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

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 /

4 of 14

Big Ten Basketball Michigan Wolverines guard Dug McDaniel Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports /

11. Michigan Wolverines – 6-3 (1-0)

The Wolverines ended a two-game skid last Thursday with a 90-75 win over Minnesota. What mattered most was how Dug McDaniel, the freshman point guard, did in the game in his first start. And he certainly passed the test, going for 15 points and seven assists in the game. He’s now the starting point guard for the team in place of Jaelin Llewellyn, who suffered a season-ending injury in the game prior against Kentucky.

The Princeton transfer certainly wasn’t playing at a high level for Michigan but going from a 4th-year veteran to a true freshman is certainly going to have an impact on the team overall. And they haven’t played at the highest of levels to this point either outside of Hunter Dickinson, who leads the team with 19.6 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Freshman Jett Howard (15.1 ppg) has been as good as the preseason hype, while Kobe Bufkin is now in double figures on the season after a big performance against Minnesota too.

But the team will need to be better on the defensive end because giving up 75 points to the Gophers isn’t impressive. And after a solid start to the year, forward Terrence Williams has struggled as of late. They have Lipscomb and Central Michigan coming up, as well as a matchup with North Carolina to round out the non-conference. That game is a bit needed for both sides on the 21st of this month and McDaniel will have to continue coming up big to have a shot.

Home/Big Ten