Week Eight Big Ten Power Rankings – The Calm Before The Storm

It was a slow week across the Big Ten, as the league saw limited action thanks to Christmas and holiday breaks. Still, plenty of teams were in action as they began the process of wrapping up non-conference play. It dry up the final few days before Big Ten play restarts this weekend.

So, let’s jump into this week’s Power Rankings.

#1 – Michigan Wolverines (—)

The Wolverines were off this week, after blasting La Salle at home on December 21st. The win left Michigan sitting at 11-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. The team remains ranked atop KenPom nationally, and by a decent margin. Michigan will get two games at home this week, with McNeese State at home on Monday and USC at home on Friday. The Wolverines will be significant favorites in both games, but fans shouldn’t sleep on these matchups. McNeese State is a solid mid-major team rated 64th on KenPom and USC has flirted with a top 25 ranking this season.

#2 – Purdue Boilermakers (—)

The Boilermakers were also off this week after thumping Auburn in Indianapolis on December 20th. Purdue is poised to close out non-conference play at home on December 29th against Kent State. The Golden Flashes are 10-2 and one of the better MAC squads, so they could be a bit testy for the Boilers. Purdue will then head on the road to face Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday. It’s easily the team’s toughest road test since facing Alabama on the road in early November. A win would go a long way toward Purdue’s Big Ten title chase.

#3 – Michigan State Spartans (—)

The Spartans enjoyed a week off after handling Toledo and Oakland the week prior. Following those wins, Michigan State sits at 11-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. The team will now prepare to close out non-conference play at home against Cornell on Monday and then restart conference play on the road on Friday night. It’s the toughest road game the Spartans have played so far this season. A win would go a long way toward establishing Michigan State on the top tier of the conference.

#4 – Nebraska Cornhuskers (—)

The Huskers were yet another team that enjoyed a week off after trouncing North Dakota at home on December 21st. Fortunately, Nebraska will return to action this week with New Hampshire at home on Tuesday and then a massive matchup against Michigan State at home on Friday. It should be a great test for both sides, as they try and prove they belong among the league’s top tier.

#5 – Illinois Fighting Illini (—)

The Illini only played one game last week, which was in St. Louis on Monday against Missouri. The matchup looked like it could be a decent game before tip, but turned into a lopsided affair, as Illinois cruised to a 91-48 win. The victory left Illinois sitting at 9-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. It got the team back on track after a frustrating outing against Nebraska roughly a week earlier.

Illinois will get two games this week. The first is at home against Southern on Monday. The team will then go to Philly to face off against Penn State in the Palestra on Saturday in what should be a fun “neutral” site matchup. Illinois is certainly favored, but the Nittany Lions have been feisty in Philly in recent years. We’ll see if Brad Underwood and his group can live up to expectations and get a win.

#6 – USC Trojans (—)

The Trojans were off last week after beating UC Santa Cruz at home on December 21st. USC will now prepare for a brutal trip to the State of Michigan, which begins on Friday in Ann Arbor. On paper, it’s hard to see USC coming out of there with a win. However, it’s college basketball and weird things happen all the time. The Trojans also pulled off a few decent upsets last year, so perhaps Eric Musselman might have some magic up his sleeves.

#7 – Iowa Hawkeyes (—)

The Hawkeyes were off last week after recording two mid-major wins earlier in the month. The team will return to action on Monday at home against UMass Lowell for its final tuneup of the year. Iowa will then restart conference play at home against UCLA on Saturday. The latter is a quietly important matchup, as the Hawks and Bruins will enter the game similarly positioned in most of the projections. A win would go a long way toward Iowa’s hopes of getting back on the right side of the NCAA bubble.

#8 – Indiana Hoosiers (—)

The Hoosiers won the team’s only game last week, besting Siena at home on Monday. The win pushed Indiana to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. The group has also started to pick up a bit of momentum, having won three of its last four games. Indiana will now prepare to return to action at home against Washington on Sunday. KenPom has the Hoosiers as solid favorites heading into tip.

#9 – UCLA Bruins (—)

The Bruins won the team’s lone game last week, taking care of UC Riverside at home on Tuesday. The win pushed UCLA to 10-3 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. Notably, the team has now won three straight and five of its last six games. With the exception of a competitive loss to Gonzaga on December 13th, UCLA has been unbeaten since before Thanksgiving. That’s certainly an encouraging sign with Big Ten play set to restart this weekend.

UCLA will only get one game this week, which will come on the road against Iowa on Saturday. KenPom likes the Hawkeyes in the matchup, but things look pretty even, at least on paper. If the Bruins can surprise and pull off an upset over Iowa, it would go a long way toward the group’s NCAA hopes.

