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| Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan |
1. Michigan WolverinesPrevious Ranking: N/A
Dusty May's Michigan Wolverines have been a machine over the first two months of the college basketball season, perched not just as the best in the Big Ten, but the nation's No. 1 team. They've been absolutely decimating their competition, including wins over San Diego State (by 40), Auburn (by 30), Gonzaga (by 40), and now USC inside the league (by 30). It's rare to see this complete of a team playing this well at this point on the calendar, but I am curious to see how the Wolverines fare once the competition is turned up a notch inside Big Ten play. Their schedule remains fairly light throughout most of January, but the end of the month and into February will give us a great example of what this team is capable of. Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue all await in the next month-and-a-half, along with a non-conference date with Duke in the "Duel in the District" on February 21.
2. Purdue Boilermakers
Previous Ranking: N/A
Aside from a home loss to Iowa State in early December, there's not a blemish on Purdue's record after entering the season as the preseason No. 1 in the country. They've carried their superb play through the early portion of the Big Ten schedule, handling Rutgers, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all with ease en route to a 3-0 start. In addition to the success in the win-loss column, Purdue has a player chasing history in veteran floor general Braden Smith, who set the Big Ten career assists record this past weekend in the Wisconsin win, surpassing Michigan State's Cassius Winston. With his pace, he's in shouting distance of the all-time leader in Division I basketball in Bobby Hurley, with 1,076 being the number to beat. With Smith pacing this offense, Fletcher Loyer emerging as their go-to scoring option, and Trey Kaufmann-Renn and Oscar Cuff on the block, Purdue have all the looks of the greatest threat to Michigan inside the league. Their date on February 17 could be the game of the year, not just in the conference, but college basketball as a whole.
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Previous Ranking: N/A
There's so much left to unfold this college basketball season, but there's been no greater story so far in 2025-26 than the Nebraska Cornhuskers. After making the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and winning the CBC last year, the 'Huskers have gone from frisky threat to legitimate Big Ten Title contender, off to a 15-0 start overall and 4-0 mark inside the league. This has not been a case of Nebraska simply beating the weakest of the Big Ten either - wins against Illinois on the road and Michigan State at home were statements from Fred Hoiberg and company. Even better, they were in much different ways, with Nebraska dropping 83 to outlast Illinois, then locking down the Spartans in a defensive slugfest, 58-56. They forced 21 turnovers against Michigan State, a program long known for how well they take care of the basketball under Tom Izzo. Needless to say, these Cornhuskers are dangerous, and have Nebraska fans dreaming of what could be a special winter in Lincoln.
4. Michigan State Spartans
Previous Ranking: N/A
It was expected Michigan State may take a slight step back in 2025-26 given some of the pieces they lost this past offseason, but Tom Izzo's club has defied expectations to this point in the season. Even after the Nebraska loss, the Spartans are 13-2 overall, and have built quite the non-conference resume. They beat the trio of Arkansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky in the non-conference, and gave Duke all they could handle in the Breslin Center in a 66-60 loss. It still doesn't feel like this is among one of Izzo's most talented teams, but it's a veteran group that is going to battle for the entire 40 minutes. They hit the glass, play hard defense, and play disciplined team basketball - with that Nebraska game the obvious exception. The matchup with USC this week will be an opportunity for the Spartans to get back on track, and the rest of the month is light enough that this team should be right in the conference title mix heading into the last month-and-half of the regular season.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes
Previous Ranking: N/A
It's been a fine start to the Ben McCollum era in Iowa City, who has the Hawkeyes off to a 12-2 start and 2-1 mark inside the Big Ten. McCollum's star player that he brought along from Drake, Bennett Stirtz, has had zero issue translating to power conference action, but can the Hawkeyes get him enough help? Stirtz is leading the team in just about every major statistical category, but Iowa desperately needs more from their supporting cast if they want to push the upper echelon of the Big Ten. Could sophomore guard Isaia Howard be one name to watch as a potential breakout candidate down the stretch? He's still coming off the bench for the Hawkeyes, but dropped 19 on Grand Canyon in the Arcrisure Classic Championship in November, and 11 in the UCLA win.
