The story of the week in the Big Ten was Ron Harper Jr.’s half-court buzzer beater to take down Purdue, which had just claimed its first No. 1 ranking in school history. But this upset wasn’t the only intriguing storyline as Minnesota claimed a double-digit win at Michigan, and E.J. Liddell made his case for Big Ten Player of the Year in an 18-point win over Wisconsin.
After the opening weeks of conference play, here’s how I see things shake out in the Big Ten in this week’s power rankings. (Stats per ncaa.stats.org, CBS Sports and kenpom.com through Dec. 12)
1) Purdue (9-1, 1-1)
Best win: 80-74 vs. No. 9 Villanova (neutral site)
Worst loss: 70-68 at Rutgers
Recent standout: Trevion Williams (22 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast vs. NC State)
AP poll: 3
NET: 6
KenPom: 4
SOS: 127
Quad 1 record: 2-0
Purdue’s past three games -- Iowa, Rutgers and NC State -- have all come down to the wire, but great teams find a way to win. Ron Harper Jr. handed Purdue its first loss of the season with a buzzer beater from half court, and the Boilermakers overcame a double-digit second half deficit against NC State in Brooklyn to avoid back-to-back losses as the No. 1 team in the nation. Head coach Matt Painter said on Sunday that Purdue has great depth, but figuring out the right rotations has been a challenge lately.
2) Ohio State (8-2, 2-0)
Best win: 71-66 vs. No. 2 Duke
Worst loss: 71-65 at Xavier
Recent standout: E.J. Liddell (28 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast vs. Wisconsin)
AP poll: 15
NET: 20
KenPom: 15
SOS: 19
Quad 1 record: 3-1
I strongly considered Ohio State for the top spot in this week’s power rankings after it dominated Wisconsin. It’s hard to find someone off to a better start in all of college basketball than E.J. Liddell (20.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3 bpg), who scored all over the floor against Wisconsin. It’s important to note Ohio State is playing without Justice Sueing, who averaged 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 31 starts last season.
3) Michigan State (9-2, 2-0)
Best win: 64-60 vs. No. 20 UConn (neutral site)
Worst loss: 87-74 vs. No. 7 Kansas (neutral site)
Recent standout: Marcus Bingham Jr. (12 pts, 13 reb vs. Penn State)
AP poll: 12
NET: 13
KenPom: 18
SOS: 5
Quad 1 record: 3-2
Michigan State looks different than past Izzo squads, but don’t let that diminish just how good the 2021 Spartans can be. Seven players scored at least seven points against Penn State, and while there’s been no singular leading force, Michigan State can beat teams in a variety of ways. Marcus Bingham Jr. is second in the Big Ten in blocks, Tyson Walker leads the conference in assists and the Spartans are third in 3-point percentage.
4) Wisconsin (8-2, 1-1)
Best win: 65-63 vs. No. 14 Houston (neutral site)
Worst loss: 63-58 vs. Providence
Recent standout: Johnny Davis (23 pts vs. Indiana, 24 pts vs. Ohio State)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 26
KenPom: 29
SOS: 21
Quad 1 record: 2-1
Wisconsin overcame a 22-point deficit at home against Indiana to win its Big Ten opener. Johnny Davis (20.9 ppg) is making his case to be an All-American and completes a strong backcourt with Brad Davison (14.8 ppg). But the big question for the Badgers is whether their frontcourt can hold up against the Big Ten’s best, and if Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl or Chucky Hepburn can emerge as a consistent third scoring option.
5) Illinois (7-3, 2-0)
Best win: 87-83 at Iowa
Worst loss: 71-51 vs. Cincinnati, (neutral site)
Recent standout: Trent Frazier (18 pts, 8 reb at Iowa, 27 pts vs. Arizona)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 32
KenPom: 19
SOS: 46
Quad 1 record: 1-3
Illinois came just short in picking up a résumé-boosting win at home against No. 11 Arizona, losing by four points. The trio of Trent Frazier, Alfonso Plummer and Kofi Cockburn balances perimeter defense, 3-point shooting and dominant paint play as well as any team in the conference, but depth is an issue -- only four players scored against Arizona. Illinois is still playing without Andre Curbelo, who could give the Illini a major boost when Big Ten play is in full swing.
6) Indiana (8-2, 1-1)
Best win: 76-74 vs. St. John’s
Worst loss: 64-59 at Wisconsin
Recent standout: Race Thompson (12 pts, 9 reb at Wisconsin, 14 pts, 7 reb vs. Merrimack)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 43
KenPom: 26
SOS: 285
Quad 1 record: 0-1
Indiana was equally impressive in gaining a 17-point halftime lead as it was terrible in blowing that lead in the second half at Wisconsin. The Hoosiers had every chance of winning road games against Syracuse and Wisconsin, but an inability to close out games has kept Indiana from reaching its full potential. Through 10 games, Indiana is third in the Big Ten in offensive field goal percentage at 48.3, and opponents are shooting a league-worst 35.4 percent from the field against Indiana.
