Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Illinois, Rutgers rise to top of standings
By Adam Childs
The Hoosiers are another team that has been very puzzling this year. They have big wins at home against Florida State and Ohio State but have also blown a big lead in a loss to Arkansas and got blown out at Wisconsin.
Indiana is a scrappy team, but they go through some of the longest scoring droughts in all of college basketball. Last week against Rutgers, they went through two scoring droughts that were almost 15 minutes total. it is tough to win games when that happens.
They do have one of the best freshmen in the conference in Trayce Jackson-Davis, but they sometimes forget he is on their team as there are games when his touches are very limited and it is questions as to why.
This is another team when they are hitting their shots they are tough to beat, but too often they don’t have that guy that can stop a slump.
Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team that currently has two road wins in the conference and they came against Ohio State and Penn State. Two teams ranked at the time they played.
They do, on the other hand, have a home loss to Illinois and that is what is keeping them from being right behind Michigan State in the standings.
But for a team that lost all-everything Ethan Happ and lost three games in a row to Richmond, New Mexico, and NC State it is a big surprise at where they are currently.
We will learn a lot more about the Badgers soon as they travel to Purdue and Iowa in back-to-back games before hosting Michigan State. Win two of those games and we will start having to take Wisconsin very seriously.