Big Ten Basketball: Indiana tumbles, Rutgers storms up in latest power rankings

The Wildcats had a stretch of 8 losses in 9 games that effectively put them out of NCAA Tournament contention. It’s been a continued theme for head coach Chris Collins and Northwestern, leading in the second half of games before ultimately losing close. There was a three-game win streak over Rutgers, Nebraska, and Indiana that created a glimmer of hope, but a recent three-game losing skid to Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota put them back towards the end of the Big Ten.

Losing to the Boilermakers and the Fighting Illini isn’t anything to be ashamed of but coming out flat to the Golden Gophers and trailing by 16 points at halftime. With veterans all over the roster, that’s just not acceptable.

At 5-11 in the conference and with four somewhat winnable games left, Northwestern and Coach Collins have to show that they’re something to build on and that he’s worth keeping around. Ever since making the NCAA Tournament a few years ago, the program has called back towards bottom-tier status in the Big Ten, despite having good enough players to be better than the records suggest.

If the Gophers’ game is an indication of what will happen in the next couple of weeks, the program may have to make a move in the offseason.