7) Minnesota (8-1, 1-1)
Best win: 75-65 at Michigan
Worst loss: 75-67 vs. No. 12 Michigan State
Recent standout: Jamison Battle (27 pts, 7 reb at Michigan)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 35
KenPom: 69
SOS: 94
Quad 1 record: 2-1
The biggest criticism of last week’s rankings was Minnesota above Michigan, but the Golden Gophers proved their worth with a 10-point win in Ann Arbor. Minnesota dropped a home contest with Michigan State earlier in the week, but Jamison Battle (18.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg) looks like one of the best transfers in the Big Ten. First-year head coach Ben Johnson and the Golden Gophers are the surprise team of the Big Ten so far.
8) Rutgers (5-5, 1-1)
Best win: 70-68 vs. No. 3 Purdue
Worst loss: 53-51 vs. Lafayette
Recent standout: Ron Harper Jr. (Game-winning buzzer beater vs. Purdue)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 162
KenPom: 100
SOS: 27
Quad 1 record: 1-3
I owe Rutgers an apology after ranking them No. 14 last week. After losing four out of five games, the Scarlet Knights rallied to take down the former No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers without starting point guard Geo Baker. Rutgers followed that up with a 14-point loss at No. 16 Seton Hall, which kept them from skyrocketing up the rankings. It may have taken some time -- and a few terrible losses that could haunt Rutgers on Selection Sunday -- but head coach Steve Pikiell is starting to make things click.
9) Iowa (7-3, 0-2)
Best win: 75-74 at Virginia
Worst loss: 73-53 at No. 11 Iowa State
Recent standout: Keegan Murray (19 pts vs. Illinois)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 33
KenPom: 30
SOS: 77
Quad 1 record: 0-2
After a 7-0 start, Iowa dropped three consecutive games to No. 3 Purdue, Illinois and No. 11 Iowa State. Keegan Murray (22.2 ppg) was held to single-digit scoring for the first time all season against Iowa State. With the departure of Luka Garza and Jack Nunge, the Hawkeyes are struggling to contend in the paint. Iowa is in the bottom four in both offensive and defensive rebounding among Big Ten teams.
10) Michigan (6-4, 1-1)
Best win: 72-58 vs. San Diego State
Worst loss: 75-65 vs. Minnesota
Recent standout: Hunter Dickinson (15 pts, 12 reb vs. Nebraska, 19 pts, 10 reb vs. Minnesota)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 50
KenPom: 20
SOS: 43
Quad 1 record: 0-3
Michigan routed Nebraska by 35 points on the road, but couldn’t defend its home court in a 10-point loss to Minnesota. The Wolverines are shooting 33 percent from 3, which is good for ninth in the Big Ten. Michigan brought in the Big Ten’s top recruiting class to complement Hunter Dickinson, but 13.5 turnovers per game is slowing the Wolverines down. There’s plenty of time for head coach Juwan Howard to turn things around, but Michigan has been the Big Ten’s biggest disappointment this season.
11) Northwestern (7-2, 1-0)
Best win: 67-61 at Maryland
Worst loss: 77-72 at Providence
Recent standout: Chase Audige (14 pts vs. Maryland, 11 pts, 6 reb vs. NJIT)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 42
KenPom: 38
SOS: 213
Quad 1 record: 0-2
Northwestern only played one game this week -- a 70-52 home win over NJIT -- so there’s not much recent evaluation to go from. The Wildcats are second in turnover margin and third in points per game in the Big Ten. Northwestern got a boost when Chase Audige returned from injury last week.
12) Maryland (6-4, 0-1)
Best win: 70-68 vs. Florida
Worst loss: 71-66 vs. George Mason
Recent standout: Fatts Russell (11 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb vs. Northwestern, 19 pts vs. Florida)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 137
KenPom: 52
SOS: 227
Quad 1 record: 0-0
After losing three straight games, Maryland picked up a crucial win over Florida on Dec. 12 thanks to 19 points from both Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala. Maryland has the talent to return to the NCAA Tournament, but with multiple transfers and an interim head coach, it could take some time for the Terrapins to find their identity.
13) Penn State (5-5, 0-2)
Best win: 60-45 vs. Oregon State (neutral site)
Worst loss: 81-56 at UMass
Recent standout: Seth Lundy (10 pts, 6 reb vs. Wagner, 18 pts, 7 reb vs. Michigan State)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 113
KenPom: 84
SOS: 38
Quad 1 record: 0-3
After a 20-point win over Wagner, Penn State lost by 16 points at Michigan State. The Nittany Lions have four scorers averaging double digits, but none higher than Seth Lundy at 14.7 points per game. Illinois is the only team with lower turnover margin than Penn State’s -3.6 rate per game, and shooting just 33 percent from 3 puts Penn State 13th in points per game in the Big Ten.
14) Nebraska (5-6, 0-2)
Best win: 74-65 vs. Sam Houston
Worst loss: 75-74 vs. Western Illinois
Recent standout: Derrick Walker (10 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast vs. Auburn)
AP poll: Unranked
NET: 221
KenPom: 128
SOS: 142
Quad 1 record: 0-2
Nebraska has lost four consecutive games and the two most recent -- at home against Michigan and at a neutral site versus No. 13 Auburn -- were by over 30 points. Bryce McGowens (16.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) looks like one of the Big Ten’s best freshman, but year three under Fred Hoiberg doesn’t appear any more promising than the first two.
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Joe Cronin
· March 16
