Big Ten Conference Power Rankings: Week Two

New this year, the Big Ten basketball Power Rankings will come out once a month during the preseason (once in November and once in December) and every week during the Big Ten season. 

1. Michigan (15-0, 2-0)
Go Blue knocked off Northwestern and Iowa in spectacular fashion to start off conference play.  While neither team is ranked or a conference title contender, double digit domination is going to be rare in this league and getting two in a row (including one on the road) is huge for the Wolverine's start to the season.  The Wolverines host Nebraska before back-to-back road tilts against Ohio State and Minnesota in the coming weeks.  Those road games will be the first true road games Michigan has played all season and will be against the highest ranked teams the Wolverines have faced to date so we should have a much clearer picture of whether this spot is deserved in a week and a half.

2. Indiana (14-1, 2-0)
The Hoosiers knocked off Iowa and Penn State in consecutive road contests to begin conference play and will face Minnesota and Wisconsin in Assembly Hall during the coming week.  Statistically this team has been dominant with the top ranked scoring offense in college basketball and top 12 spots in both rebounds and assists per game.  This team is still very deep but, until the ranked teams start playing more games against each other, it is difficult to determine who really deserves to be slotted where.

3. Minnesota (14-1, 2-0)
The Gophers managed solid wins against the Spartans and Wildcats, both in Minneapolis, over the past week which solidifies their placement here.  I was hesitant to put them here last week but Minnesota has so far proven that it has the capability to back up its strong non-conference numbers during Big Ten play.  Up next for the maroon and gold is a major test with two road contests to Illinois and Indiana with a home date against Michigan waiting for them when they return.  This stretch won't necessarily determine the Gophers season as an 0-3 mark could be overcome but if the Gophers can nab a win or two they will cement their place in this spot and maybe even move higher in these rankings.

4. Michigan State (12-3, 1-1)
I am still not ready to drop Michigan State from this spot.  Tom Izzo's squad ran into a buzz saw in Minneapolis to kick off Big Ten play and then used a second half surge to defeat Purdue by 23 in Lansing.  The Spartans are going to have some growing pains but they are still a very tough and very dangerous team to face.  Up next is a road trip to Iowa before dates against Nebraska and Penn State.  MSU needs a 3-0 mark in that stretch to move up in the rankings and contend for a Big Ten title.

5. Illinois (14-2, 1-1)
Illinois lost a head scratching game to Purdue before pouring it on Ohio State in Chambana.  Tonight they host the Gophers and then follow that up with games at Wisconsin and at home against Northwestern.  Winning tonight is a must if the Illini are going to get back into the conference title discussion and they probably can't afford a loss to Wisconsin or Northwestern in those upcoming games either as the Illini have a brutal stretch in the schedule late in the season.


6. Ohio State (12-3, 2-1)
Thad Matta's club beat down Nebraska before being thumped by the Illini, but they rebounded nicely last night against Purdue in a tricky road game.  Still, this team has fewer top 100 wins than Iowa and channels their entire offense through one player, Deshaun Thomas so I remain reluctant to put them any higher than this at this juncture.  The Buckeyes have games at Penn State, v. Wisconsin, and at Nebraska coming down the pipe so there really aren't any opportunities to make a statement that they deserve to be higher in these rankings in the next few weeks.  This should be an easy 3-0 stretch and anything less by Ohio State will probably move them out of the top six.

7. Wisconsin (11-4, 2-0)
The Badgers took care of business against Penn State and Nebraska to open their Big Ten slate and now face Illinois at home before road games against Indiana and Iowa.  In fact, outside of two games against the Hawkeyes, Wisconsin will not play a team that not currently ranked again until February 20th when they travel to Northwestern.  This stretch will determine the course of the season for the fighting Bo Ryan's.  For now though, the Badgers have earned this bump up in the rankings.

8. Iowa (11-4, 0-2)
Iowa opened Big Ten play with consecutive losses to Indiana and Michigan.  Both of those are forgivable considering how good those teams are (and Iowa was at least competitive against IU at home), however it underscores how important it will be for the Hawkeyes to get some wins in conference play sooner rather than later to avoid having to dig themselves out of a massive hole to get into NCAA tournament consideration.  The Hawks host Michigan State tomorrow before traveling to Northwestern and coming back home to face Wisconsin.  A 3-0 run in that stretch would be ideal but even a 2-1 split would be acceptable for this Iowa squad which is just trying to get something going to start off the season.


9. Purdue (7-8, 1-2)
Yes the Boilermakers are on a two game skid with losses to Michigan State and Ohio State in addition to being back under .500 but Purdue is dangerous, as shown by their defeat of Illinois to kick off Big Ten play.  This is not an NCAA tournament team, but these guys will play the role of spoilermakers for the rest of the season.  The Boilers have games against Penn State, Nebraska, and West Virginia up next and it isn't unreasonable to see the Matt Painter's team going 3-0 in that stretch. 

10. Northwestern (9-6, 0-2)
The Wildcats dropped double digit games to Michigan and Minnesota to kick off their Big Ten slate and they will travel to State College to take on the Nittany Lions before coming home to play Iowa.  Northwestern's injury woes were documented well in the last edition of these rankings and it is worth mentioning that this team just looks like it is two guys away from being a complete team.  This team is going to struggle to find consistency all season but they should still not be considered a given win on the road for anyone, particularly teams outside the top six.


11. Nebraska (9-6, 0-2)
The Cornhuskers were demolished by Ohio State on the road and then passed over by Wisconsin in Lincoln to open conference play.  The schedule doesn't get any easier with a two game road stint to take on the Michigan schools before coming home to face a dangerous Purdue squad.  Tim Miles' club probably isn't going to be upsetting anyone on the road in the Big Ten this season but they should manage to at least stay competitive at home as they did in their last game against Wisconsin.  I think they have a little more potential for some home upsets than Penn State which is why I have them here but neither team is going to be doing much in the postseason.

12. Penn State (8-6, 0-2)
Tim Frazier's club dropped games at Wisconsin and at home against Indiana to kick off their conference schedule.  Next up on the docket are home dates against Northwestern and Michigan State sandwhiched around a road trip to Purdue.  This team is still reeling from the loss of Tim Frazier as they only scored 51 points in each of their Big Ten games and are ranked only 268th nationally in ppg.  Even worse, they are 335th nationally in assists per game and 290th in field goal percentage.  Those numbers are not going to get it done in the Big Ten and this team is probably going to lose a lot of games this season.