins by an average margin of 28.3 points per game. Are the Spartans back? Tom Izzo's team is going to have its hands full with an 11-1 Indiana State squad on Saturday. It's a great final test before entering Big Ten play for the remainder of the year.

8. Indiana Hoosiers

Records: 9-3 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 83
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Wright State; Beat Maryland.
Last week: Beat Morehead State 69-68; Beat North Alabama 83-66.
This week: Kennesaw State on Friday, 6 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network-Plus).
The skinny: Two completely different Indiana teams took the floor in Assembly Hall last week. The Hoosiers were nearly beaten on their home court by Morehead State in one of the sloppiest performances of the season. The good news? IU followed it up with a convincing win over North Alabama, knocking down 12-of-24 shots from 3-point range. Indiana needs more of that moving forward.

9. Maryland Terrapins

Records: 8-4 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 70
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Davidson; Lost to UAB.
Last week: Beat UCLA 69-60.
This week: Coppin State on Thursday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Maybe Maryland has finally found its secret sauce. The Terrapins got a 37-point outing from Jahmir Young and scored their first road win of the year. After a 1-3 start, Maryland has won seven of its last eight games. There still isn't a signature win on the resumé, but the Terps do get Purdue to restart Big Ten play in early January.

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Records: 9-3 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 85
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to San Francisco; Beat Nebraska.
Last week: Beat Ball State 80-63.
This week: Maine on Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock).
The skinny: All five starters for Minnesota hit double figures in the scoring column in a win over a solid Ball State team. The Gophers also shot 52.6% from the floor and better than 44% from behind the 3-point line. Minnesota has ripped off four straight wins, all without Dawson Garcia on the floor. Ben Johnson's squad is getting some serious momentum entering conference play.

11. Michigan Wolverines

Records: 6-6 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: 47
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Long Beach State; Beat Memphis.
Last week: Lost to Florida 106-101 (2OT).
This week: McNeese on Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Michigan had a chance to get a solid win away from Ann Arbor but came up short in a double-overtime loss to Florida. Right now, the Wolverines don't look like a very good basketball team. They get one final tune-up game before the brunt of the Big Ten schedule. If something doesn't change, it could be a long season.

12. Iowa Hawkeyes

Records: 7-5 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 57
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Seton Hall.
Last week: Beat UMBC 103-81.
This week: Northern Illinois on Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network-Plus).
The skinny: Stop me if you've heard this before: Iowa has no trouble putting points on the scoreboard but still can't play defense. Yes, the Hawkeyes can shoot their way to some victories this season, but their inability to get stops is going to be a problem.

13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Records: 7-4 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 76
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Princeton
Last week: Lost to Mississippi State 70-60.
This week: Stonehill on Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: In order for Rutgers to win games, it has to be dominant on the inside. That wasn't the case against Mississippi State, allowing the Bulldogs to collect 13 offensive rebounds and getting crushed on the glass 47-26. That proved to be a huge factor in the game, preventing the Scarlet Knights from recording an important win.

14. Penn State Nittany Lions

Records: 6-6 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 111
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to VCU; Lost to Bucknell; Beat Ohio State.
Last week: Beat Le Moyne 72-55.
This week: Rider on Friday, 2 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network-Plus).
The skinny: Penn State got back to .500 with a bounce-back win over Le Moyne last week. This is a team still going through the ups and downs of the offseason changes. Kanye Clary continues to impress, scoring 20 points in the victory.