With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the Big Ten standings are starting to take shape. Michigan Wolverines hold a clear edge at the top, while a tight group featuring Wisconsin Badgers, Illinois Fighting Illini and Purdue Boilermakers continues to chase. Meanwhile, the middle and bottom of the league remain crowded with teams still fighting for positioning heading into March.
Big Ten rankings as of Sunday, February 15th
18. Northwestern Wildcats 10-16 (2-13)
The Wildcats have lost five straight games. The latest was a blowout loss on the road at Nebraska. Northwestern is scoring 74 points per game but allowing 73. That is not a strong recipe for success overall in the Big Ten. The Wildcats also lost a game on the road by 40 at Illinois. Northwestern will look to get back on track on Wednesday as they host Maryland. The final four games for the Cats are at Indiana, home with Oregon and Purdue, and then finishing at the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
17. Penn State Nittany Lions 11-15 (2-13)
It has been a tough season for the Nittany Lions. They are now 2-13 in league play and 11-15 overall. Penn State fell for the third time in its last four games on the road at Oregon. That came following a big win at Washington. The Nittany Lions continue to struggle to share the ball, ranking near the bottom in assists with 12.6 per game. They have five games left in the regular season. Coming up on Wednesday, they will take on Rutgers. After that, they are at Nebraska, before hosting Iowa and Ohio State, and finishing on the road at Rutgers.
16. Oregon Ducks 9-16 (2-12)
The Oregon Ducks finally snapped their nasty losing streak. It was their first win of the month after dropping 10 straight games. They picked up a win at home over Penn State, which came after an 18-point loss on the road at Indiana. Nate Bittle is scoring 16.9 points per game, but the Ducks cannot string things together. They will look to make it two in a row on Tuesday as they host Minnesota. They head to USC following that game. The final four for the Ducks are at home against Wisconsin, at Northwestern and Illinois, and back at home against Washington.
15. Maryland Terrapins 10-15 (3-11)
The 2025-26 season has not gone well for the Terrapins. They are now 10-15 on the season with just three Big Ten wins. The latest was a loss on the road at Rutgers. Maryland is only ahead of three teams in the conference standings. The Terrapins will look to get back on track with a road game at Northwestern on Friday night. Following that game, they will head back home to host Washington and then make a trip to Nebraska.
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 10-15 (3-11)
Rutgers was on a seven-game losing streak. Back-to-back games for the Scarlet Knights ended in double-digit losses. But then they beat Maryland at home on Sunday. Rutgers has just 10 wins on the season, with its most recent before Sunday coming at home against Northwestern in January. The Scarlet Knights are anchored by Tariq Francis with 16.5 points per game. They are off until Wednesday when they play on the road at Penn State. After that, they are at Minnesota before hosting Washington.
13. Minnesota Golden Gophers 11-14 (4-11)
Minnesota fell to 11-14 and 4-11 in league play with a loss to Washington on Saturday. Minnesota allowed Hannes Steinbach to score 26 points in the game. The Golden Gophers have now lost back-to-back games since upsetting Michigan State at home. Minnesota will make a trip out west to take on Oregon on Tuesday. After that, they come back home to host Rutgers before a trip to Michigan. The schedule is not easy, as they host UCLA and play Indiana after that.
12. Washington Huskies 13-13 (5-10)
It has been a tough go for Washington. They fell below .500 on the season with a loss to Penn State, then bounced back on Saturday with a win over Minnesota to return to .500. The Huskies are 5-10 in league play. Washington will now head out on the road to the East Coast. They are at Maryland on February 21 and then at Rutgers on the 24th. The final three games are at home against Wisconsin and USC, followed by a trip to Oregon.
11. USC Trojans 18-7 (7-7)
The Trojans are a bubble team as they head into the final three weeks of the regular season. USC has 18 wins and is 7-7 in league play. The Trojans had won three straight games before their seven-point loss at Ohio State. Things are about to get interesting, as they start a stretch on Wednesday at home against Illinois. They then welcome Oregon. The final four games are at UCLA, home with Nebraska, at Washington, and then back home against UCLA. USC could stand to at worst split those final six games.
