It has been an interesting first month of the season for Big Ten Basketball.
Teams such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana have not met expectations, creating an opening in the coveted top four bye in the conference tournament in March.
Elsewhere teams such as Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa have surprised some and, in Northwestern’s case, make their first NCAA tournament ever. Let’s see how they all stack up as conference season quickly approaches.
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14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-5)
Not much to like here from the Scarlet Knights. They were expected to be bottom dwellers in the Big Ten again and they have lived up to those expectations. A major concern continues to be scoring. Rutgers averages only 70.1 points per game, lowest in the conference. This number will only continue to dip as the competition heats up.
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3)
Penn State seems to have stayed with their familiar story through the years. Penn State can pull off nice victories at home (this season – DePaul and Boston College), have one or more players that can score (Brandon Taylor, Peyton Banks and Shep Garner), but ultimately, can’t get that to translate to NCAA-tournament success. Head scratching losses to Redford and Duquesne have this team still around .500.
12. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4)
Worst week in the Big Ten award has to go to these guys. Minnesota was swept by the state of South Dakota the past five days (South Dakota and South Dakoa State) and now stares over the abyss even before conference play.
A huge problem for the Golden Gophers the past five games (2-3) has been defense. The Gophers have given up 84.6 points per game.
Marc Loving goes to the basket against North Carolina (Photo: Mike Dinovo, USA TODAY Sports)
11. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-4)
The first disappointment on the list comes in the form of the Buckeyes.
Thought of as a 5-8 seed in the conference, the young Buckeyes have struggled out of the gate with home losses to Louisiana Tech and Texas-Arlington.
Junior forward Marc Loving has done his best to take over the scoring load from departed NBA player D’Angelo Russell (17.2 ppg) but he looks more like a 2nd option type on most NCAA Tournament teams.
The Buckeyes have looked better over the last three games, but the next three look brutal. @UConn, Northern Illinois (7-2) and at Kentucky will continue the learning experience for this team. Let’s hope it translates to wins.
10. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-5)
An asterisk might be needed next to this team so far due to the injuries.
Leading scorer Kendrick Nunn did not play in their first five games (2-3) due to a thumb injury and sophomore forward Leron Black is still quasi-recovering from a torn right meniscus.
Still, Illinois has bad losses against North Florida and Chattanooga and squeezed out victories over Yale, North Dakota State and Chicago State. Close losses to Notre Dame and Iowa State might be considered progress, but this team is in desperate need of a big win streak.
9. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-4)
Last night’s loss at Creighton really hurt. The Cornhuskers hadn’t shown much yet this season, losing games they were expected to lose (Villanova, Cincinnati and Miami), but winning their other games.
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Creighton was an opportunity to push their season forward, but last night was a set back. The Blue Jays boat raced the Cornhuskers (again) and now they are left with continued questions about whether they can score and take care of the basketball.
8. Wisconsin Badgers (6-4)
It is a surprise to see them here. A pre-season top 25 team, Wisconsin has home losses to Western Illinois and Milwaukee. Problems include three-point shooting (32%), defense efficiency (52nd in KenPom’s ratings) and youth.
You expect a Bo Ryan-coached team to figure it out by Big Ten play and use its style of play and home court advantage to move to the Top 4, but right now it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
7. Indiana Hoosiers (7-3)
If the Hoosiers cannot rebound and defend on a consistent level, they will not be in the discussion for the top of the Big Ten and put a tournament bid at risk. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons, but turnovers and shot selection have to be questioned as well.
A match-up against Notre Dame in Indianapolis on December 19th gives the Hoosiers a chance to pick up a quality win before Big Ten play.
6. Michigan Wolverines (6-3)
The theme of disappointment continues with the Wolverines. Their malaise mirrors Indiana’s as the Wolverines lack the front court play, depth and rebounding (32 a game!) to be competitive with the best.
Feb 7, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins signals a travel during the game with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Northwestern 65-50. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
An ankle injury to point guard Derrick Walton Jr. doesn’t help either.
5. Northwestern Wildcats (7-1)
Could this be the year for the Wildcats? Northwestern famously has not made the NCAA Tournament in its history, but Chris Collins’ group is off to a great start this season.
The play of sophomore point guard Bryant McIntosh has been fantastic (16.8 ppg 6.1 apg) and will continue to drive their success.
4. Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2)
Two five-point losses are the only blemishes for Iowa this season. Jarrod Uthoff has taken the scoring load from Aaron White and translated it into 18.2 ppg and 48% from deep. This will be an interesting team to watch moving forward. Right now, they look solidly in the top half of the conference.
3. Purdue Boilermakers (10-0)
One of the big surprises of the league continues to be the Boilermakers. Purdue kills teams with size and defense (KenPom #2 defense).
It boasts two players over 7 foot (senior AJ Hammons and sophomore Isaac Haas) and two other players over 6’8″ (sophomore Vince Edwards and freshman Caleb Swanigan).
The Boilers have won handily in each game this season, winning by a margin of no less than 12.
Their best wins are at Pittsburgh and a neutral site game against Florida.
Next weekend is a show down against Butler in Indianapolis. This is a team that can absolutely win the league this season.
2. Maryland Terrapins (8-1)
The pre-season favorites picked up their most impressive win of the season against UConn this past week. While the team is still trying to gel together, Melo Trimble is a constant.
He dropped 25 on UConn on Tuesday and posted a double-double against North Carolina earlier in the season (23 pts and 12 asts). 18-1 heading into a showdown at Michigan State on January 23rd seems like a real possibility.
Next: Iowa State - Iowa Basketball Preview
1. Michigan State Spartans (10-0)
The number one team in the country is obviously the number team in the power rankings.
Michigan State has collectively the best wins in the country (Kansas, Providence and Louisville) and one of the best players in the country (Denzel Valentine).
Senior guard Bryn Forbes has also been excellent averaging almost 13 points per game on 49% from deep.