Big Ten Basketball: Michigan’s rout puts them on top of Power Rankings

8. Purdue Boilermakers (8-5, 3-3 Big Ten)

Purdue and Indiana are running neck-and-neck in the Big Ten standings. It’s convenient that the two will play each other on Thursday night to determine who belongs in the top half of the conference power rankings more.

Purdue’s claim on that distinction is on shaky ground. They’re .500 in conference play, but none of the victories have been particularly convincing. Friday’s comeback road win over Michigan State was impressive, but considering the state of the Spartans, it’s hard to give it a lot of stock.

Junior forward Trevion Williams has taken another step in his development this season. He’s averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, looking like of the best big men in the Big Ten.

But the Boilermakers are still waiting for another scoring threat to emerge alongside Williams. Only three players on the team are averaging at least 10 points per game and only Williams is averaging at least 11 points per game. The Boilermakers are scoring just 70.3 points per game this year.

Purdue’s rivalry game at Indiana is followed by a game against Penn State. Winning both of those would go a long way towards building confidence ahead of a stretch of toughies that includes Ohio State, Michigan, and Minnesota.