Big Ten Power Rankings

Melo Trimble (2)

College football season is winding down to a final halt, and that means one great thing: college basketball is heating up, as conference play has opened. The Big Ten, notorious for it's strength and craziness the past couple seasons, once more will play an important role on the national stage (nearly half of the Elite Eight teams hailed from the conference). While Wisconsin appears head and shoulders above the rest of the conference at the moment, there are a number of teams who are poised to make runs. Although it is very early in both conference play and the season as a whole, here are my Big Ten Power Rankings.

1. Wisconsin Badgers 15-1 overall record (3-0 conference)
Other than a tough non-conference loss to Duke (which clearly is a great team this season), the Badgers have played flawlessly. Versatile center Frank Kaminsky continues to be a popular Big Ten POY candidate as well as the National Player of the Year. The senior has shown an improved strength around the basket, mixed in with his consistently smooth three-point shot. Along with Kaminsky, the Badgers have a ton of length and depth in their backcourt, with Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and Duje Dukan as reinforcements. Bo Ryan had a great team a season ago when the Badgers rose to the Final Four, but this one could be even better. They have the smarts and experience of a typical Bo Ryan team but with even more depth and versatility. With all the talent on this roster, they could roll through the Big Ten and position themselves as a No. 1 seed.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes 13-3 overall record (2-1 conference)
One thing is very, very clear to both the Buckeyes and the rest of the Big Ten, highly touted guard D'Angelo Russell is the real deal. The explosive guard from Louisville is averaging 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, while shooting nearly 46% from downtown. While Ohio State has always been a stout defensive team under head coach Thad Matta, they really lacked a go-to scorer last year. With Russell emerging as that and the defense of Shannon Scott and shot-blocking ability of Sam Thompson, the Buckeyes have enough talent to keep up with Wisconsin. If Russell can continue his hot start to his collegiate career, Ohio State could be very dangerous down the stretch in 2015.

3. Michigan State Spartans 11-5 overall record (2-1 conference)
This appears to be a typical Tom Izzo team in East Lansing. A team that lost so much when Keith Appling and Adreian Payne graduated the Spartans limped to a relatively pedestrian non-conference posting. But, with a healthy Branden Dawson leading the way in the frontcourt and Denzel Valentin continuing to hit shots, Michigan State will only grow and get hot in Big Ten play, something they seem to do every single season. Though, the real need for the Spartans is a threat down low, something Izzo has had on every successful Spartans team. Matt Costello and Gavin Schilling are just two of a long list, but once the Spartans find one they will have the pieces set to be very strong in Big Ten play, evidenced by an impressive win over Iowa in Iowa City this week.

4. Maryland Terrapins 14-2 overall record (2-1 conference)
One of the newest members of the conference, Maryland appears to be a legitimate threat this season. Although many will be quick to call their non-conference schedule soft, they did beat Iowa State and Oklahoma State and had a nice showing against Virginia, who is still undefeated. Do-it-all guard Melo Trimble leads an explosive Terps' offense that has more weapons than any Mark Turgeron team up to this point. While Trimble and dynamic wing Dez Wells have been great, the major reason for Maryland's resurgence has been Jake Layman. A three-point sniper who couldn't find his groove through much of 2013-2014, Layman has been superb this season and has added a number of different layers to his game. While Maryland will have to adjust to the new conference, they have a very comfortable January schedule, other than Michigan State and Ohio State every game appears to be a clear win, which would put them in contention early in Big Ten play.

5. Iowa Hawkeyes 11-5 overall record (2-1 conference)
Head coach Fran McCaffrey might well have his best team in Iowa City, despite a tough loss to Michigan State earlier this week that snapped their undefeated conference record. Aaron White is among the nation's most underrated forwards, a versatile veteran who can score in a variety of ways. If Iowa can find a consistent three-point scorer to replace Roy Devyn Marble's production and big man Adam Woodbury can become a dominant low post presence, the Hawkeyes could be a dark horse down the stretch, contrary to last season, when the wheels fell off during the Hawkeyes' last couple weeks of play.