The Latest Big Ten Power Rankings for the 2015-16 NCAA Basketball Season
The last seven days presented a few Big Ten basketball teams with opportunities to improve their resumes as the NCAA men's basketball tournament conversation heats up.
At the start of last week, the top four teams in the conference were known quantities, but the quintet below them still had plenty of things to prove in order to answer some lingering questions.
The Purdue Boilermakers and Michigan Wolverines left us up in the air about how they would fare in March, while the Wisconsin Badgers continued to creep up the race for the 68 positions in March Madness.
As the tournament continues to inch closer, we'll get a better idea of what seeds teams will earn and where certain Big Ten teams will play in March, but there is plenty of sorting out that needs to be done over the next four weeks to determine that.
Speaking of sorting out teams, we saw a good amount of movement at the top of our Big Ten power rankings this week due to the results over the last seven days, some of which were unexpected.
Continue reading to see where each of the 14 teams in the conference landed in our latest Big Ten power rankings.
Nos. 14-10: Rutgers-Penn State
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No. 14 Rutgers (Record: 6-18, 0-11 Big Ten; Previous Ranking: 14)
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights came close to winning their first conference game of the season on Wednesday, but they lost by nine in triple overtime to the Illinois Fighting Illini. Three days later, Rutgers went on the road and fell 87-63 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. However, one positive did come from the week, as Corey Sanders was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his 67 points across the two games.
No. 13 Minnesota (6-17, 0-11; 13)
In their only game of the week, the Minnesota Golden Gophers fell 82-58 to the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Jordan Murphy led Minnesota with 14 points in just 17 minutes, while Kevin Dorsey came off the bench to score 11. The loss extended Minnesota's losing streak to 12.
No. 12 Illinois (11-13, 3-8; 10)
It is hard to convince anyone that Illinois experienced a good week. The Fighting Illini needed three overtimes to get past one of the worst teams in the conference and then lost by 12 at home to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Illinois has to be carrying some tired legs on its roster at the moment, as three of its last five games have gone to overtime.
No. 11 Northwestern (16-8, 4-7; 12)
Northwestern ended its five-game skid on Thursday with a victory over Minnesota at home. The win came after four consecutive defeats to ranked opponents. Luckily for the Wildcats, their schedule is easier for the rest of the season, as they only have to play one team in the AP Top 25. However, the Wildcats' dream of qualifying for the NCAA tournament this year is close to dying, if it hasn't already.
No. 10 Penn State (12-12, 3-8; 11)
Not only did the Penn State Nittany Lions knock off the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday at home, they moved back to .500 with their third conference victory. The victory was the first for the Nittany Lions since their January 16 triumph over Northwestern. Penn State will look to carry the momentum earned from the Indiana win into Saturday when they try to upset Nebraska.
9. Nebraska
2 of 10
Record: 13-11, 5-6
Previous Ranking: 9
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Nebraska experienced a scary moment on Saturday as Shavon Shields took a hard fall and was stretchered off the court in the game against Rutgers. Shields is expected to recover from his injury. He is currently resting comfortably at home with his mother in town, per Brian Rosenthal of the Lincoln Journal Star.
Outside of the Shields injury, the Cornhuskers had a relatively successful week at home. They lost by five to the Maryland Terrapins and handily beat Rutgers.
By the numbers
Shields is second on the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game. In order for the Cornhuskers to have a chance of upsetting red-hot Wisconsin on Wednesday, they will need Andrew White and Tai Webster to further their scoring outputs.
Two other Nebraska players scored in double digits on Saturday, as Michael Jacobson recorded 13 points and Ed Morrow added 10. Look for those two and a few others to fill the void left by Shields while he gets healthy.
8. Ohio State
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Record: 14-10, 6-5
Previous Ranking: 8
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The Ohio State Buckeyes' wishful quest to clinch a spot in the NCAA tournament may have ended on Thursday in Madison, Wisconsin. Thad Matta's team lost by 11 to another Big Ten team looking to crack the field of 68 on Selection Sunday.
With a conference record hovering around .500 and one marquee win over the Kentucky Wildcats on the Buckeyes' resume, a lot of work will have to be done in the next month to keep them in the conversation.
By the numbers
JaQuan Lyle and Kam Williams combined for 37 points off the bench for the Buckeyes in the defeat at the Kohl Center to the Badgers. Trevor Thompson also added nine points off the pine for Ohio State.
The trio combined to outscore the starting five by 24 points. Two starters, Daniel Giddens and A.J. Harris, scored a total of zero points in 24 minutes on Thursday.
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7. Michigan
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Record: 17-7, 7-4
Previous Ranking: 5
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Michigan had a chance to make a statement last week in games against Indiana and the Michigan State Spartans, but the Wolverines proved the stage was too big for them and lost by a combined 29 points.
The Wolverines still have a few more chances to record marquee wins at home, as Purdue and the Iowa Hawkeyes still have to come to Crisler Center, but they need to work on a few things in order to spring those pair of upsets.
