Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Illinois soars up, Indiana keeps sliding

Jan 16, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard RJ Melendez (15), forward Dain Dainja (42), forward Matthew Mayer (24), and guard Jayden Epps (3) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports /

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Big Ten Basketball Northwestern Wildcats center Matthew Nicholson Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Northwestern Wildcats – 12-5 (3-3)

When thinking about the teams that belong in the bottom tier of Big Ten Basketball, there’s been a feeling that eventually, Northwestern will slide into that group. And that very well could happen when it’s all said and done but they’ve been surprisingly competitive, including back-to-back wins over Indiana and Illinois.

The past couple of games hasn’t been as successful for the Wildcats though. It went down to the wire against Rutgers at home but the home team lost it, 65-62. The duo of Boo Buie and Chase Audige were in double figures but struggled from the field, combining for 25 points on 8/25 shooting. Ty Berry did have a good game, scoring a team-high 13 points.

Against Michigan, Northwestern was also in the game until the final few minutes, when the Wolverines took control. The Wildcats lost the game 85-78, despite 22 points and five assists from Buie. Robbie Beran had 16 points while Matthew Nicholson and Brooks Barnhizer also were in double figures.

Did Northwestern simply take advantage of both Indiana and Illinois when they were going through some things? Let’s see what the next two games tell us about this team, as they take on Iowa and Wisconsin next. A split would be preferred since they’re now firmly on the bubble.

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