Michigan Basketball: Big Ten Power Rankings Feb. 15
The No. 22 Michigan Wolverines took down Iowa at home Wednesday night. They play host to the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday in a huge game. But where does U-M fit in with the rest of the conference?
Here are our ninth Big Ten basketball power rankings of the 2017-18 season.
14. Minnesota (14-14, 3-12)
Minnesota has lost nine game in a row and 11 of its last 12. Absolutely brutal.
13. Rutgers (13-15, 3-12)
Rutgers beat Northwestern, that's more than Minnesota can say.
12. Illinois (12-15, 2-12)
Illinois is having a rough season under new coach Brad Underwood and have lost 10 of its last 12 games.
11. Iowa (12-16, 3-12)
Iowa has had a tough schedule the last few weeks, losing to Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan.
10. Wisconsin (11-16, 4-11)
The bottom five teams in the Big Ten are embarrassingly bad. I pity whoever chooses to watch these teams play.
9. Northwestern (15-12, 6-8)
The Wildcats went out and got a big win over Michigan, but followed it up with losses to Maryland Rutgers. Yes, Rutgers.
8. Maryland (17-11, 6-9)
The Terrapins knocked off Northwestern to move up one spot in the rankings. They are clinging to fading NCAA Tournament hopes, but it would take winning out in the regular season and a couple wins in the Big Ten Tournament to get there.
7. Indiana (15-12, 8-7)
Indiana has now won more Big Ten games than it did all of last season. The Hoosiers are beating the teams below them and losing to the teams ahead of them. If only this team could shoot.
6. Penn State (18-9, 8-6)
Penn State has a lot of work to do to be mentioned as a bubble team, but it has the schedule to put itself in the conversation. Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan and Nebraska are who the Nittany Lions get to close out the season. Be on the look out.
5. Nebraska (20-8, 11-4)
The Cornhuskers continue to look like they will be the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, edging Michigan, but due to a weak schedule, are still in need of quality wins. They've won six in a row, but won't face another NCAA Tournament team until the Big Ten Tournament.
4. Michigan (21-7, 10-5)
The Wolverines bounced back with wins over Wisconsin and Iowa to solidify their spot in the top four. I'm not buying that Nebraska is a better team, despite its win over Michigan. The Cornhuskers still have work to do in order to make the NCAA Tournament.
3. Ohio State (22-5, 13-1)
Ohio State has beaten both Purdue and Michigan State, however, I still don't think they are overall as good of a team as either one. Time will tell, as OSU faces Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday, but the Buckeyes are on pace to win the conference.
2. Purdue (23-4, 12-2)
Purdue has a really, really rough week. After a loss to Ohio State, it couldn't pull off a road win at MSU, which ultimately led to the one spot drop in these rankings. The Boilermakers are probably the most complete team in the country, but can they avoid another late season collapse?
1. Michigan State (25-3, 13-2)
The top three teams in the conference are all very strong, and there's not much separation, however, MSU has taken care of business of late, topping Purdue to continue a nine-game winning streak.
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