6. Illinois Fighting Illini
Previous Ranking: N/A
You can never quite be sure what you are getting from Brad Underwood and Illinois on any given night, but this remains a dangerous basketball team when it comes together right. They beat Texas Tech and Tennessee in the non-conference and they have three quality losses - to Alabama, UConn, and Nebraska. Yet, it does feel like this team has the potential for even more, especially if they can get Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic going. One of my favorite players in all of college basketball and the son of NBA sharpshooter Peja, Stojakovic has become an elite slasher, but his shot hasn't quite been there so far in 2025-26, shooting just 22% from three. If he can get right, it could be the type of thing that pushes this Illini team up these rankings and into league title contention.
7. UCLA Bruins
Previous Ranking: N/A
It's still a bit strange to see the UCLA brand in the Big Ten, but watch this team play for 40 minutes and you'll get an experience that fits right at home in this league. Mick Cronin has a defense-first team here at UCLA that plays an interesting brand of bully ball. It's not always pretty and the Bruins have taken their lumps, but wins over Oregon and Washington got them off to a 2-1 start inside the Big Ten. Forward Tyler Bilodeau has been their go-to scoring option over the first half of the season, but it still feels like we may get more eventually from New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent. The senior was always going to see his numbers decrease as he stepped into this offense, but his shot hasn't looked quite right after a huge 2024-25 with the Lobos. Much like Illinois and Stojakovic, Dent returning to form would give this UCLA team one of the best backcourt players in the league, and make them a real threat to ascend the Big Ten totem pole.
8. USC Trojans
Previous Ranking: N/A
After a perfect non-conference, USC has taken some early lumps in Big Ten action, losing to Washington in early December and then being dominated on the road by Michigan to begin 1-3. You can certainly forgive the Michigan loss, but this team does have some proving to do after an unsteady debut campaign in the Big Ten last winter. Looking back at the non-conference, it's hard to feel super impressed with any of their victories, with the notable exception being a Seton Hall team off to a 13-2 start (and 3-1 start in the Big East no less). The loss of guard Rodney Rice to a season-ending shoulder injury is a killer for a team that had a chance to have arguably the best guard combo in the league, with Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara. How this team responds to that adversity will tell us a lot about whether Eric Musselman has an NCAA Tournament-caliber team in Los Angeles.
9. Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous Ranking: N/A
Ohio State may be sitting at 10-4 through the non-conference and early portion of league play, but it feels like they're a better team than that record may indicate. The Buckeyes have lost three of their four games by a combined five points and their worst loss was by eight to an Illinois team that had a great shooting night. Bruce Thornton has given this team a legitimate lead guard who can handle the offense, it will be interesting to see who else can emerge for the Buckeyes if they want to make a run at an NCAA Tournament. Jake Diebler is certainly not among the most accomplished coaches in this conference just yet, but he can flat out coach, and I think this team could surprise. The schedule throughout much of January is favorable enough to keep things rolling in Columbus.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Previous Ranking: N/A
Minnesota has been a pleasant surprise under new head man Niko Medved through the season's first two months, with two Big Ten wins already under their belt over Indiana and Northwestern. And in their loss, which came to Purdue, the Gophers were far more competitive for much of that game than expected before the Boilermakers began to pour it on. This has just looked like a competent basketball team with some real scoring punch from Cade Tyson, creating a much better product on the raised hardwood in Williams Arena. Yet, the prognosis for the remainder of the winter is not particularly encouraging, as the already undermanned Gophers are officially without Chansey Willis Jr. and big man Robert Vaihola for the remainder of the year. Medved will have them playing hard, but they're realistically only a 6-7 man team at this point, and it's hard to imagine that surviving the rugged Big Ten for very long.
11. Indiana Hoosiers
Previous Ranking: N/A
All eyes in Bloomington remain on the football team, but Darian DeVries and the basketball team is out to prove they can give the Hoosier faithful team something to cheer about this winter. There have been some bright spots, namely guard Lamar Wilkerson, who has not slowed down after transferring in after three seasons at Sam Houston. And, even the losses aren't necessarily bad ones, coming on the road to Minnesota and against Kentucky and Louisville in the non-conference. We'll learn a lot about this team when they face down an absolute gauntlet in the next couple weeks - Nebraska and Iowa come to Bloomington, and the Hoosiers also go on the road to face the Michigan schools. Even coming away splitting those four games at .500 has to be considered a success for DeVries and the Hoosiers.
