Big Ten’s hottest teams fighting for men’s basketball crown at halfway point

Time is a great thickener of things.

Lincoln said that. Or at least, Daniel Day-Lewis, while playing Lincoln, said that. David Strathairn, playing William Seward, said he didn’t know what Lincoln meant, but I’m willing to bet you do.

Especially as it pertains to a conference title race in late January. The bracket projections aren’t calcifying yet, and there are plenty of bigtime matchups left to play out, but we’re really starting to sort the wheat from the chaff now.

Time is a great thickener of things, and things are thickening up nicely in this week’s power rankings.

Note: Records current as of Jan. 28.

1. Michigan (19-1, 9-1)

Prev: 3

Wolverines got a stern test at home from Nebraska, which is very much here to stay. Michigan passed that test and has now won five straight since the upset loss at home to Wisconsin.

2. Nebraska (20-1, 9-1)

Prev: 1

We aren’t dropping the Huskers any farther than they deserve. The next five games (Illinois, at Rutgers, Purdue, Northwestern, at Iowa) will tell us whether The Mayor’s team is in this race for the duration.

3. Michigan State (19-2, 9-1)

Prev: 4

Spartans almost got Rutgersed. Someone always does. But if we’re talking about stacking results, Michigan State has now won its last seven games, by an average of 20.7(!) points.

4. Illinois (17-3, 8-1)

Prev: 5

Another team on a roll, Illinois has won its last nine. Keaton Wagler put his stamp on the freshman-of-the-year race at Purdue.

More: Illinois freshman ‘never really thought I would’ have historic scoring night at Purdue

5. Purdue (17-4, 7-3)

Prev: 2

The biggest mover, in the wrong direction, in the title race. The trouble for Purdue now is they’ve got four teams ahead of them, and the unbalanced schedules make losses hard to find. Per KenPom, Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois have the easiest conference strengths of schedule in the Big Ten.

6. UCLA (15-6, 7-3)

Prev: 8

Hiya Mick Cronin! After some unconvincing results in November and December, the Bruins have won five of six. Donovan Dent is coming into his own, and UCLA owns one of the better defenses in the league.

7. Wisconsin (15-6, 7-3)

Prev: 6

Some lost ground because of the USC defeat. More just out of respect for UCLA’s improvement.

8. Iowa (15-5, 5-4)

Prev: 7

Backstopped three losses with three wins. Ben McCollum’s team probably has a Year 1 ceiling, but the proof of concept emerging in Iowa City is encouraging.

9. Indiana (14-7, 5-5)

Prev: 9

These two are fighting an attritional war in the rankings. Iowa gets the nod for its win in Bloomington. IU holds ground for stopping a skid with the blowout at Rutgers and an impressive win over Purdue. Both coaches get results that reinforce their long-term plan.

10. Ohio State (14-6, 6-4)

Prev: 11

Jake Diebler’s team is finally stacking wins, with four in its last six. There’s not a ton of quality in there, but results are trending up with opportunities in February.

11. USC (15-6, 4-6)

Prev: 12

Trojans climbing only because Minnesota falling. Post-Rodney Rice injury, life continues to be difficult. USC has now dropped five of eight and three of its last four. A 2-0 homestand vs. Rutgers and Indiana is a must now.

12. Washington (11-9, 3-6)

Prev: 13

See above. Huskies only rose a spot thanks to someone else’s misfortune.

13. Minnesota (10-11, 3-7)

Prev: 10

Try as it might, the Good Ship Niko is taking on water. Fast. Six straight losses, even if by 45 total points, is six straight losses.

14. Rutgers (9-12, 2-8)

Prev: 14

Can’t remember if we’ve tried this thought exercise. It made the rounds among Big Ten-minded scribes at the Peach Bowl.

Will the bottom five teams in the league win more than seven games, combined, against the top 13?

15. Northwestern (9-11, 1-8)

Prev: 16

Right now, at what essentially amounts to the halfway pole in the season, that total stands at one. Said win (USC away) belongs to Chris Collins’ Wildcats.

16. Oregon (8-13, 1-9)

Prev: 15

Rutgers had looked likeliest, having taken teams like Iowa and Michigan State for a ride. Oregon gets a few cracks soon, especially with a state-of-Indiana road trip upcoming.

17. Maryland (8-12, 1-8)

Prev: 18

Terps don’t look like great candidates — Buzz Williams’ team hasn’t lost to one of those top 13 by fewer than 12 points yet this winter.

18. Penn State (9-11, 0-9)

Prev: 17

Penn State, meanwhile, hasn’t beaten anybody. Got Maryland its first league win though. Sigh.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Big Ten men’s college basketball rankings: Michigan, Nebraska, State, Illinois

Source link