By the numbers
Zak Irvin recorded a total of 35 points in the pair of defeats in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this week. Irvin is averaging 11.2 points per game, and he is one of three players on the Michigan roster with more than three assists per contest.
6. Purdue
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Record: 19-5, 7-4
Previous Ranking: 6
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Purdue also had an opportunity to bolster its resume this week, but it failed to impress on the road against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday. The 72-61 loss at the Xfinity Center moved Purdue's record against the AP Top 25 to 0-3.
The Boilermakers have a chance to turn our heads with a big result on Tuesday, as Michigan State comes to West Lafayette, Indiana. A win over the ranked Spartans would be a massive boost to Purdue's resume.
By the numbers
A.J. Hammons earned his sixth double-double of the season and second in a row with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Maryland.
The senior center, who is averaging 14.5 points and eight rebounds per game, will face a big test in the form of Matt Costello on Tuesday at Mackey Arena.
5. Indiana
6 of 10
Record: 19-5, 9-2
Previous Ranking: 3
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No team wants a loss to Penn State on its resume when fighting for seeding in March, but that is what Indiana has after Saturday's five-point defeat in State College, Pennsylvania.
The good news for the Hoosiers is they can erase the bad taste from the loss to Penn State with victories over Iowa and Michigan State in the same week. Winning at least one of those two games would help the Hoosiers stay alive in the race for the Big Ten regular-season title.
By the numbers
Nick Zeisloft scored three less points off the bench than the total three starters combined for on Saturday. Zeisloft contributed 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the loss at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Hoosiers had one of their worst shooting nights of the season against Penn State, as they shot 36.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
4. Wisconsin
7 of 10
Record: 14-9, 6-4
Previous Ranking: 7
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Wisconsin is not the fourth-best team in the Big Ten, but they are the hottest ballclub in the conference entering the second week of February. Due to their recent exploits, the Badgers have moved all the way up to fourth in our power rankings.
The Badgers, who are squarely on the bubble at the moment, can't afford to look ahead to Saturday's road trip to Maryland on Wednesday at home against Nebraska. Any bad losses for the rest of the year could cost Wisconsin a spot in the field of 68.
By the numbers
Four of the five starters scored in double figures in Wisconsin's win over Ohio State on Thursday. Nigel Hayes, who scored 21 in the team's most recent victory, is averaging 21.8 points per game during the five-game winning streak.
Freshman Ethan Happ, who is averaging 12.3 points per game this season, has 15.4 points per contest during the terrific run of form.
3. Michigan State
8 of 10
Record: 20-4, 7-4
Previous Ranking: 4
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After going through a rough patch in the middle of January, Michigan State has steadied the ship and is looking forward to doing damage in March. The Spartans enter their clash with Purdue on Tuesday on a four-game winning streak.
Once the Spartans finish their matchup with Purdue, they will have zero ranked teams left on their schedule. There is a possibility the Spartans won't lose for the rest of the regular season, but based off how wild the 2015-16 season has been, we won't bet on that happening.
By the numbers
The Spartans shot an astonishing 64 percent from the field in their 89-73 win over rival Michigan at the Crisler Center on Saturday. In addition to that, Michigan State shot 63.6 percent from the three-point line.
Bryn Forbes led the charge on Saturday, scoring 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Denzel Valentine added 21 of his own on 8-of-13 shooting.
2. Iowa
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Record: 19-4, 10-1
Previous Ranking: 2
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Iowa extended its winning streak to three games with victories over Penn State and Illinois in the last week. The Hawkeyes didn't make a ton of headlines for the pair of wins, but they also didn't slip up against someone in the bottom half of the conference standings like Indiana did.
Speaking of Indiana, the Hoosiers are Iowa's next opponent on the schedule. A win at Assembly Hall on Thursday could make the regular-season title race a two-team competition between Iowa and Maryland. With Iowa's easy schedule after Thursday, it is hard to see Indiana making up two games on the Hawkeyes for the rest of the regular season.
By the numbers
The Hawkeyes have won their last three contests by a combined 50 points, including their 73-49 trouncing of Penn State on Wednesday.
Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok shared the duties of top scorer last week. Uthoff led the team with 14 points against Penn State, and Jok recorded a team high of 23 in the 77-65 road victory over Illinois.
1. Maryland
10 of 10
Record: 21-3, 10-2
Previous Ranking: 1
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A week after earning its first win over a team in the AP Top 25, Maryland picked up its second with a 72-61 win over Purdue at home.
The Terrapins don't have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament locked up at the moment due to their 2-2 record against ranked opponents. In order to be on the top-seed line on Selection Sunday, the Terrapins need to win out and secure the Big Ten regular-season title.
By the numbers
Maryland went 24-of-27 from the free-throw line in the win over Purdue, while the losing Boilermakers only shot 2-of-5 from the line.
Rasheed Sulaimon was the top contributor to the points column on Saturday. He provided the Terrapins with 21 points, which is his second-highest point total of the season. Sulaimon went for 22 on January 16 against Ohio State.
All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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