Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Vol. 6): Spartans, Wolverines Heating Up

Michigan State and Michigan both had big wins to start conference play last week. UCLA is coming alive after a win over Oregon and Penn State upset Purdue.

Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler, right, celebrates with teammates Carson Cooper, center, and Gehrig Normand, left / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let's have a week, Big Ten. The conference games in December almost always produce some interesting results, and this year was no different, causing some major shakeups in the latest power rankings.

Penn State pulled off a big upset, taking down No. 8 Purdue on Thursday. UCLA went on the road and picked up a big win over No. 12 Oregon. Michigan walked into Kohl Center and took down No. 11 Wisconsin. Northwestern beat in-state rival and No. 19-ranked Illinois.

So, yeah, I had my work cut out for me this week. Here's the dive into the latest Big Ten basketball power rankings.

1. Michigan State Spartans

• Records: 8-2 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: No. 21; Coaches: No. 19; KenPom: No. 22
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 5 (up 4 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated No. 12 North Carolina 94-91 (OT) on Nov. 27.
• Last week: Defeated Minnesota 90-72; Defeated Nebraska 89-52.
• This week: vs. Oakland (Detroit, Mich.) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN 2); vs. Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1).
• The skinny: Michigan State was clicking on both ends of the floor last week, notching sizable wins over Minnesota and Nebraska to start Big Ten play 2-0. This is an incredibly athletic team that gets production from so many different faces. Having that combination of talent and depth makes the Spartans a contender for a Big Ten title.

2. Michigan Wolverines

• Records: 8-1 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: No. 14; Coaches: No. 14; KenPom: No. 21
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 7 (up 5 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated TCU 76-64 on Nov. 15; Defeated No. 22 Xavier 78-53 on Nov. 27; Defeated No. 11 Wisconsin 67-64 on Dec. 3.
• Last week: Defeated Wisconsin 67-64; Defeated Iowa 85-83.
• This week: vs. Arkansas (Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden) on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN).
• The skinny: Dusty May didn't waste any time introducing himself to the Big Ten. Michigan immediately went into the Kohl Center and picked up a signature win over Wisconsin. Having two 7-footers in Valdislav Goldin and Danny Wolf has really given the Wolverines advantage early in the year.

3. Oregon Ducks

• Records: 9-1 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: No. 12; Coaches: No. 12; KenPom: No. 20
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 3 (no change)
• Best wins/worst loss: Defeated No. 20 Texas A&M 80-70 on Nov. 26; Defeated San Diego State 78-68 on Nov. 27; Defeated No. 9 Alabama 83-81 on Nov. 30.
• Last week: Defeated USC 68-60; Lost to UCLA 73-71.
• This week: vs. Stephen F. Austin on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Sometimes, you're just a victim of bad luck. Oregon suffered its first loss after UCLA banked in 3-pointer with time expiring. The shot was well defended, but still found the bucket. To win a Big Ten title, you've got to protect home court. That was a tough loss for the Ducks, but they've already proven to be a top-20 caliber team in college basketball this season.

4. Purdue Boilermakers

• Records: 8-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP Poll: No. 11; Coaches Poll: No. 11; KenPom: No. 12
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 2 (down 2 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated No. 2 Alabama 87-78 on Nov. 15; Defeated No. 23 Ole Miss 80-78 on Nov. 29.
• Last week: Lost to Penn State 81-70; Defeated Maryland 83-78.
• This week: vs. Texas A&M (Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse) on Saturday at noon ET (TV: CBS).
• The skinny: Teams that apply pressure defensively continue to give Purdue problems, as we saw in the trip to Penn State. The Boilermakers were able to bounce back with a big win over Maryland. Right now, it looks like Matt Painter's team may struggle in true road games. That's part of the learning process for a younger team.

5. UCLA Bruins

• Records: 8-1 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: No. 24; Coaches: No. 21; KenPom: No. 14
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 9 (up 4 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Lost to New Mexico on Nov. 8; Defeated No. 12 Oregon 73-71 on Dec. 8.
• Last week: Defeated Washington 69-58; Defeated Oregon 73-71.
• This week: vs. Arizona (Hall of Fame Rivalry at Footprint Center) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN 2).
• The skinny: That loss to New Mexico last month is clearly in the rearview mirror. Dylan Andrews' big 3-pointer at the end of the game provided UCLA with a huge road win over Oregon, pushing the Bruins to a 2-0 start in Big Ten play. Although UCLA hit a speedbump early in the year, this team appears to be getting more dangerous as the season progresses.

