Rush The Court

This is the seventh installment of our weekly Big Ten Power Rankings which we will publish each Friday. This week’s voters were Deepak Jayanti, Joey Nowak and Kevin Trahan of the Big Ten microsite.

1. No. 3 Michigan — Of the perceived Big Ten heavyweights heading into this season, the Wolverines are the only team still standing with an unblemished record. They haven’t been really tested — they’ve won home games against an N.C. State team that still has not fully matured, and neutral site games against Kansas State, West Virginia and Pittsburgh — but no one can fault them for disposing of all comers. The most impressive thing about the Wolverines is they’ve worked as many new pieces into their rotation as any team in the conference, and have done so at a faster rate than anybody else. They currently stand as the team with the target on their back. (Last week: No. 2)
2. No. 2 Indiana — Yes, Indiana has lost more recently than Ohio State has. But the Hoosiers’ loss came at the hands of a strong Butler team on a neutral floor, and they responded well with a resounding victory against Mount Saint Mary’s. I don’t think anyone thought the Hoosiers were capable of going undefeated and winning the national championship — especially in this conference — but it’s clear they definitely do have some flaws. The offense is there, and will always be there. But figuring out how all these pieces work together is still a work in progress. (Last week: No. 1)
3. No. 7 Ohio State — The Buckeyes got a ballgame from Winthrop this week in Columbus, but the match-up we’ve all been waiting for is finally upon us. With the game Saturday in Columbus against Kansas, we’ll now get the chance to really see what Ohio State is made of and if they’ve learned from the mistakes that haunted them in last year’s Final Four loss to the Jayhawks and this season’s loss to Duke. If they beat Kansas, Ohio State will make a really strong case for the No. 2 spot in the rankings ahead of Indiana. (Last week: No. 3)
4. No. 10 Illinois — Being one of only two remaining undefeated teams in the conference, Illinois could make a strong case to be as high as No. 2 in these rankings, but we’re still tentative to slot them that high. One of the concerns about the Illini is that they play down to their competition. They couldn’t put away Eastern Kentucky until late in the second half and it has been a recurring theme against other mid-majors such as Western Carolina and Norfolk State. But after the road win against Gonzaga, they deserve the benefit of the doubt that they’ll be ready to play Missouri on Saturday in the annual Braggin’ Rights game. Missouri’s Alex Oriakhi will test the Illini big men – Nnanna Egwu and Tyler Griffey – but the key match-up will certainly be between Phil Pressey and Brandon Paul. (Last week: No. 6)
5. No. 13 Minnesota — Nothing much changed for the Gophers over the last week. They haven’t played a game since beating North Dakota State 70-57 on December 11. The next few games will be about Trevor Mbakwe’s playing time and his health. Mbakwe has averaged 7.4 RPG in just 18.2 MPG so far this season but expect his minutes to increase as conference season is right around the corner. If Mbakwe can just focus on the boards and play about 25 minutes per game by January 1, the Gophers could end up in the top half of the conference by the end of the season. (Last week: No. 4)
6. No. 20 Michigan State — Who’s ready for some ugly basketball? Michigan State and Texas fans rejoice, for these two teams will meet up for one of the most offensively-challenged games of the season. Both teams turn the ball over at an alarming rate (Texas with 17 turnovers per game, and Michigan State with 16), and the Longhorns have one of the best field goal percentage defenses in the country. This has, for weeks, been a game on paper that the Spartans should win given the struggles Texas has had, and especially now with the reports that Myck Kabongo will be suspended for the remainder of the season. But as long as the Spartans continue to work out their kinks — and that’s why we have them as low as No. 6 — nothing can be taken for granted. (Last week: No. 5)
7. Iowa — After their road loss to Virginia Tech, the Hawkeyes have won five in a row with impressive wins over Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Roy Devyn Marble is getting more comfortable around the freshmen in the rotation as shown by his 30 points against Northern Iowa and 27 against South Carolina State. Overall, the Hawkeyes are in a very good spot heading into the conference season with a 10-2 record considering that they have three freshmen in their starting lineup. (Last week: No. 9)
8. Wisconsin — The Badgers haven’t played since their win over Green Bay over a week ago, so it is tough to move them from the eighth spot. It will be interesting to see if freshman Sam Dekker will get more playing time in the rotation as he has averaged 10 PPG in just 22.5 MPG. Dekker seems a lot more comfortable within Bo Ryan’s offense over the last couple of weeks but he needs to be more effective on defense if he hopes to see a spike in his playing time. Shooting 20% from the floor by taking 10 shots like he did against Marquette will not help his cause because Ryan demands defensive intensity and good shot selection on the offense. (Last week: No. 8)
9. Northwestern — Friday night’s game against Stanford is a critical one. Northwestern has lost three of its last five contests and the remaining two (Brown and Stanford) are crucial for building momentum heading into Big Ten play. Chances at an NCAA Tournament bid are even more scarce with the loss of Drew Crawford, but this club has a tendency of still finding ways to play well when key players go down. (Last week: No. 7)
10. Nebraska — Success (or in this case, the No. 10 spot in the Power Rankings) was nearly oh-so-fleeting for the Cornhuskers who managed to avoid a gnarly upset at the hands of Jacksonville State this week. Yikes. In doing so, they’ve maintained their stranglehold on this spot ahead of sputtering Purdue, who will have plenty of opportunities to reclaim it once Big Ten play starts in the next two weeks. (Last week: No. 11)
11. Purdue — We suspect that this is something that will not last. No matter how much of a rebuilding effort this year is for the Boilermakers, you have to believe that Purdue is still a tougher opponent than still-newcomer Nebraska, and that will start to show as the season wears on. Then again, we’ve been waiting for Purdue to kick the cobwebs since they opened with a home loss to Bucknell. There have been good flashes, but they’ve been few and far between. That’s why Purdue has six losses and no one else in the Big Ten has more than four. (Last week: No. 11)
12. Penn State — Here’s something we don’t foresee changing this season. So much of this year for Patrick Chambers’ group is going to have to be about learning and growth, and as non-coach-speak as it seems, playing and preparing for next season. As for the present, the Nittany Lions can pat themselves on the back for their first two-game winning streak of the season (though it took overtime against Delaware State) and perhaps it’s something they can build on heading into Big Ten play. (Last week: No. 12)