Happy National Signing Day, so far there have been no
surprises with any Michigan commitments.
I meant to post my Big Ten power rankings yesterday before the first two
games of the week, but work got a little too busy. I will try to make the standings based off my
view as of Monday and not after seeing the outcomes last night. We are now half way through the conference
season and the true contenders are starting to rise to the top.
1. Indiana
(up 1)
Indiana had one of the most impressive offensive outings at
Mackey Arena, scoring 1.47 ppp for the entire game. Then they outlasted Michigan at home on
Saturday night. I think the Wolverines
are very close with the Hoosiers, especially since Indiana has one home loss
compared to Michigan being perfect in Ann Arbor. The Hoosiers have a tough week ahead of them;
first, with a trip to the other Assembly Hall to face fading Illinois. Even though these two teams are heading in
different directions, Illinois can be tough at home and have been known to pull
off an upset or two each year. Then
Indiana heads to Columbus to take of Thad’s Thugs. The Hoosiers really struggled with Wisconsin
earlier this year, and the Buckeyes are a better version of the Badgers. It should be a very interesting game, and a
win in Value City Arena would put Indiana as a clear number 1 in my mind.
2. Michigan
(down 1)
The Wolverines cruised to another 20 point conference win
against Northwestern and then struggled out of the gate in Bloomington and
never fully recovered. I still think
Michigan is a top 3 team in the country, and the rematch with Indiana can’t
come soon enough. The maize and blue
host Ohio State in a near must win if the Wolverines are going to compete for a
conference title. Then Michigan heads
back on the road for their two toughest games away from home (Wisconsin &
Michigan State). If the Wolverines can
find a way to win both games they should be back as the favorite to win the
B1G.
3. Michigan
State (no change)
The Spartans hosted Illinois last week and struggled in the
first half to the tune of a 10 point halftime deficit. Lucky enough they were playing the Illini,
and they forgot what basketball was in the 2nd half. Michigan State welcomes Minnesota to the
Breslin this week and then travels to Purdue. Michigan State will need to
continue to win on their home court to keep pace in the conference race. Look for the Purdue game to be a slow starter
with the matchup with Michigan looming next week.
4. Ohio
State (no change)
Ohio State has its toughest week of the season. The Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor to face an
angry Michigan team and then return home to welcome Indiana. If Ohio State can win either game they are
legitimate title contenders. It is scary
that the top 4 teams in this conference are top 10 teams in my mind. If OSU can find some offensive consistency,
then all four could be Final Four contenders as well.
5. Wisconsin
(no change)
Wisconsin held tough in Columbus, but couldn’t overcome a
late 13-0 run from the Buckeyes. The
Badgers bounced back with a dominating win over Illinois on the road. This week they have to play Iowa and
Michigan, and again going 2-0 would have a huge impact in the final standings.
6. Minnesota
(no change)
Minnesota needs a bounce back week. They struggled against
Iowa, and probably should have lost.
Hopefully that late win will give this mentally weak team some
momentum. The Gophers head to East
Lansing, and it is close to a must win for Minnesota. Then they travel to Illinois where they can’t
slip up. I think Minnesota might be out
of the conference championship race already, but if they can get on another
roll and string together some wins the Gophers could end up a favored seed (4
or better).
7. Iowa
(up 1)
I feel bad for Iowa fans this season. They have been so close to notching some huge
wins (Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Minnesota) but have come up
empty in each. The talent is there, but
this team just doesn’t know how to finish games. The Hawkeyes have to play Wisconsin and
Northwestern. If they want any chance of
making the NCAA tournament they need to start closing out games. A two win week
would be welcomed in Iowa City.
8. Purdue
(down 1)
Purdue had a very rough last week. They had to witness the IU massacre first
hand, and then rebounded with a disappointing loss to Northwestern. AJ Hammons has been the lone bright spot
offensively for the Boilers. He scored
30 points on 14 shots against Indiana, and had a double-double against
Northwestern. Purdue has to play Penn
State and Michigan State this week.
9. Illinois
(no change)
Illinois is still on the downward spiral. They sit at 2-7 in the conference, but
somehow are still in the top 50 in RPI. The
Illini have to play Indiana this week. At
this point Illinois has to win at least 6 more games to even be considered for
the NCAA tournament. A win against the
Hoosiers would go a long way in that quest. Then the Illini have to head to the
Barn against the Gophers, a 2-0 week would be huge for Coach Groce’s team.
10. Northwestern
(no change)
Northwestern beat Purdue last week, but it is not enough to
jump Illinois yet. The Wildcats need to
be more consistent to move up in the rankings.
This week their only game is against Iowa, which is winnable.
11. Nebraska
(no change)
Nebraska is still on the bottom, but just ahead of Penn
State. They played tough against Ohio
State, but couldn’t make enough shots down the stretch to pull off the huge
upset. The Huskers welcome Penn State to
Lincoln which should give them another win.
12. Penn
State (no change)
What more can I say.
They are bad.
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