Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 10): Can Northwestern Solidify Top-4 Spot?

After wins over Illinois and Ohio State, has Northwestern solidified itself as a top-four team in the Big Ten? Plus, Maryland is starting to climb in the latest Big Ten basketball power rankings after evening its league record to 5-5.

Dustin Schutte | Jan 29, 2024

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 10): Can Northwestern Solidify Top-4 Spot? /

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Maybe, just maybe, we can start talking about Northwestern joining the Big Ten's top-tier teams. The Wildcats pulled off back-to-back home wins over Illinois and Ohio State last week, creating a tie at third in the conference standings with the Fighting Illini.

With Boo Buie on the floor, it feels like Northwestern is capable of hanging with the top-three teams in the league. But with back-to-back road games ahead, we'll see what Chris Collins' team is made of over the next week.

This week, Maryland made a significant jump in the power rankings after a road win over Iowa and a home victory against Nebraska. Can the Terrapins put together a strong run in the second half of the Big Ten season?

After another entertaining (and hectic) week of Big Ten basketball, here's how teams stack up in the latest power rankings.

1. Purdue Boilermakers

Records: 19-2, 8-2 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP Poll: No. 2; Coaches Poll: No. 2; KenPom: No. 2
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 1 (No change)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 11 Gonzaga; Beat No. 7 Tennessee; Beat No. 4 Marquette; Beat No. 1 Arizona; Beat No. 9 Illinois.
Last week: Beat Michigan 99-67; Beat Rutgers 68-60.
This week: Northwestern on Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); At Wisconsin on Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (TV: CBS).
The skinny: Purdue has now won five straight games, with three of those coming on the road. Zach Edey has been dominant, recording a double-double in all five games. But now, the Boilermakers enter a pivotal week. They'll hope to avenge an early-season loss to Northwestern on Tuesday and travel to Madison to play Wisconsin this weekend. Both games are critical for Purdue's hopes to repeat as Big Ten regular season champions.

2. Wisconsin Badgers

Records: 16-4 overall, 8-1 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: No. 6; Coaches: No. 6; KenPom: No. 11
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 2 (No change)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 24 Virginia; Beat No. 3 Marquette; Beat Michigan State (twice); Beat Nebraska; Lost to Penn State.
Last week: Beat Minnesota 61-59; Beat Michigan State 81-66.
This week: At Nebraska on Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); Purdue on Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (TV: CBS).
The skinny: Has A.J. Storr been the best transfer addition in the Big Ten this season? He scored 28 points in Wisconsin's win over Michigan State and posted a double-double in road victory over Minnesota earlier in the week. He's a huge reason why the Badgers currently sit atop the conference standings. Greg Gard's team has two tough challenges ahead, traveling to Nebraska and hosting Purdue.

3. Illinois Fighting Illini

Records: 15-5 overall, 6-3 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: No. 14; Coaches: No. 14; KenPom: No. 10
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 3 (No change)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 11 Florida Atlantic; Beat Northwestern; Lost to Maryland.
Last week: Lost to Northwestern 96-91 (OT); Beat Indiana 70-62.
This week: At Ohio State on Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); Nebraska on Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Shooting was a bit of an issue for Illinois in the last two games, making under 41% of its shots in the last two games. Still, the Illini had a chance to beat Northwestern on the road and took down Indiana at home. It's hard to be too critical of Illinois after last week, but a little more consistency would help this team, especially on the defensive end.

4. Northwestern Wildcats

Records: 15-5 overall, 6-3 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: Received 2 votes; Coaches: Received 23 votes; KenPom: No. 47
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 5 (Up 1 spot)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 1 Purdue; Lost to Chicago State; Beat Michigan State; Beat No. 10 Illinois.
Last week: Beat Illinois 96-91 (OT); Beat Ohio State 83-58.
This week: At Purdue on Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); At Minnesota on Saturday, 2 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Since getting blown out by Illinois in early January, Northwestern has really found a rhythm. The Wildcats have won five of their last seven games. The mid-week victory over Illinois was especially impressive, with Boo Buie going off for 29 points and seven assists. Outside of the top-three, there were a lot of contenders for the all-important fourth spot (a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament). There's a lot of basketball left, but Northwestern might be emerging as the solid No. 4 team in the league.

5. Maryland Terrapins

Records: 13-8 overall, 5-5 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 54
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 11 (Up 6 spots)
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Davidson; Lost to UAB; Beat No. 10 Illinois; Beat Nebraska
Last week: Beat Iowa 69-67; Beat Nebraska 73-51.
This week: At Michigan State on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET (TV: Fox).
The skinny: Last week was an impressive one for Maryland — one it desperately needed to help its NCAA Tournament chances. Jahmir Young came through late, hitting a game-winning layup to beat Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Then, the Terrapins looked like a completely different team on Saturday, making 11-of-26 shots from 3-point range. If the Terps have found their shot, maybe they'll wiggle back into the postseason conversation.

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Records: 15-6 overall, 5-5 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 53
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 4 (Down 2 spots)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Michigan State; Beat Kansas State; Beat No. 1 Purdue; Lost to Rutgers; Beat Northwestern.
Last week: Beat Ohio State 83-69; Lost to Maryland 73-51.
This week: Wisconsin on Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); At Illinois on Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Fred Hoiberg has to figure out the road issues. Nebraska looks like a completely different team when it's on the road, getting blown out by Maryland over the weekend. Without question, the Huskers have some impressive wins on the resumé, but they're going to need a road win or two in the Big Ten at some point. All the pieces are in place for this team to earn a permanent spot in the NCAA Tournament. But if these road woes continue, Nebraska might continue sitting on the bubble.

