It was another wild week in the Big Ten, with many ups and downs across the league — including for the Spartans.
Michigan State opened the week with an impressive comeback victory on the road at Wisconsin but closed the week by blowing a nine-point lead against Illinois on Friday. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Ohio State struggled, while Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois continued to roll.
See where the Michigan State and the rest of the Big Ten teams land in our latest batch of power rankings:
14
Nebraska
Record: 9-9 (2-5 in Big Ten)
For the first time this year, Minnesota isn’t in the basement of our power rankings. The Cornhuskers take the bottom spot. Nebraska lost both of their games this week to Illinois and Purdue by a combined 42 points. Those are tough opponents, but Nebraska should be putting up more of a fight in those games.
13
Minnesota
Record: 7-8 (1-4 in Big Ten)
The Golden Gophers are on the board. Minnesota pulled a stunning upset of Ohio State on Thursday in Columbus. That was the Golden Gophers’ first conference win of the season and is something to build off moving forward.
12
Maryland
Record: 11-6 (2-4 in Big Ten)
Maryland’s recent struggles continued this week, with a double-digit loss in their lone matchup this week at Iowa. The Terps have now lost six of their last seven against major competition, with their last three losses all being by double-digits.
11
Ohio State
Record: 10-7 (2-4 in Big Ten)
Life comes at you fast in the Big Ten — and that’s certainly the case right now for the Buckeyes. Just last week they had Purdue on the ropes but squandered the win late. Since then, Ohio State has lost three more games and is in dire need of a victory before its season goes off the rails.
10
Michigan
Record: 10-7 (4-2 in Big Ten)
Michigan would feel a lot better about this past week had it not blown a sure-win at Iowa earlier this week. The Wolverines responded with a win over Northwestern on Sunday, but that Iowa loss may comeback to haunt the Wolverines on Selection Sunday.
9
Wisconsin
Record: 11-5 (3-3 in Big Ten)
The Badgers are missing Tyler Wahl. Wisconsin dropped both games this week and has lost all three games since Wahl went down with an injury. Saturday’s nearly 20-point loss to reeling Indiana was particularly rough for the Badgers.
8
Northwestern
Record: 12-5 (3-3 in Big Ten)
It was a rough week for the Wildcats. Northwestern dropped both of its matchups — a home tilt against Rutgers and winnable road game at Michigan. Northwestern remains in the hunt for the NCAA Tournament but can’t afford too many 0-2 weeks the rest of the way.
7
Indiana
Record: 11-6 (2-4 in Big Ten)
Indiana is in a similar boat as Wisconsin: Both are battling injuries. The Hoosiers were bombarded by Penn State earlier in the week but found the win column with a blowout win over the Badgers on Saturday. That victory snapped a three-game losing streak and makes Thursday’s trip to Illinois a bit more enticing.
6
Penn State
Record: 12-5 (3-3 in Big Ten)
Penn State continues to remain relevant in the Big Ten and in position to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time 2011. The Nittany Lions bombed Indiana in their lone game this week, hitting 18 3-point shots in the 19-point victory. Penn State isn’t messing around this year.
5
Iowa
Record: 12-6 (4-3 in Big Ten)
Iowa has quickly gotten its season back on track over the past two weeks. The Hawkeyes have won four straight games, including wins over Michigan and Maryland this week. Iowa is back to being a contender in the league and looking more and more like a NCAA Tournament lock.
4
Michigan State
Record: 12-5 (4-2 in Big Ten)
The Spartans had a good week, but it should have been a great week. Winning at Wisconsin was a big victory but knocking off Illinois would have been bigger, so the blown nine-point second half lead is a bit haunting for the Spartans. Michigan State can’t dwell on that loss, though, as Purdue comes to town on Monday.
3
Illinois
Record: 12-5 (3-3 in Big Ten)
Sure seems like Illinois is back on track. The Fighting Illini have won three straight games, including a blowout win at Nebraska and come-from-behind win against Michigan State this past week. Illinois has always had a ton of talent, and now it seems like it is finally meshing and reaching its potential.
2
Rutgers
Record: 13-5 (5-2 in Big Ten)
Who would have thought we’d see Rutgers this high in the power rankings entering the season? Not me but the Scarlet Knights deserve to be here after another solid week with wins over Northwestern and Ohio State. Rutgers has already beaten the top team in the league Purdue on the road so anything seems possible for the Scarlet Knights right now.
1
Purdue
Record: 16-1 (5-1 in Big Ten)
The Big Ten has been chaotic so far this season, but one thing remains consistent — Purdue. The Boilermakers continue to be consistently dominant, with another perfect week. The competition will get a bit stiffer this week with a road trip to Michigan State on Monday afternoon.
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