Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Indiana flies up, Michigan crashes down

11. Michigan Wolverines – 11-10 (5-5)

The Wolverines had its one and only opportunity of the regular season to take on Zach Edey and Purdue at home. They put up a good fight, taking an early lead and although trailing the rest of the way, was always within distance. They ultimately lost, 75-70, despite 21 points and seven rebounds from Hunter Dickinson, along with 16 points from Kobe Bufkin. Had freshman wing Jett Howard not been injured, they may have had a shot to get the upset.

Despite the record, not everyone has jumped ship on Michigan. It’s not as if anyone outside of Purdue in Big Ten Basketball has completely run them over in the standings and they still have league wins over Northwestern and Penn State. They also just haven’t been blown out.

But that changed this past weekend, going on the road to face the Nittany Lions. The game ended up being a blowout from the very beginning, as Michigan gave up 49 first-half points en route to an 83-61 defeat. Howard returned to score 21 points but was the only player on the team in double figures.

The Wolverines now find themselves way outside of the bubble picture and are in a rough spot. That makes the upcoming games against Northwestern and Ohio State “must wins” in order to avoid going under .500 overall.