Welcome to Big Ten basketball power rankings! We’ll be posting new weekly rankings until the end of conference play. This week, our rankings are made up of seven WIUX Sports personalities: Adam Cohen (@adamcohenIU), Cole Dunbar (@Cole_Dunbar), Quinn Saturday (@QTipsforSports), Levi Snow (snowman2469), David Sugarman (Dshug24), Andrew Vailliencourt (@AndrewVcourt) and Tori Ziege (@ToriZiege).
Team Name, First Place Votes, Record, Average, High/Low
1. Wisconsin Badgers (7), (22-2, 10-1), Average: 1 High/Low: 1/1
What They’re Saying: "Wisconsin has continued to look impressive since that disappointing loss at Rutgers last month. The Badgers remain the favorite to win the conference but need to finish strong as there are still a few teams within striking distance, two of those teams being Maryland and Ohio State. Wisconsin must travel to Maryland on the Feb. 24 and it finishes the season at Ohio State. Those will be big games for Wisconsin as it looks to win the B1G regular season title." – Cole Dunbar
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (19-6, 8-4), Average: 2.43, High/Low: 2/4
What They’re Saying: "D'Angelo Russell is a beast. He alone has the talent that could carry Ohio State to a second place finish in the Big Ten and has the ability to spark a tournament run. One NBA team will come away very happy from the draft this summer, that’s for sure." – Andrew Vailliencourt
3. Maryland Terrapins (20-5, 8-4) Average: 3, High/Low: 2/5
What They’re Saying: "Maryland’s win over Indiana was a big one to give it a little breathing room. It also put the Terrapins close enough to the top to maybe challenge Wisconsin as the end of the season nears. Teams in the B1G will be fighting hard down the stretch to try to get one of those top four spots to secure byes in the B1G tournament, and Maryland has put itself in a good position to get one of those spots." – Cole Dunbar
4. Purdue Boilermakers (16-9, 8-4), Average: 4.28, High/Low: 3/7
What They’re Saying: "Purdue continues to play well, winning four of its last five. The Boilermakers were almost able to go into Minnesota, a team that has played better as of late, and come away with a victory. That would have given them five straight, but instead it was a four-point loss. The Boilermakers have three tough road games remaining on their schedule. This could cause them to slip a bit in the standings unless they can pull one or two of them out (Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State)." – Adam Cohen
5. Michigan State Spartans (16-8, 7-4), Average: 5.42, High/Low: 4/8
What They’re Saying: "The Spartans are very inconsistent and a hard team to judge. This team can’t make free throws which has really hurt it down the stretch. Tom Izzo, however, will keep MSU on the right side of the bubble until tournament time. But don’t expect any kind of run from this team." – Andrew Vailliencourt
6. Indiana Hoosiers (17-8, 7-5), Average: 5.57, High/Low: 4/7
What They’re Saying: "The Hoosiers may have lost four of their last six, but you could argue that was the toughest stretch of their season. Next comes possibly the easiest (in terms of Big Ten play) stretch where four of six will take place in Assembly Hall and the road games (Rutgers and Northwestern) are very winnable. It would not surprise me if the Hoosiers finish conference play on a six-game winning streak. Then again, you never know when you live and die by the three." – Quinn Saturday
7. Illinois Fighting Illini (17-8, 7-5), Average: 6.85, High/Low: 6/8
What They’re Saying: "The Illini are on a four-game winning streak, and while their streak will likely end at Wisconsin, Jim Groce's squad is getting back leading scorer Rayvonte Rice. Illinois may have gone 6-3 without Rice, but with him, this is one of the Big Ten's better teams." – Quinn Saturday
8. Iowa Hawkeyes (15-9, 6-5), Average: 8, High/Low: 7/9
What They’re Saying: "One of many teams stuck in the middle of the crowded pack that is the Big Ten, Iowa seemed like it was about to get hot after double-digit wins at Michigan and vs Maryland. A disappointing loss to Minnesota at home in which the Hawkeyes turned it over 16 times prevented another jump in the standings, but with five out of its last seven against the bottom half of the conference, Iowa still has an opportunity to make some headway before the Big Ten Tournament." – David Sugarman
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-9, 5-7), Average: 8.86, High/Low: 7/11
What They’re Saying: "After a horrific 0-5 start to Big Ten play, the Golden Gophers have rebounded in a big way going 5-2 and having won their last three. It may be a little too late for this team to make a run at an NCAA-bid, but this definitely a squad that no bubble team wants to face." – Quinn Saturday
10. Michigan (13-12, 6-7), Average: 9.85, High/Low: 9/10
What They’re Saying: "Losers of four straight including two shut-down overtime losses, the Wolverines' play is starting to reflect their crippling injury problems and the loss of All-Big Ten preseason selection Caris LeVert. As Jack Johnson sings, 'Oh, please just let me please breakdown.' Michigan has." – Tori Ziege
11. Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-11, 5-7), Average: 11, High/Low: 9/12
What They’re Saying: "It seems that the wheels may have officially fallen off the train in Lincoln. After an up and down 4-3 start in conference play, the Cornhuskers have gone bad. They have lost four out of five, and the offensive struggles have become unbearable. In three of those losses, they failed to put up even 50 points and in every conference game they’ve dropped this season they’ve failed to put up 60. Sure, defense wins championships, but at some point you need to put the ball in the basket. The road doesn't get any easier with four of their last six away from home, a place they’ve yet to pick up a win in conference play, including Ohio State and Maryland." – David Sugarman
12. Penn State Nittany Lions (15-10, 3-9), Average: 11.71, High/Low: 11/12
What They’re Saying: "The Nittany Lions had good win at home vs Nebraska, but then a blowout loss at Ohio State took away some of that progress. This team lacks the firepower to have sustained success, but it continues to fight. The Ohio State loss was the first double digit loss since December when Penn State lost at Wisconsin." – Levi Snow
13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-16, 2-11), Average: 13.28, High/Low: 13/14
What They’re Saying: "Losing nine in a row, Rutgers continues its tailspin of a conference season,. The troublesome aspect of this is they're not competitive at home right now. The Big Ten is brutal for teams on the road, which is why your home performances are so much more meaningful. Rutgers has dropped its last three home games by double digits. The Scarlet Knights can only hope to win one more conference game before it's all said and done. Eddie Jordan needs to get top performances out of his seniors, Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, but they've been inconsistent." – Adam Cohen
14. Northwestern Wildcats (10-14, 1-10), Average: 13.71, High/Low: 13/14
What They’re Saying: "The Wildcats are losers of 10 straight since winning their first conference game. Tre Demps continues to have a solid season, but there's just not enough talent on this roster yet. It is hard to envision another win added to Northwestern's record this year." – Levi Snow
