Chicago Sports Today

Chicago Sports News continuously updated

Big Ten Power Rankings: Holiday Edition

by

Oregon sits atop our Big Ten Power Rankings.

It has been a pretty light week to stay the least in college basketball. With Christmas now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look at this holiday edition of the Big Ten power rankings. Most teams in the Big Ten only have one non-conference game before the calendar changes to 2025. As the most important time of the college basketball season begins to heat up, it’s time to look at which teams are trending up and who has some work to do during the second half of the 2024-25 campaign. Let’s look at this week’s Big Ten power rankings.

Big Ten Power Rankings: Holiday Edition

18. Minnesota (7-5, 0-2) Last Week: 18th

The growing concerns about the future in Minneapolis for Coach Ben Johnson are still fresh on the minds of Gopher fans. After starting 0-2 in the Big Ten, Minnesota got a home win against Farleigh-Dickinson. They have Morgan State in their final non-conference game. The Gophers cannot have a slow start like they did with FDU, as the Knights only lost that game by 14 points. Minnesota has Purdue and Ohio State as their first two games once the calendar changes to 2025.

17. Rutgers (7-5, 1-1) Last Week: 14th

The Scarlet Knights appeared to have found some rhythm by beating Penn State and Seton Hall in back-to-back games. They lost that momentum quickly as they lost a highly contested game against Princeton. Dylan Harper continues to deliver for Rutgers, but even when he and Ace Bailey both play lights out, the Scarlet Knights fall apart down the stretch. Rutgers has Columbia to finish their non-conference slate. Still, they don’t have many opportunities left to grab wins that could get them to the NCAA tournament. It’s pretty disappointing for a team that has two lottery picks on the team.

16. Washington (8-4, 0-2) Last Week: 17th

The Huskies are the highest in the Big Ten power rankings, they have been so far this season. Washington got a confidence-building win over rival Washington State. That didn’t stop them, however, from having a poor showing in their last game against Seattle. Despite another 20-point performance from Tyler Harris, Washington fell short in that match-up. They have one more non-conference tilt to get back on track before the heart of Big Ten play.

15. Ohio State (8-4, 1-1) Last Week: 15th

The Buckeyes remain consistent after a strong week. Sure, they are 15th here, but that’s just because of their early struggles. Ohio State was able to get a huge upset win against No. 4 Kentucky. That game also saw the return of Aaron Bradshaw. Bruce Thornton delivered a 30-point performance as well. Coach Diebler’s Buckeyes responded well despite all the off-the-court questions. Their next two games will be big as both are in Columbus, the first of which is against Indiana State. That should help them get confidence for a match-up with No. 18 Michigan State on January 3rd.

14. USC (9-4, 1-1) Last Week: 16th

The Trojans made a jump after winning their last two games. Since losing three games in a row, USC has won its last four games. Chibuzo Agbo has delivered in the Trojans’ last two games, as he finished as the leading scorer against Cal State Northridge and Southern. USC isn’t back in action until January 4th, when they host Michigan. That game will be a huge match-up. USC has a chance to prove what it is truly worth in a match-up of two first-year head coaches.

13. Purdue (8-4, 1-1) Last Week: 7th

Purdue has had its worst non-conference campaign in several years. Sure, they haven’t lost at Mackey Arena this season, but the Boilermakers don’t have much to be happy about thus far. They are currently on a two-game slide, however, both games were at neutral sites. They have the Toledo Rockets coming into Mackey for their final non-conference game. The Boilers were held under 70 points in their last two games. It certainly feels like Purdue isn’t going to be atop the Big Ten this season. There are a lot of games to play, but this team has lost a lot of its mojo, in my opinion.

12. Wisconsin (10-3, 0-2) Last Week: 13th

Wisconsin has been getting a lot out of sophomore forward Nolan Winter. He’s been the Badgers’ leading scorer in each of their last three games. They handled their business against Butler and Detroit Mercy in their last two games. Wisconsin doesn’t have their next game until January 4th in a home clash with Iowa. They must find a way to get their first Big Ten win of the season.

