It was a great week for Michigan State basketball.
The Spartans were able to slay their road woes and picked up a pair of wins away from home. It was against subpar teams but was still a big step forward for Michigan State after winning only one road game all year up until this week.
So how does the Spartans’ strong week impact their spot in our weekly Big Ten power rankings?
See where Michigan State and the rest of the league lands in our weekly Big Ten basketball power rankings below:
14
Michigan
Record: 8-18 (3-12 in Big Ten)
Will Michigan win another game this year? That’s probably an over-exaggeration statement but the Wolverines have now been outscored by 59 points in its last three games, and have lost eight of its last nine games. Michigan’s roster may just be ready to pack it in for the year at this point.
13
Penn State
Record: 12-14 (6-9 in Big Ten)
Penn State took a step back this week in a pair of losses against Michigan State (at home) and Nebraska (on the road). The Nittany Lions had been playing well in the previous weeks but these two losses were a smack back to reality for Penn State.
12
Indiana
Record: 14-11 (6-8 in Big Ten)
Indiana may have just seen its NCAA Tournament bubble pop on Sunday afternoon. The Hoosiers desperately needed a win over Northwestern at home on Sunday, but came up short late.
11
Ohio State
Record: 15-11 (5-10 in Big Ten)
It was a wild week for Ohio State. The Buckeyes fired head coach Chris Holtmann following a mid-week loss at Wisconsin and then upset Purdue on Sunday afternoon. Could a coaching change spark the Buckeyes for a late-season run? For now, I’m going to leave the Buckeyes near the bottom of the league but don’t be surprised if they move up in future rankings.
10
Iowa
Record: 15-11 (7-8 in Big Ten)
Another 1-1 week for the Hawkeyes who lost at Maryland during the week but bounced back to beat Wisconsin in overtime on Saturday. Iowa is consistently average at that point, which won’t get it done when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament.
9
Maryland
Record: 14-12 (6-9 in Big Ten)
Maryland let a golden opportunity slip away in the final minutes against Illinois on Saturday. Had the Terps knocked off the Fighting Illini, it would have been a great week for Maryland following a win over Iowa a few days earlier.
8
Rutgers
Record: 14-11 (6-8 in Big Ten)
Rutgers has had a recent resurgence and is quickly becoming a dangerous team in the league. The Scarlet Knights’ four-game winning streak was snapped on Sunday night in a loss at Minnesota, but Rutgers has played well enough as of late to get itself back on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
7
Minnesota
Record: 16-9 (7-7 in Big Ten)
Minnesota played Purdue tough on the road earlier in the week and responded to that narrow loss with a nice win over Rutgers on Sunday. The Golden Gophers will need a strong finish to the regular season to reach the NCAA Tournament, but their hopes of dancing still remain late in the year.
6
Wisconsin
Record: 17-9 (9-6 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin’s downfall continued this week with another loss on Saturday. The Badgers beat Ohio State earlier in the week, but overall Wisconsin has lost five of their last six games and doesn’t look anything like the top 10 team we saw just a few weeks ago.
5
Northwestern
Record: 18-8 (9-6 in Big Ten)
Northwestern was dealt some bad injury news this week when it was announced Ty Berry will be out for the rest of the year. But on the floor it was a solid week for the Wildcats, who went 1-1 with a narrow loss at surging Rutgers and a road win over Indiana on Sunday.
4
Nebraska
Record: 18-8 (8-7 in Big Ten)
Nebraska made easy work of Penn State in its lone game this week. The Cornhuskers remain in a good spot for reaching the NCAA Tournament as long as they don’t collapse down the stretch.
3
Michigan State
Record: 17-9 (9-6 in Big Ten)
Michigan State has joined the mix of the top tier teams that includes Illinois and Purdue. While it wasn’t great competition, the Spartans took a major step forward this week in winning back-to-back road games. Michigan State now needs to build off this three-game winning streak if they want to rise even higher in our next power rankings.
2
Illinois
Record: 19-6 (10-4 in Big Ten)
Illinois also had a great week on the hardwood, with a dominant home win over Michigan and impressive road win at Maryland. The Fighting Illini continue to remain as our No. 2 team but a strong finish could move them up to the top spot — especially with a home game against Purdue looming.
1
Purdue
Record: 23-3 (12-3 in Big Ten)
Purdue was tested this week with Minnesota first nearly knocking off the Boilermakers during the week and then Ohio State upsetting them on Sunday. Purdue remains the top team in the power rankings but the door has been slightly cracked open for Illinois to contend for the top spot next week.
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