Michigan State basketball picked up a pair of wins this past week to remain near the top of the Big Ten in our latest power rankings.
The Spartans first took care of business against rival Michigan on Tuesday and then followed that up with a gritty victory over Maryland on Saturday. The two wins moved Michigan State to 14-8 overall and 6-5 in Big Ten play.
So where does Michigan State sit in our updated 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: 7-15 (2-9 in Big Ten)
If games were decided by the score at halftime, Michigan would be one of the best teams in the country. The Wolverines continue to blow leads in the second half, including a double-digit advantage in Saturday’s home loss to Rutgers.
13
Rutgers
Record: 11-10 (3-7 in Big Ten)
Rutgers rebounded nicely from a midweek home loss to Penn State with a road win over Michigan. That victory over the Wolverines kept them out of the basement of our weekly power rankings.
12
Ohio State
Record: 13-9 (3-8 in Big Ten)
At one point (not that long ago), Ohio State was one of the top teams in our power rankings. However, things have gone south quickly for the Buckeyes who’ve lost seven of their last eight games.
11
Indiana
Record: 13-9 (5-6 in Big Ten)
Like the Buckeyes, Indiana has hit a rough road in the past month or so. That culminated on Saturday in a double-digit loss to Penn State — who by the way was missing its leading scorer.
10
Penn State
Record: 11-11 (5-6 in Big Ten)
Penn State had arguably one of the best weeks of anyone — and maybe one of the best weeks of any team all year. The Nittany Lions picked up a pair of road wins this past week — which is saying a lot for how hard it’s been to win away from home in league play.
9
Iowa
Record: 13-9 (5-6 in Big Ten)
It was an up-and-down week for the Hawkeyes who split their two games this week. Iowa came up just short at Indiana on Tuesday before sneaking by Ohio State on Friday.
8
Maryland
Record: 13-9 (5-6 in Big Ten)
Maryland played only once this week — which was a hard-fought loss at Michigan State. The Terps remain to be a tough team to beat and will have a chance to knock off anyone in this league — hence their spot right in the middle of our power rankings.
7
Minnesota
Record: 14-7 (5-5 in Big Ten)
Minnesota picked up a massive win over Northwestern on Saturday and now sits as our top team in the bubble teams. The top six teams in our power rankings seem pretty solid for making the NCAA Tournament and Minnesota is the next team to join that group if they can continue to pick up some big wins in the final month and half of the season.
6
Northwestern
Record: 15-7 (6-5 in Big Ten)
Northwestern lost both of their road games this week but didn’t drop because both were in overtime. The Wildcats certainly are kicking themselves for letting late leads at Purdue and Minnesota slip away, but still should feel good about the effort in both of those games.
5
Nebraska
Record: 16-7 (6-6 in Big Ten)
Nebraska continues to have one of the best home-court advantages in the Big Ten with another marquee home victory this week over Wisconsin. Winning away from home is still an issue for Nebraska after falling short again in a near-major upset win over Illinois on Sunday.
4
Michigan State
Record: 14-8 (6-5 in Big Ten)
Michigan State needed to go 2-0 this week and they did just that. The Spartans are 10-3 since their abysmal 4-5 start to the year, and looking more and more like the title-contending team we expected entering the year. But don’t get it twisted, this team still has plenty of room for improvement…
3
Wisconsin
Record: 16-6 (8-3 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin had a chance to take a chokehold lead on the Big Ten this week but instead fell short in both of their matchups. First, the Badgers blew a double-digit lead at Nebraska, and then on Sunday they came up short in a top 10 home matchup against Purdue.
2
Illinois
Record: 17-5 (8-3 in Big Ten)
Illinois has surpassed Wisconsin as the No. 2 to Purdue in the Big Ten. Illinois took care of Ohio State on the road and then followed that up with a narrow win over a pesky Nebraska team at home on Sunday.
1
Purdue
Record: 21-2 (10-2 in Big Ten)
There have been times this year when I was ready to move Wisconsin or Illinois ahead of Purdue for this top spot. But I’ve always been hesitant to move the Boilermakers out of No. 1. They proved me right for keeping them there with a monster road win over Wisconsin on Sunday.
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