Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Trying to make sense of 12 good teams

By Austin Walther

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - JANUARY 23: Tom Izzo the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans gives instructions to Rocket Watts #2 against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on January 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - JANUARY 23: Tom Izzo the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans gives instructions to Rocket Watts #2 against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on January 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 2: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives against Marcus Bingham Jr. #30 of the Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

Big Ten Basketball sure isn’t disappointing this season as 12 teams are still being considered for the NCAA Tournament and there’s a two-way tie for first place.  So how do the teams rank as January comes to an end?

Big Ten Basketball sure is having quite the season. No one can buy a road win. Nine teams have been ranked in the top-25. Three out of the five in the rankings right now are Iowa, Rutgers and Illinois. The Hawkeyes never really got Jordan Bohannon going and yet they’re still a top-five Big Ten team. The Scarlett Knights and Illini both are getting excellent production from a new face to the program.

The top Big Ten team barely check in the NET top-10. But there are five from the conference in the top-25 and 12 are still in the top-50. Ohio State and Michigan dominated the non-conference, but have had an abysmal Big Ten season. Yet the Buckeyes are still in the NET top-25 and Michigan is a top-45 team. Both teams already have six Big Ten losses and still have a really good chance at making the NCAA Tournament.

We knew the Big Ten was going to have one Player of the year candidate. Now there’s two. First, Cassius Winston is still one of the best point guards in the country. Then there’s the big man from Iowa. Luka Garza may actually win Big Ten Player of the Year. He and Joe Wieskamp are literally putting the Hawkeyes are in their back to keep them near the top of the conference.

Give credit to Steve Pikiell and Patrick Chambers for saving their jobs. Brad Underwood and Archie Miller are finally striving in their third year. And what makes Miller’s job so great is that he lost two All-Big Ten players in Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan and yet they’re a better team this season. The top two Big Ten teams are pretty obvious. As so are the bottom-two. From there, it’s a real mess. So many good teams, making for an exciting final six weeks.

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