Vaughn Dalzell breaks down this week’s edition of the Big Ten Power Rankings with Purdue as the top dog, while Michigan State and Illinois fight for second.
1. Purdue Boilermakers (23-3, 12-3)
Upcoming games: Thursday vs Rutgers (-16), Sunday at Michigan (-13)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (-4000)
Purdue was shocked by Ohio State on Sunday to give Illinois and Michigan State some hope in catching the Boilermakers for the regular season title. However, the Boilermakers have one projected spread under 8 points remaining, a road trip to Illinois on March 5.
That Illinois matchup is a game that could break Purdue if they lose and the type of win that could lift Illinois to a deep run in March.
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2. Michigan State Spartans (17-9, 9-6)
Upcoming games: Tuesday vs Iowa (-9), Sunday vs Ohio State (-9)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+7500)
The Spartans have won five of its last six, but only one came against a team worth bragging about (Illinois). Michigan State is projected to win four of the five remaining games, with the predicted loss at Purdue.
Whether or not Michigan State or Illinois is the second-best team in the Big Ten, the Spartans earned the recent victory gives them the edge. It’s a 2A-2B situation as MSU argubaly owns the better team, but Illinois has the best player and scorer.
3. Illinois Fighting Illini (19-6, 10-4)
Upcoming games: Wednesday at Penn State (-8), Saturday vs Iowa (-11)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+1500)
Illinois’ one loss in the last six games is the only thing keeping them from No. 2 here, but a favorable schedule with Purdue at home gives Illinois a chance to make some resume-building noise. Illinois is 6-2 since Terrance Shannon has returned and he’s scored 27, 31, and 28 in his past three games with 20 or more in four of six.
4. Northwestern Wildcats (18-8, 9-6)
Upcoming games: Thursday vs Michigan (-9), Wednesday at Maryland (-9)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
Northwestern got a much-needed road win at Indiana on Sunday, but the remaining schedule gets difficult after a should-be win versus Michigan. The Wildcats have two road games at Maryland and Michigan State, plus two at home versus Iowa and Minnesota. A split would be ideal over the last four games, but this will be March, so who knows what will happen.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-8, 8-7)
Upcoming games: Wednesday at Indiana (-2), Sunday vs Minnesota (-6)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+35000)
Nebraska lost six straight true road games but won 10 consecutive home games, including two this past week over Michigan and Penn State.
Nebraska is on the road for three of the last five regular season games at Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan -- three solid opponents to get some road wins entering the Big Ten tournament.
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6. Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-8, 7-6)
Upcoming games: Thursday vs Purdue (+17), Sunday vs Rutgers (-4)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+100000)
Minnesota was on a three-game winning streak before dropping two road contests at Iowa and Purdue. A home win over Rutgers got this team back on track, but with Ohio State beating Purdue, the Gophers home game on Thursday just got more interesting.
OSU’s lost 16 straight true road games, so it’s a bit of a trap game at home hosting a desperate Buckeyes team with a coaching change.
7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-11, 6-8)
Upcoming games: Thursday at Purdue (+16), Sunday vs Maryland (-1)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+100000)
Rutgers won four straight over Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Northwestern before dropping a road contest at Minnesota on Sunday. The Knights took advantage of some bad teams during that winning streak, but the addition of Jeremiah Williams has changed this teams dynamic and made them better.
8. Wisconsin Badgers (17-9, 9-6)
Upcoming games: Tuesday vs Maryland (-7), Tuesday at Indiana (-5)
*Projected lines* Odds to win the Big Ten: (+7500)
Wisconsin lost four consecutive games before beating Ohio State at home, then the Badgers turned around and lost to Iowa in OT. The Badgers cannot catch a break in the past six games (1-5) and after a 16-4 start to the season, it seems like all could be lost for Wisconsin.
9. Ohio State Buckeyes (14-12, 4-11)
Upcoming games: Thursday at Minnesota (+3), Sunday at Michigan State (+9)
*Projected lines*
OSU fired Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes turned around and led Purdue by five at halftime and held onto the victory to give them the biggest win on the year.
The Buckeyes are not a tournament team, but Ohio State will be a squad on the rise with the head coaching change and all the young talent.
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (15-11, 7-8)
Upcoming games: Tuesday at Michigan State (+9), Saturday at Illinois (+11)
*Projected lines*
Iowa alternated wins and losses over the last eight games going 4-4 in that stretch. The Hawkeyes are 3-0 in the last three at home and 0-3 over the past three road games. Iowa has been teetering around .500 all season and hasn’t been able to win more than three straight games.
11. Indiana Hoosiers (14-11, 6-8)
Upcoming games: Wednesday vs Nebraska (+2), Saturday at Penn State (+4)
*Projected lines*
The Hoosiers had a week off to game plan for Northwestern and came up short with a four-point home loss. Indiana is projected to be an underdog in the six remaining regular season games and will likely finish under .500 with its recent 2-6 stretch over the past eight games.
12. Maryland Terrapins (14-12, 6-9)
Upcoming games: Tuesday at Wisconsin (+7), Sunday at Rutgers (+1)
*Projected lines*
Maryland is 1-4 in its last five games and has been one of the most dramatic teams at home versus on the road in terms of splits. The Terps are 11-4 at home compared to a 3-8 road and neutral court record. This Terps’ team cannot shoot at home or on the road, ranking 345th from the three-point line (28.7%) and 162nd from the free-throw line (72.2%).
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (12-14, 6-9)
Upcoming games: Wednesday vs Illinois (+8), Tuesday vs Indiana (-4)
*Projected lines*
Penn State was warming up as winners of three-straight, but now the tables have turned and the Nittany Lions are 0-3 over the last three games. The remaining schedule features Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Maryland, so this rough patch could continue for Penn State.
14. Michigan Wolverines (8-18, 3-12)
Upcoming games: Thursday at Northwestern (+9), Sunday vs Purdue (+13)
*Projected lines*
Michigan is 2-13 in the last 15 games as it continues to get more difficult to be positive about the Wolverines. This roster and staff is likely to get cleaned this offseason as 10 double-digit losses was not expected this season. In Michigan’s past eight losses, the Wolverines lost by 10-plus in all eight.
Big Ten Power Rankings listed in order
- Purdue (-4000)
- Michigan State (+75000)
- Illinois (+15000)
- Northwestern (+50000)
- Nebraska (+35000)
- Minnesota (+100000)
- Rutgers (+100000)
- Wisconsin (+7500)
- Ohio State
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Penn State
- Michigan
*Odds to win Big Ten Regular Season via DraftKings
Moving On Up: Michigan State (3), Minnesota (8), Iowa (12), Ohio State (13)
Going Down: Illinois (2), Rutgers (6), Wisconsin (7), Penn State (9), Maryland (10)
