This exercise just doesn't seem as interesting as it did a few weeks ago when Penn State was pulling off shocking wins on the road and Geary Claxton looked like Jesus in Nike Airs. But my Big Ten brothers are counting on me to rank the Big Ten teams. So rank them I shall. Here is my BSD power poll for Big Ten basketball.
| Rank | Team | Previous | Last Week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana 16-1 (5-0) |
2 | W – 65-60 @Minn W – 81-65 PSU |
Beat two middle of the road B10 teams this week. Their resume is just a bit more impressive than Wisconsin. |
| 2 | Wisconsin 15-2 (5-0) |
1 | W – 80-55 @PSU W – 62-50 NW |
Badgers keep rolling, but the schedule will get tougher soon. |
| 3 | Michigan State 16-2 (4-1) |
3 | W – 66-60 OSU W – 78-73 @Minn |
Looks like they are back on track after the embarrassing loss to Iowa. |
| 4 | Purdue 13-5 (4-1) |
4 | W – 72-62 @ Iowa W – 74-67 Illinois |
Winning the games they should win is what good teams do. |
| 5 | Ohio State 12-6 (3-2) |
5 | L – 60-66 @MSU L – 69-74 Tenn |
Rough week for the Buckeyes. |
| 6 | Minnesota 12-5 (2-3) |
6 | L – 60-65 Indiana L – 73-78 MSU |
Played two of the best B10 teams tough. But still lost. |
| 7 | Iowa 9-10 (2-4) |
8 | L – 62-67 Purdue W – 68-60 @Mich |
There is life in Des Moines, but not much. |
| 8 | Penn State 10-7 (2-3) |
7 | L – 55-80 Wisc L – 65-81 @Ind |
Two weeks ago things were going great. Now PSU has lost three straight and is searching for answers without Claxton. |
| 9 | Illinois 9-10 (1-5) |
9 | W – 75-57 Mich L – 67-74 @Purd |
The Illini look like they have already given up on the season. |
| 10 | Michigan 5-13 (1-5) |
10 | L – 57-75 @Illinois L – 60-68 Iowa |
Doesn’t look like things are going to get any easier for the Wolverines anytime soon. |
| 11 | Northwestern 6-9 (0-5) |
11 | W - 65-47 @CHS L – 50-62 Wisc |
Hooray for weak local rivalries to boost moral! |
Nothing Earth shattering this week as everything pretty much went as expected. The loss of Geary Claxton has seriously hurt Penn State and pretty much ended their season. But an NIT bid isn't completely out of the question yet if they can get to 15 wins. They still have two games against Michigan which they should win even without Claxton. They get Iowa and Illinois at home yet. Those are four winnable games. If they can pull out one or two wins on the road at Iowa, Minnesota, or Purdue they should definitely get in. But it's a longshot.