11. Illinois (8-3, 1-1) Last Week: 12th

After falling two points short against No. 1 Tennessee, the Illini were able to get back to basics in a rivalry win against Missouri. Kasparas Jakucionis is on a six-game streak of over 20 points. He has proven to be Illinois’ best player. Illinois has a tune-up game with Chicago State to finish the non-conference schedule. That leads to a road game at No. 9 Oregon next week.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

10. Indiana (9-3, 1-1) Last Week: 11th

The Hoosiers flirted with disaster against Chattanooga in their last game. The Mocs fought, but it wasn’t enough as Indiana escaped by nine points. It was another poor showing from Indiana’s talented frontcourt. This time, Mackenzie Mgbako looked completely out of sync. They have one more non-conference game to get their 10th win against Winthrop.

9.  Northwestern (9-3, 1-1) Last Week: 10th

Since their loss against Iowa, the Wildcats have rattled off three straight wins against top-level competition. That includes wins over rival Illinois, Georgia Tech, and, most recently, DePaul. The Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli duo continues to be one of the best in the Big Ten, and they are in a great position to get Northwestern into the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

8. Iowa (9-3, 1-1) Last Week: 9th

The Hawkeyes continue to improve as they have themselves right around the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. It’s a good spot to be in, as Iowa appears to be right in contention once again. Despite all their offseason departures, the Hawkeyes have themselves right where they want to be. Payton Sandfort is fresh off his best scoring game of the season with 24 points in a 95-88 victory against Utah. Iowa has one more non-conference tilt against New Hampshire on December 30th.

7. Penn State (10-2, 1-1) Last Week: 4th

Penn State didn’t have much to better themselves over the past week. Sure, they beat Drexel to get their 10th win of the season, but it wasn’t very convincing. The Nittany Lions have an instate match-up with the Penn Quakers to close out non-conference this Sunday.

6. Nebraska (10-2, 1-1) Last Week: 8th

Nebraska continues to impress. Since getting beat by 37 points by Michigan State, the Huskers haven’t lost. They partook in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii during Christmas, as they took down Murray State, Hawaii, and then a huge win against Oregon State in the Championship game. They have a great chance to pick up a fifth-straight win with a clash against Southern to finish the non-conference schedule. The Huskers continue to climb the Big Ten power rankings behind the outstanding scoring effort of Brice Williams.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

5. Maryland (10-2, 1-1) Last Week: 6th

Many around the Big Ten might have Maryland right at the top of their Big Ten contenders. I’m not saying they’re not. They have plenty of talent, and their best win thus far is over Ohio State. Their two loss have been at the hands of Marquette and Purdue. The Terps have easily staked their claim for a top-five spot in the Big Ten power rankings. They can earn win number 11 against Maryland Eastern Shore when they face them on Saturday.

4. Michigan (9-3, 2-0) Last Week: 5th

What a difference a year makes. This Michigan team has already won more games this season than in 2023-24. Danny Wolf has been outstanding, especially with his passing abilities for his size. The turnovers continue to be an issue, though, and they continue to find themselves blowing leads against top-level opponents. They have proven to be a contender in the Big Ten, but these close losses hurt. Especially losing back-to-back against Arkansas and Oklahoma by a combined three points.

3. UCLA (10-2, 2-0) Last Week: 1st

The Bruins have put themselves amongst the top three teams in the Big Ten so far. UCLA had everything going right until they overestimated the North Carolina Tar Heels. In just their second loss, UCLA blew a half-time lead. They have another huge game on deck as they take on No. 14 Gonzaga this Saturday.

2. Michigan State (10-2, 2-0) Last Week: 3rd

Tom Izzo’s Spartans are hitting their stride. MSU has reached 18th in the polls. Since losing to Memphis in Maui, Michigan State has won five straight games. The most recent was a tough tilt against Florida Atlantic. As it turns out, the highlight plays of Coen Carr proved to be too much for the Owls. Carr had a career night with 17 points and eight rebounds. Not to mention all of his highlight dunks. The Spartans have one more non-conference game against Western Michigan to finish 2024.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

1. Oregon (11-1, 1-1) Last Week: 2nd

The Ducks’ only loss is against UCLA, but they are the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the country right now. Oregon is ranked ninth in the country and is looking to climb higher. The team has been getting a great effort from nearly everyone on the roster, and that teamwork was huge in their win against Stanford. The Ducks have one more non-conference game against Weber State and should head into 2025 still atop the Big Ten power rankings.

The post Big Ten Power Rankings: Holiday Edition appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.