Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings for Monday, February 2

The power hierarchy in Big Ten men’s basketball has shifted, and the former top dog has taken its throne back from the Nebraska Cornhuskers. All it took was two games for the tide to completely shift on Nebraska. The USC Trojans have a lot of work to do; they barely beat Rutgers.

Here are my Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings after the past week of Big Ten Conference play:

After looking less than impressive even in their wins for a stretch of weeks, the Wolverines are back to looking like the best team in the Big Ten. Michigan vs two top 10-ranked opponents in back-to-back games, handled business, winning both impressively. Michigan is exactly who everyone thought they were. They showed up the Spartans the other night, making their case once again for being the best team in the country.

2. Illinois Fighting Illini, 19-3

Just as impressive as Michigan has looked as of late, Illinois is right behind them. This is a deep draft class full of star freshmen; it looks like Illinois may have one of the best of them. In games vs Purdue and Nebraska, the difference has been that Illinois has Keaton Wagler, and their opponent does not. Illinois is clearly the second-best team in this conference.

3. Nebraska Cornhuskers, 20-2

The Cornhuskers’ hot start this season does not get completely thrown away, but losing two straight games to teams that should be able to hang with them definitely tarnishes their credibility. I think this team still is a great basketball team, but it is clear that Illinois and Michigan are on a different level.

4. Michigan State Spartans, 19-3

Jeremy Fears Jr. gives this Spartans team a chance, and their great defense will keep them in games as well. The Spartans still learned that Illinois and Nebraska are different beasts right now. I do not see this team dethroning the top two teams, but I think they can handle anyone else in this conference.

5. Purdue Boilermakers, 18-4

The Boilermakers, prior to their lopsided win over Maryland, suffered 3 straight losses. Beating Maryland by 30 points does not cover up the flaws of this team; they will get exposed once again, and for their sake, hopefully, it is before tournament play kicks off

6. Wisconsin Badgers, 16-6

The Badgers are rolling as of late. Wisconsin has now won 7 of the last 8 games, one of which is the only loss for the Wolverines. The Badgers have an elite guard combo, and they do not miss beyond the arc. Recipe for disaster and a big reason as to why Michigan fell to Wisconsin.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes, 16-5

The Hawkeyes are on a 4-game winning streaka nd their leading man, Bennett Stirtz, is getting hot at the right time. Stritz is coming off a 32-point performance. Stirtz has had 20 points at least in the last 4 games. This team has some weaknesses, and they are smaller than their counterparts in the Big Ten, but if they can keep u[p the shooting percentages, they can play with just about anybody.

8. Ohio State Buckeyes, 14-7

Ohio State had all the momentum, and their big 3 was playing as good as anybody in the country. The Buckeyes, instead of building on that, barely squeaked by Penn State to avoid 3 straight losses. To get back on track, the Buckeyes’ defense will need to buckle down; if not, the Buckeyes’ offense will continue to have to outscore their opponents early to win games.

Indiana took their beating from the best teams in the conference, and since then, have gone on a 3-game winning streak. Who knows, maybe the football team’s success is rubbing off on them. In their performance against UCLA, they could not miss shots. Lamar Wilkerson was great, but it was more of a trio than a one-man show. The Hoosiers are back to being a team you need to keep an eye out for.

10. UCLA Bruins, 15-7

The Bruins’ 14-game winning streak at home was snapped in a double overtime loss to the Hoosiers. Just like the Trojans, the Bruins still need to prove they belong in the Big Ten conference, and the more time passes by, the less impressive the win over Purdue looks. Losing to Indiana sets this team back and cuts the margin of error to make the tournament even thinner.

11. USC Trojans, 16-6

Unlike UCLA, the Trojans still do not have their statement win vs a top team. To get into the tournament, they will likely need to take down a top dog. Only knocking off Wisconsin and only taking down Rutgers by 3 points is not going to cut it for this team. They can definitely use multiple more Kam Woods star showings down the line.

The Huskies are a better team than their record suggests. This team has dealt with some tough injuries, and they have had to face a gauntlet of a schedule to start the season. The schedule will now open up for them and be more favorable down the road. I think this team can go on a run and jump up in the standings.

The Gophers have lost 7 straight games, and they continue to do it to themselves each and every game. There is a new way every game for how the Gophers blow a lead or cough up the game late in crunch time. The Gophers are still a tough out in the Big Ten on a nightly basis, but good teams consistently pull away from them. Penn State was even able to pull away, which is very telling for where this team currently is. The Gophers are the best of the bottom-tier teams, but that was not a goal that was placed upon this team to start the season.

14. Northwestern Wildcats, 10-12

Just like the Gophers, the Wildcats are a tough out, and that is mostly because of how good Nick Martinelli is. The per game is 23.7. Still, that really has not translated to wins. Every game, a nice scoring output from Martinelli ends up not being enough because the Wildcats are not getting enough production out of their rotation. The Wildcats sit at 12 losses right before they face the top 4 teams in the conference. It could get very ugly these next few days for Northwestern.

Penn State got its first win in conference, but against Minnesota, with how bad they have played down the stretch, that win does not hold much credibility. Penn State has a date with the Michigan Wolverines, who are looking like they want to prove a point this past game. Michigan should very well blow the doors off of Penn State, and that will put this team right back at zero.m

16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 9-13

Rutgers has now lost 5 straight, but this team is still young, and early growing pains are part of the process. The Scarlet Knights have still given a decent amount of hope that this team can be competitive in the coming years, but just for this season, they have some ways to go. The biggest room for improvement has to be rebounding; this team gets dominated on the glass every game.

17. Oregon Ducks, 8-14

The Ducks have lost 8 games in a row, and this team is spiraling. It does not help that they are without their top scorers, but it still does not make up for the product that has been put on the court in the last stretch of games. The season feels all but wrapped up for Oregon. Their best win of the season was vs the last team I have in the rankings, the Maryland Terrapins. They might not be able to top that victory if they keep on the path they’re headed.

18. Maryland Terrapins, 8-13

The Terrapins have gotten blown out in their last 3 games and find themselves once again at the bottom of the standings. The Terrapins did have a tough three opponents in their recent stretch of games, but this is still the same team that has only knocked off Penn State in conference this season. Maryland will need some more star production from Diggy Coit to get over their next 3 opponents, who aren’t on the same level as the top contenders, but they still could mop the floor with Maryland.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings for February 2

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