#10 – Ohio State Buckeyes (—)

The Buckeyes beat Grambling State at home on Tuesday in the team’s only outing of the week. It was a blowout and pushed Ohio State to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. Unfortunately, Ohio State has been relatively underwhelming for the better part of a month, going just 3-3 over the team’s last six games. All three losses came by eight points or less, but the results still left a lot on the table, particularly from a resume perspective.

While there’s certainly still time for things to change, everything about Ohio State’s current resume looks like a team destined to be an NCAA bubble squad. KenPom has the Buckeyes projected to finish the regular season at 19-12 overall, which will make the last few weeks pretty dramatic in Columbus. We’ll see if the team can start changing those projections, with Rutgers on the road on Friday. It’s a game Ohio State should win, but can the team get the job done?

#11 – Wisconsin Badgers (—)

The Badgers won the team’s only game last week, beating Central Michigan at home on Monday. The win left Wisconsin sitting at 8-4 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. Wisconsin will now prepare to close out non-conference play against Milwaukee at home on Tuesday and then restart conference play at home against Purdue on Saturday. It’s arguably the biggest game of the season so far for the Badgers. A win would dramatically change Wisconsin’s hopes for this season, which have been steadily fading since the season tipped off in November.

#12 – Northwestern Wildcats (—)

The Wildcats were off last week after falling to Butler in Indianapolis on December 20th. The team now sits at 7-5 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. Northwestern will hope to get some momentum back this week with Howard at home on Tuesday and Minnesota at home on Saturday. KenPom favors the Wildcats in both games, but the Gophers have been wildcards so far this season, so Northwestern will have to show up to win. Fans will also hope star forward Nick Martinelli is back and ready to go.

#13 – Oregon Ducks (—)

The Ducks bounced back in the team’s only game last week, beating Nebraska Omaha at home on Sunday evening. The win came in blowout fashion and pushed Oregon to 7-6 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The team has now won three of its last four games, with the only loss coming against Gonzaga by nine points on a neutral court. It’s a positive sign for a squad that got off to a horrid start.

Oregon will try and build off that momentum this week, as the team heads east to restart Big Ten play. The Ducks will get Maryland on the road on Friday. KenPom views it as a tossup. If Oregon is truly going to get back on track and save its season, that needs to be a win.

#14 – Washington Huskies (—)

The Huskies beat San Diego at home on Monday for the team’s only game of the week. The win pushed Washington to 8-4 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. The group’s overall statistical profile remains decent, but with room for improvement. KenPom has Washington at 47th nationally and projected to finish the regular season at 17-14 overall. That’s probably not going to earn an NCAA bid, so fans will hope the group can take some steps forward to close out 2025.

Washington will return to action this week with two challenging games. The Huskies will get Utah at home on December 29th and then face Indiana on the road on Sunday. KenPom projects a split.

#15 – Minnesota Golden Gophers (—)

The Gophers were off last week. Minnesota will now prepare for Fairleigh Dickinson at home on Monday and Northwestern on the road on Saturday. The latter game looks like quite a challenge for Minnesota, but the team did surprise Indiana in early December, so perhaps another upset is on the docket.

#16 – Maryland Terrapins (—)

The Terrapins took care of business against Old Dominion on Sunday in the team’s only outing of the week. The win pushed Maryland to 7-6 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The team will now prepare to restart Big Ten play at home against Oregon on Friday. Maryland is modestly favored by KenPom.

#17 – Penn State Nittany Lions (—)

The Nittany Lions have had quite some time to stew over the team’s earlier missteps. Penn State has been off since the team’s loss to Pittsburgh on December 21st. It was the group’s third straight loss and its fourth loss in seven games. It left Penn State sitting at 8-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play.

Penn State will get two games this week. The first will be at home against North Carolina Central on December 29th. The second will be against Illinois in Philly. It’s the start of an absolutely brutal four game stretch that includes three games against top 10 KenPom opponents. Buckle up.

#18 – Rutgers Scarlet Knights (—)

The Scarlet Knights have been a disaster since Feast Week began in November. The group is just 2-6 over its last eight games and one of the wins came on December 20th in a near loss to a terrible Penn squad. As such, Rutgers now sits at 6-6 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play.

If Rutgers is going to make something of this season, it feels like it needs to begin this week, with Delaware State at home on Monday and Ohio State at home on Friday. The Scarlet Knights will be significant underdogs against the Buckeyes, but it’s a winnable game. We’ll see if Steve Pikiell can find a way.

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