10. Ohio State Buckeyes 16-9 (8-6)
Ohio State had a chance to pick up a massive out-of-conference win against Virginia but fell just short. The Buckeyes have now dropped three of their last five games. Bruce Thornton leads a high-powered offense that is scoring 81 points per game. Ohio State has a home game against Wisconsin on Tuesday, which is a big game for its résumé. After that, the Buckeyes are at Michigan State and Iowa. They finish with a home game against Purdue, followed by a trip to Penn State and then home against Indiana.
9. Iowa Hawkeyes 18-7 (8-6)
The Hawkeyes are coming off a tough loss at home to Purdue. It was their second straight following a road loss at Maryland. Now things are getting interesting, as Iowa needs more wins to help its NCAA Tournament résumé. The Hawkeyes host Nebraska on Tuesday in a game that will not be easy. Iowa is then at red-hot Wisconsin. Their final four games are at home against Ohio State and Michigan, at Penn State, and then at Nebraska.
8. UCLA Bruins 17-8 (9-5)
Mick Cronin’s team hung around for a while at Michigan, but in the end, they could not keep it competitive. The Bruins have dropped two of their last four games. In their two wins, though, the offense averaged more than 87 points per game. UCLA is scoring 77.9 per game on the season. Tyler Bilodeau is the top scorer with 17.9 per game. The Bruins are at Michigan State on Tuesday before hosting Illinois and USC.
7. Indiana Hoosiers 17-9 (8-7)
Indiana could not win on the road at Illinois on Sunday and fell to 17-9 on the season. The Hoosiers are 8-7 in league play. They have still won five of their last seven games, including home wins over Purdue and Wisconsin. Indiana is getting 21.2 points per game from Lamar Wilkerson to lead the way. The Hoosiers will have another tough test on Friday at Purdue before coming home to host Northwestern.
6. Michigan State Spartans 20-5 (10-4)
Tom Izzo and his Spartans were smacked on the road at Wisconsin. That was their third loss in four games. The lone win during that stretch was at home against Illinois. Jeremy Fears leads the way with 15.1 points and 9.2 assists per game. Michigan State is at home Tuesday against UCLA and will host Ohio State on Saturday. The final games are at Purdue and Indiana, then home against Rutgers, followed by a trip to Michigan.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers 22-3 (11-3)
The Cornhuskers are still hanging around near the top of the standings. Nebraska lost back-to-back games to Michigan and Illinois and then another to Purdue. After that, they beat Northwestern to get back on track. Nebraska will look to win its second straight as it goes on the road to Iowa on Tuesday. Following that, the Cornhuskers host Penn State and Maryland. Nebraska is allowing just 66 points per game.
4. Purdue Boilermakers 21-4 (11-3)
The Boilermakers have won four straight games after dropping three in a row. Purdue is still chasing Michigan at the top of the standings. Braden Smith continues to lead the way with nearly 15 points and nine assists per game. The Boilermakers rank 10th in the country in assists at nearly 20 per game. Purdue hosts Michigan on Tuesday night in West Lafayette, then welcomes Indiana on February 20 and Michigan State after that.
3. Illinois Fighting Illini 21-5 (12-3)
The Illini got one back after losing back-to-back games to Michigan State and Wisconsin. They are now 21-5 and inside the top 12 when it comes to potential NCAA Tournament seeding. Illinois got Kylan Boswell back on Sunday in its win over Indiana. The Illini head west to take on USC on Wednesday and UCLA on Saturday. Illinois and Michigan are slated to play February 27.
2. Wisconsin Badgers 18-7 (10-4)
While not second in the standings and not owning the second-most wins in the league, Wisconsin moves to No. 2 here. The Badgers have wins over Michigan State, Illinois and Michigan. They have likely locked up an at-large spot and are now looking to improve their résumé. Wisconsin is scoring nearly 84 points per game, which is not typical of many teams from previous seasons. The Badgers are at Ohio State on Tuesday, then host Iowa before traveling to Oregon and Washington.
1. Michigan Wolverines 24-1 (14-1)
The Wolverines are the top team in the Big Ten and are pushing toward being the top team in the country. Michigan has just one loss, which came to Wisconsin. The Wolverines hold a two-game lead over the teams with three conference losses. Michigan is coming off a 30-point win over UCLA, which followed a comeback win at Northwestern. The Wolverines travel to Purdue on Tuesday before hosting Duke on Saturday in a massive week for Dusty May’s squad.
The race is far from finished, but Michigan has positioned itself as the team to beat. With several head-to-head matchups still ahead, the final weeks in the Big Ten should be must-watch basketball.