7. Michigan State Spartans

Records: 12-8 overall, 4-5 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 18
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 6 (Down 1 spot)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 6 Baylor.
Last week: Lost to Wisconsin 81-66.
This week: Michigan on Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); Maryland on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET (TV: Fox).
The skinny: Is it time to just acknowledge that Michigan State is a mediocre basketball team? We keep wanting to believe the Spartans have figured it out, but a lopsided loss to Wisconsin — albeit on the road — feels like another indicator that this team just isn't the top-tier squad we thought. Can this team still get some quality wins? Sure. But it's not the Big Ten contender we believed entering the 2023-24 season.

8. Iowa Hawkeyes

Records: 12-8 overall, 4-5 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 45
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 7 (Down 1 spot)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat Seton Hall. Beat Nebraska.
Last week: Lost to Maryland 69-67; Beat Michigan 88-78.
This week: At Indiana on Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); Ohio State on Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1).
The skinny: It's too early to label games as "must-win" for a team like Iowa, but the loss to Maryland at Carver-Hawkeye was a heartbreaker. The Hawkeyes had made good progress after an 0-3 start to Big Ten play, but that was a step back. The Hawkeyes bounced back with a win over Michigan. They have to carry that momentum into this week with key games against Indiana and Ohio State.

9. Indiana Hoosiers

Records: 12-8 overall, 4-5 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 93
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 8 (Down 1 spot)
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Rutgers.
Last week: Lost to Illinois 70-62.
This week: Iowa on Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); Penn State on Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1).
The skinny: Indiana looked competitive in a 70-62 road loss to Illinois. That's at least a step in the right direction. But the Hoosiers need wins, and quickly. They get back-to-back home games against Iowa and Penn State this week before a pair of road contests against Ohio State and Purdue the following week. These are two huge games for Mike Woodson's team.

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Records: 13-7 overall, 4-5 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 84
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 9 (Down 1 spot)
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to San Francisco; Beat Nebraska.
Last week: Lost to Wisconsin 61-59; Beat Penn State 83-74.
This week: Northwestern on Saturday, 2 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Minnesota came so, so close to getting a signature win during the week, but fell two points shy against rival Wisconsin. Credit the Gophers, though, who turned around and knocked off Penn State in State College. Minnesota got good balance offensively, with five players hitting double figures in the win. Now, the Gophers get a week off to prepare for a talented Northwestern team.

11. Ohio State Buckeyes

Records: 13-7 overall, 3-6 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 61
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 10 (Down 1 spot)
Best wins/worst losses: Beat No. 17 Alabama; Lost to Penn State. Lost to Michigan.
Last week: Lost to Nebraska 83-69; Lost to Northwestern 83-58.
This week: Illinois on Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); At Iowa on Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1).
The skinny: Cue Tom Petty, because Ohio State is free-falling. Despite having the talent to be near the top of the Big Ten, the Buckeyes continue to fall short of expectations. They lost both games last week in blowout fashion. The only good news? three of the next four games are in Columbus. If Ohio State has anything left in the tank, it had better show it over the next two weeks.

12. Penn State Nittany Lions

Records: 9-11 overall, 3-6 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 114
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 12 (No change)
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to VCU; Lost to Bucknell; Beat No. 11 Wisconsin.
Last week: Lost to Minnesota 83-74.
This week: At Rutgers on Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); At Indiana on Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1).
The skinny: Saturday's loss to Minnesota might've been Penn State's most disappointing of the year. The Nittany Lions had a week off and got the Gophers at home. Defensively, Penn State struggled, allowing the Gophers to shoot 53.8% from the floor and sending Minnesota to the free throw line 26 times (23 makes). Mike Rhoades and his team hit the road (pun definitely intended) for the next two games, making wins even more difficult for this squad.

13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Records: 10-9 overall, 2-6 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 95
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 13 (No change)
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Princeton; Beat Nebraska.
Last week: Lost to Purdue 68-60.
This week: Penn State on Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); At Michigan on Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: Rutgers put up a valiant effort against Purdue but couldn't pull off the upset. Ranked at No. 13 in the power rankings, it's obvious to point out that this isn't Steve Pikiell's best team. But now that they're healthier, the Scarlet Knights have looked much better in recent weeks. The tournament is out of the picture, but if this team can put together a strong run in the second half of the Big Ten season, maybe Rutgers could slip its way into an NIT spot.

14. Michigan Wolverines

Records: 7-13 overall, 2-7 in Big Ten
Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: 86
Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 14 (No change)
Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Long Beach State; Lost to McNeese; Beat Iowa.
Last week: Lost to Purdue 99-67; Lost to Iowa 88-78.
This week: At Michigan State on Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); Rutgers on Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
The skinny: What more can be said? Michigan has lost three straight games by an average margin of 19 points per game. Maybe the Wolverines can go on the road and spoil Tom Izzo's hope of getting win No. 700 in front of a home crowd in East Lansing on Tuesday. That would be one of the few bright spots in this season for Juwan Howard and his staff.