Michigan State basketball had a pretty darn good week.
The Spartans avoided an upset bid from Minnesota earlier in the week and finally picked up its first road win of the season on Sunday over Maryland to close out the week. Michigan State wasn’t at its best in either game but still found a way to win, which is really promising for the Spartans.
So where does Michigan State sit in our updated power rankings?
See where Michigan State and the rest of the league lands in our weekly Big Ten basketball power rankings below:
14
Michigan
Record: 7-11 (2-5 in Big Ten)
Michigan opened the week with a nice win over rival Ohio State but a lackluster performance against Illinois prevented the Wolverines from moving up the standings and our power rankings. I keep waiting for the Wolverines to turn the corner and at least look like more of a middle-tier Big Ten team but that just hasn’t happened yet.
13
Rutgers
Record: 10-8 (2-5 in Big Ten)
Rutgers got off the mat this week with a nice come-from-behind win vs. Nebraska. However, the Scarlet Knights remain to be one of the worst teams in the league and I don’t anticipate that changing much the rest of the year.
12
Minnesota
Record: 12-6 (3-4 in Big Ten)
Minnesota has come back to Earth a bit in the past few weeks, dropping their last three games. The Golden Gophers nearly upset Michigan State earlier this week, but came up short late. This next week is a big one for Minnesota.
11
Penn State
Record: 9-10 (3-5 in Big Ten)
Penn State remains that pesky squad that won’t be easy to beat on the road. Wisconsin experienced that firsthand this week as the Nittany Lions picked up the upset over the Badgers. On the road, Penn State is a different story, though… hence why they are lower in our power rankings.
10
Indiana
Record: 12-7 (4-4 in Big Ten)
It was a bad week for the Hoosiers. Indiana played the top two teams in the Big Ten this week and was handily beaten in both of those games. The performance at home against rival Purdue was very concerning for the Hoosiers and if this is truly an NCAA Tournament team or not. Right now, it’s not.
9
Maryland
Record: 11-8 (3-5 in Big Ten)
Maryland came up short in two more close games this week — at Northwestern and home vs. Michigan State. The Terps have struggled to win close games this year and that’s why they’re near the bottom of our power rankings.
8
Ohio State
Record: 13-5 (3-4 in Big Ten)
After a fast start to the year, the Buckeyes have hit a wall in January. Ohio State snapped a three-game losing streak with a convincing win over Penn State on Saturday, but this appears to be a team that is starting to fall off as we hit the meat of the schedule.
7
Iowa
Record: 11-7 (3-4 in Big Ten)
Iowa went on the road to pick up a nice win over Minnesota early in the week but struggled in a marquee home matchup vs. Purdue on Saturday. The Hawkeyes remain a mixed bag and hard team to read, but I still anticipate a run coming at some point in the final month and a half of the season.
6
Northwestern
Record: 13-5 (4-3 in Big Ten)
Northwestern nearly had a great week but was unable to knock off Nebraska on the road on Saturday. The Wildcats remain a team that is tough to beat at home but not so much on the road. However, that can be said for most of the teams in the Big Ten this year.
5
Nebraska
Record: 14-5 (4-4 in Big Ten)
Nebraska probably expected to go 1-1 this past week (which it did) but should have been 2-0. The Cornhuskers let one get away against Rutgers on the road early in the week, but at least responded with a nice win over Northwestern on the weekend.
4
Michigan State
Record: 12-7 (4-4 in Big Ten)
Michigan State found a way to win a pair of close games this week and that’s refreshing to see for Spartan fans. Michigan State used a late run to top Minnesota on Thursday and held on to beat Maryland on Sunday for its first road win of the year. If Michigan State can go to Wisconsin and win next week, then they’ll be joining the upper-tier currently occupied by Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin.
3
Wisconsin
Record: 14-4 (6-1 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin has finally lost a conference game. The Badgers fell at Penn State this week but rallied with a win over Indiana on Friday. Wisconsin is part of the clear top three upper-tier of the Big Ten right now and should be in league title contention the rest of the way.
2
Illinois
Record: 14-4 (5-2 in Big Ten)
Illinois rebounded nicely from last Sunday’s upset loss at home to Maryland with a pair of wins this week. The Fighting Illini have also welcomed back Terrence Shannon Jr. which will only boost Illinois moving forward.
1
Purdue
Record: 17-2 (6-2 in Big Ten)
Purdue’s spot amongst the top of our power rankings was somewhat in jeopardy the past few weeks with how well Wisconsin had been playing. But the Boilermakers put that to rest for at least another week or two with a pair of impressive road wins over Indiana and Iowa this week.
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