6. Wisconsin Badgers

• Records: 8-2 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: No. 20; Coaches: No. 22; KenPom: No. 37
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 1 (down 5 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated No. 9 Arizona 103-88 on Nov. 15; Defeated Pitt 81-75 on Nov. 24.
• Last week: Lost to Michigan 67-64; Lost to Marquette 88-74.
• This week: at Illinois on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); vs. Butler (Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Well, the mighty have fallen. Last week was a tough one for Wisconsin, falling at home to Michigan and losing a road contest to rival Marquette. How will the Badgers respond to some adversity? They don't get a break this week, playing Illinois on the road and a "neutral site" game against Butler — which is in Indianapolis.

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

• Records: 6-2 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: Received 47 votes; Coaches: Received 72 votes; KenPom: No. 17
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 4 (down 3 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated No. 19 Arkansas 90-77 on Nov. 28.
• Last week: Lost to Northwestern 70-66 (OT).
• This week: vs. Wisconsin on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); vs. Tennessee on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: It's going to be hard to win a basketball game when you shoot nine-of-34 from 3-point range and your opponent only has four turnovers. That was the case in Illinois' loss to Northwestern last week. Yet the Illini still took the game to overtime and only lost by four points. This wasn't a great performance from Brad Underwood's team, but the Illini can quickly make up for it with two top-25 opponents on the schedule this week.

8. Penn State Nittany Lions

• Records: 8-1 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: Received 90 votes; Coaches: Received 30 votes; KenPom: No. 33
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 10 (up 2 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated Virginia Tech 86-64 on Nov. 15; Defeated No. 8 Purdue 81-70 on Dec. 5.
• Last week: Defeated Purdue 81-70.
• This week: at Rutgers on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); vs. Coppin State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Admittedly, No. 8 still feels a tad low for Penn State, but it's hard to put them higher on this list because of the schedule. Thursday's win over Purdue was a massive one, which should give the Nittany Lions even more confidence moving forward. Ace Baldwin Jr. gets a lot of the attention but Nick Kern Jr. deserves a lot of love, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists in that win.

9. Maryland Terrapins

• Records: 8-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: Received 39 votes; Coaches: Received 42 votes; KenPom: No. 19
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 11 (up 2 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated Ohio State 83-59 on Dec. 4.
• Last week: Defeated Ohio State 83-59; Lost to Purdue 83-78.
• This week: No games
• The skinny: Derik Queen is the real deal. If you didn't believe that before, last week taught us all a lesson that he's going to be a really good player in the Big Ten. He had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a blowout win vs. Ohio State. Even though Maryland loss to Purdue, he still produced 26 points and grabbed 12 boards. He's going to be a matchup problem for a lot of opponents.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Records: 7-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 46
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 13 (up 3 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated Washington State 76-66 on Nov. 15
• Last week: Defeated Northwestern 80-79; Lost to Michigan 85-83.
• This week: vs. Iowa State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1); vs. New Orleans on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Iowa could easily be 2-0 in Big Ten play. It could be 0-2 just as easily. The biggest area that Fran McCaffery needs to address? Interior defense. Opponents are feasting on the Hawkeyes when the ball gets in the paint. There are too many talented bigs for Iowa to survive a Big Ten schedule if it doesn't figure out some sort of solution. How about that shot from Josh Dix to beat Northwestern, though?

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Records: 6-2 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 61
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 6 (down 5 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated Creighton 74-63 on Nov. 22.
• Last week: Lost to Michigan State 89-52.
• This week: vs. Indiana on Friday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: Just go ahead and erase the film from Saturday's loss to Michigan State. It's best to just forget about that game and move onto the next one. This Nebraska team may not be ready for the Big Ten's best just yet, which makes Friday's matchup against Indiana at Pinnacle Bank Arena a big opportunity.