12. Wisconsin Badgers
Life without John Tonje has not been particularly fun early on for the Badgers, although they have faced a difficult schedule up to this point. They've faced several Big East foes in the non-conference and both Purdue and Nebraska inside the conference. Interestingly enough, the Wisconsin offense has been its strength, while the defense has struggled mightily, especially against the best teams on their schedule. Purdue dropped 89 on them, Nebraska dropped 90 while shooting 54% from the field, and BYU had 98. For a program that has typically been so stingy on the defensive end, it's something that will need to be figured out if this team wants to rise back up the Big Ten rankings.
13. Washington Huskies
There may not be a more underrated player in college basketball so far this season than Washington's Hannes Steinbach, a German import who is averaging 18.3 PPG and 11.8 RPG over the first 11 games of his college career. Even better, he's doing it efficiently, shooting 59% from the field and 40% from three point territory. If he can continue his hot start, this Washington becomes very interesting with the other veterans they have on the roster, namely Desmond Claude and Zoom Diallo. The schedule is difficult throughout the month of January, starting with Purdue on the road next, but this could still be a team to watch as the Big Ten season roars on.
14. Oregon Ducks
Five straight losses, including a pair of them to Big Ten foes, has Oregon's 2025-26 campaign deflated before it ever rolling got going. But, the thing is, this is still a talented roster, and we know Dana Altman is still among the best in the college game today. Veteran big Nate Bittle is a proven force on the block, guards Jackson Shelstad and Takai Simpkins can score in a hurry, and Kwame Evans Jr. is a true wild card. This Oregon team is going to benefit tremendously from the schedule lightening later in the year, but unfortunately the next month it may be among the most difficult in the entire league.
15. Northwestern Wildcats
Close losses have been an unfortunate theme of Northwestern's season so far. They've been in the game in each of their six defeats but have simply not been able to get over the top in most of them, leaving them at 8-6 overall and 0-3 inside the Big Ten through the early going. Forward Nick Martinelli has established himself as the go-to scorer for this offense, averaging 23.0 PPG so far this season, but the Wildcats need secondary weapons to emerge if they want to escape from this low spot in the rankings. They've really struggled to shoot the ball from three-point territory in particular, which is going to put a lot of pressure on this offense and head coach Chris Collins to come up with creative ways to manufacture some points.
16. Penn State Nittany Lions
Even in the wild world of modern college hoops, few teams had as much roster turnover this past offseason as Penn State. Just three players returned for head coach Mike Rhoades after the Nittany Lions won six league games last season, and it's no surprise they've struggled early on this year. Freddie Dilione, one of the few returnees on the roster, has been effective, and it's encouraging that freshman Kayden Mingo has been so good so quickly. Mingo was one of the highest-rated recruits in program history and looks ready to handle the load for a team that needs all the help it can get. Yet, this is another team that just lacks much punch behind the top one or two guys. Unless a guy like sophomore Eli Rice can take a sudden jump down the stretch, this is probably the range for the Nittany Lions this season.
17. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
There's no Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper on this Rutgers team this year, and the offense has certainly missed them. The Scarlet Knights have one of the worst offenses anywhere in the country over the first two months of the 2025-26 campaign, averaging a measly 69 points per game so far. Yet, they did seem to find something on Monday night in a close win over Oregon. They scored 88 points in the win, with junior Tariq Francis exploding for 30 points. Could that give this team some much-needed momentum to get things rolling in the Big Ten? The schedule is not terrible over the next month if Steve Pikiell can get this team back on track.
18. Maryland Terrapins
The tenor of Maryland's entire season changed when big man Pharrel Payne went down with a scary injury in the win over Marquette in the fall. Payne was able to return and had some big moments, but hasn't played in nearly a month after getting injured again in the Michigan loss. Between his absence and the fact forward Solomon Washington has missed nearly half the games, too, it's no wonder the Terrapins are struggling. Washington appears to be working his way back, with 17 points against Oregon, but this is still an undermanned Maryland team. Buzz Williams is a coach that can create some magic, but it's hard to imagine this being a group that can seriously compete in this league given the early injury bug. Perhaps they right the ship, but this is likely a team that will spend this winter near the bottom of the Big Ten.
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