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Big Ten Basketball: Wisconsin rises, Indiana falls in latest power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

Nov 27, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) celebrates during the second half after scoring a basket against the Duke Blue Devils at Moda Center. Purdue won the Phil Knight Legacy Championship game 75-56. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) celebrates during the second half after scoring a basket against the Duke Blue Devils at Moda Center. Purdue won the Phil Knight Legacy Championship game 75-56. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 11, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Ta’lon Cooper (55) reacts to his three point shot against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Ta’lon Cooper (55) reacts to his three point shot against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports /

After Indiana’s close loss to Arizona, Wisconsin’s breakthrough against Iowa, and other results, how does Big Ten Basketball look in December?

We’re entering the sleepy part of the NCAA Basketball season, as players take care of finals and the schools enter the holiday break. That also means there won’t be many high-profile matchups for Big Ten Basketball and the rest of the sport outside of a big Saturday slate.

After significant results from this past weekend, who is in the top tier of the Big Ten? Here are the latest power rankings from 14-1.

14. Minnesota Golden Gophers – 4-6 (0-2)

As the lone team under .500 overall in the league, the Gophers have cemented themselves as the clear team in the basement. And compared to a year ago, they’re much less competitive against good competition, losing its last three games (Purdue, Michigan, Mississippi State) by 15+ points.

They scored just 51 points total against Mississippi State on Sunday, with Dawson Garcia (20 points) the lone double-digit scorer. Jamison Battle had just five points on 1/8 shooting and compared to last season, is a shell of himself. Injuries have played a factor but he’s currently at just 11.8 ppg on just 32% shooting from the field.

Morehead State transfer Ta’Lon Cooper has been solid in the backcourt (11.0 ppg and 6.6 apg) but there have been few contributions from the rest of the perimeter players, who are mostly freshmen. If Battle can get 100% healthy and get back to last year’s numbers, the duo of him and Garcia can be a threat in the Big Ten. Until then, they’ll be the clear worst team.

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