Big Ten basketball power rankings are back.
For the first time this season, Spartans Wire is releasing their weekly Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings. The rankings will be updated on a weekly basis, typically released on Sunday or Monday depending on how the slate of games falls that week.
Michigan State has gotten off to a disappointing start to the season but potentially is in place to turn the corner after a dominant win over Baylor and Oakland in the last three days. So where does Michigan State sit in our first batch of rankings?
See where Michigan State and the rest of the league lands in our weekly Big Ten basketball power rankings below:
14
Penn State
Record: 5-6 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Penn State has gotten off to a rough start for new head coach Mike Rhoades. The Nittany Lions started off 4-0 before losing six of their last seven games, including losses to midmajors Bucknell and VCU.
13
Minnesota
Record: 8-3 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Minnesota is off to a better start than last year, with already nearly as many wins as they had all of last year. The schedule will start to get much more difficult for the Golden Gophers, though, so we will soon find out if they’re actually improved or not.
12
Iowa
Record: 6-5 (0-2 in Big Ten)
We typically don’t see Iowa this low in our power rankings from year to year, but it’s been a rough start to the season for the Hawkeyes. Iowa has yet to lose to a bad team but also failed to get a marquee win either through the first month and a half of the season.
11
Maryland
Record: 6-4 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Like Iowa, Maryland isn’t normally this low in our power rankings but things have also been rough early on for the Terps. Maryland opened the year 1-3 with losses to Davidson and UAB, but have since started to play better in getting back above .500.
10
Rutgers
Record: 7-3 (0-1 in Big Ten)
Rutgers appears to have taken a step back from where they were the past few seasons but still is a formidable foe. Things got off to a rocky start with a season-opening loss to Princeton, but since then the Scarlet Knights have played better with a notable win over rival Seton Hall earlier this month.
9
Michigan
Record: 6-5 (1-1 in Big Ten)
It has been a rollercoaster of a season so far for the Wolverines. Michigan opened the season strong but then hit a slump where they lost five of six games against tough competition. It’s hard to get a read on Michigan at this point but has proven they have a high variance.
8
Indiana
Record: 7-3 (2-0 in Big Ten)
Indiana would be near the top of this list had they held on against Kansas this past weekend. However, the Hoosiers blew a double-digit second-half lead and thus I have them a bit lower in our opening rankings. This still appears to be a solid team that’ll be in the NCAA Tournament mix this year.
7
Northwestern
Record: 8-2 (1-0 in Big Ten)
Like Indiana, Northwestern would have been higher in our initial rankings had they not lost a stinker last week against Chicago State. Before that loss, the Wildcats looked like one of the top teams in the Big Ten.
6
Michigan State
Record: 6-5 (0-2 in Big Ten)
This may be too high for the Spartans but the team we saw on Saturday against Baylor is the group we originally expected to see this year. Michigan State followed that up with another impressive performance against a sneaky good Oakland team, and it appears the Spartans might be finally turning the corner. Michigan State will be heavy favorites in each of their next three games and could find themselves rolling as we hit January.
5
Nebraska
Record: 9-2 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Nebraska has been a pleasant surprise for the Big Ten this year, with a great start to the 2023-24 season. The Cornhuskers have notable wins over Michigan State and Kansas State in the past week, and appear they’ll be in the mix for a NCAA Tournament berth this year.
4
Ohio State
Record: 9-2 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Ohio State has quietly had a strong start to the 2023-24 season. The Buckeyes have a pair of notable non-conference wins over Alabama and UCLA, and have looked like a team that’ll return to the NCAA Tournament this year.
3
Wisconsin
Record: 8-3 (1-0 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin was clearly underrated in the offseason because the Badgers have looked impressive through the first month of the season. Wisconsin has impressive wins over Virginia, Marquette and Michigan State on their resume already this year.
2
Illinois
Record: 8-2 (1-0 in Big Ten)
Illinois for now has moved into the top spot behind the Boilermakers — which shouldn’t come off as too surprising. The Fighting Illini have a star in Terrence Shannon Jr. and should push Purdue for the Big Ten title this year.
1
Purdue
Record: 10-1 (1-1 in Big Ten)
Purdue has been the best team in the Big Ten so far this season and has the resume to support that after another big-time victory this past weekend against No. 1 Arizona. I don’t envision the Boilermakers surrendering this top spot for most of the year with how well they’ve looked so far this year.
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