Michigan State basketball is back near the top of the league in our weekly power rankings after a strong finish to December.
The Spartans fought off a pesky Indiana State team on Saturday to increase its winning streak to four games. The win also moved Michigan State to 8-5 overall on the year and capped off its non-conference slate at 8-3.
Michigan State and the rest of the league will return to conference play this week, with Big Ten games picking up again on Tuesday. So where does the Spartans sit in comparison to the rest of the league now that they are playing better ball?
See where Michigan State and the rest of the league lands in our weekly Big Ten basketball power rankings below:
14
Rutgers
Record: 8-4 (0-1 in Big Ten)
Rutgers’ record isn’t bad but it seems to be fool’s gold. The Scarlet Knights survived a scare against Stony Hill this past weekend and were handled by Mississippi State before that. We’ll see if they can get things back on track once conference play resumes.
13
Michigan
Record: 6-7 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Michigan very well could be last in our power rankings after yet another embarrassing loss to McNeese State last week. The Wolverines appear destined to miss the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season if they don’t get things turned around quickly.
12
Minnesota
Record: 10-3 (1-1 in Big Ten)
I’m still not sure what to make of Minnesota because they have taken care of business against lesser competition but also lack any truly notable wins. We should learn more about the Golden Gophers in the coming weeks so for now I’m holding off on rising them up the rankings.
11
Penn State
Record: 7-6 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Penn State is another team I’m not sure about so far this year. They have proven they can beat decent teams such as Ohio State, but also don’t have a record that would suggest they are anything more than a bottom-tier team in the Big Ten. This is an interesting squad to watch in the next few weeks.
10
Iowa
Record: 8-5 (0-2 in Big Ten)
Iowa can score with anyone, possessing another potent offensive attack. But the Hawkeyes also give up a ton of points too. They’ll be a fun team to watch this year but not sure how good they truly are at this point.
9
Maryland
Record: 9-4 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Maryland has rebounded nicely from a brutal start to the season, winning eight of their last nine games. The Terps notably beat UCLA on the road in the past few weeks and may be rounding into the team we expected them to be entering the year.
8
Northwestern
Record: 10-2 (1-0 in Big Ten)
Northwestern has had an up-and-down December ever since they opened the month with a monster upset of Purdue. The Wildcats struggled with Jackson State this past week and now have a tough test against rival Illinois coming up next.
7
Indiana
Record: 10-3 (2-0 in Big Ten)
Indiana has for the most part taken care of business so far this year and did so again this past week in a win over Kennesaw State. The Hoosiers lack a notable win at this point in the year, though, so like many teams in the league, I’m still unsure what to make of Indiana right now.
6
Nebraska
Record: 11-2 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Nebraska continues to look like a tournament team, earning impressive wins over Kansas State and Michigan State in December. The Cornhuskers will prove if they are for real or not, though, with conference play resuming this week.
5
Ohio State
Record: 11-2 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Ohio State has quietly had a great start to the season, adding another nice win over West Virginia to its resume this past weekend. The Buckeyes may not be a title contender in the Big Ten but certainly should be dancing again this year.
4
Michigan State
Record: 8-5 (0-2 in Big Ten)
Michigan State’s brutal start to the season was well documented but in the last few weeks, the Spartans have turned a switch and look like the preseason top five team we expected. The Spartans picked up a nice victory over Indiana State this past week and will look to get their first conference win of the year next week against Penn State.
3
Wisconsin
Record: 9-3 (1-0 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin appears poised to get back to the NCAA Tournament this year after a strong start to the season. I’m not sold on the Badgers as a title contender in the Big Ten but they’ll certainly be tough to beat any time they take the court.
2
Illinois
Record: 10-2 (1-0 in Big Ten)
Illinois has looked awfully impressive this season but the recent suspension of star Terrence Shannon Jr. could shift their season. Shannon is suspended indefinitely and we will have to wait and see what kind of impact it will have on the Fighting Illini as they return to conference play this week.
1
Purdue
Record: 12-1 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Purdue remains in our top spot as they continue to take care of business and look dominant along the way. The Boilermakers have been arguably the best team in the country so far this year and are clearly the top team in the Big Ten too.
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