12. Ohio State Buckeyes

• Records: 6-3 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 29
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 8 (down 4 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated No. 19 Texas on Nov. 4.
• Last week: Lost to Maryland 83-59; Defeated Rutgers 80-66.
• This week: vs. Auburn (Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena) on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN 2).
• The skinny: Which Ohio State team is going to show up? Inconsistency has been a theme through the first nine games of the season for the Buckeyes. After such a demoralizing loss to Maryland, it was a really positive sign to see OSU respond with a win over Rutgers. Jake Diebler's team faces its biggest challenge yet, taking on Auburn this weekend.

13. Northwestern Wildcats

• Records: 7-3 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 59
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 15 (up 2 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated No. 19 Illinois 70-66 on Dec. 6.
• Last week: Lost to Iowa 80-79; Defeated Illinois 70-66 (OT).
• This week: vs. Georgia Tech (MKE Tip-Off at Fiserv Forum) on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Northwestern got a much-needed win over in-state rival Illinois for its first signature win of the season. The Wildcats relied on the three-headed monster of Nick Martinelli, Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach, who accounted for 60 of Northwestern's 70 points. So far, that's been a theme for the Wildcats — they'll only go as far as their starters take them, as bench production as been an area of concern.

14. Indiana Hoosiers

• Records: 7-2 overall, 0-0 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: Received 30 votes; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 44
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 14 (no change)
• Best wins/worst losses: Defeated South Carolina 87-71 on Nov. 16.
• Last week: Defeated Sam Houston 97-71; Defeated Miami (Ohio) 76-57.
• This week: vs. Minnesota on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network); at Nebraska on Friday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: Two sizable wins for Indiana last week, but it really didn't tell us much. We'll learn a little bit more about how the Hoosiers stack up in the Big Ten this week, playing Minnesota at home and Nebraska on the road. It feels critical that IU starts 2-0 if it wants to be considered an NCAA Tournament team.

15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• Records: 5-4 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 74
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 12 (down 3 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Kennesaw State 79-77 on Nov. 24; Defeated Notre Dame 85-84 (OT) on Nov. 26.
• Last week: Lost to Ohio State 80-66.
• This week: vs. Penn Stae on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (TV: Peacock); vs. Seton Hall on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (TV: FOX).
• The skinny: Rutgers has two of the top basketball players in the Big Ten, but it continues to struggle early in the season. This is a team that has lost three straight games and dropped four of its last five contests. Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey simply need more help.

16. USC Trojans

• Records: 6-4 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 93
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 18 (up 2 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Lost to Saint Mary's 71-36 on Nov. 28.
• Last week: Lost to Oregon 68-60; Defeated Washington 85-61.
• This week: vs. Montana State on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: USC actually had a nice bounce-back after a rocky Feast Week. The Trojans didn't get the job done against Oregon but were able to get a 24-point win over Washington. This still isn't a great basketball team, but it's one that appears to be making improvements.

17. Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Records: 6-4 overall, 0-1 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 111
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 17 (no change)
• Best wins/worst losses: Lost to North Texas 54-51 on Nov. 13; Lost to Wichita State 68-66 (OT) on Nov. 28.
• Last week: Lost to Michigan State 90-72.
• This week: at Indiana on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: It's been a busy start to the year for Minnesota, which will play its 11th game Monday night. After that, he Gophers will get nearly two weeks to rest, recover and work on some of the things that have caused problems through the first month of the schedule.

18. Washington Huskies

• Records: 6-3 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
• Rankings: AP: NR; Coaches: NR; KenPom: No. 104
• Last Week's Power Ranking: No. 16 (down 2 spots)
• Best wins/worst losses: Lost to USC 85-61 on Dec. 7.
• Last week: Lost to UCLA 69-58; Lost to USC 85-61.
• This week: vs. Eastern Washington on Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).
• The skinny: Washington's start to the Big Ten didn't go as planned and is now 0-2 in Big Ten play. This is still a team shooting below 30% from 3-point range, less than 42% from the floor and below 62% from the free throw line. Plus, the Huskies average 12 turnovers per game. Those aren't great numbers.