Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Week 1

Michigan State Spartans

Ranking: 1

Last Week: 1

Move: —

Michigan State lost this week to a top Duke team. Izzo and squad look set to dominate the Big Ten once again, even after a hard fought loss.

Maryland Terrapins

Ranking: 2

Last Week: 2

Move: —

​A 3-0 start to 2017 and a resume building win against Butler is just what Terrapin fans were looking for. The big question is can Cowan keep this stellar play up through the non-conference schedule?

Purdue Boilermakers

Ranking: 3

Last Week: 4

Move: UP 1

Purdue is averaging well over 90 PPG this season, and I am already over this team. If I have to hear one more time how this is a top-10 team I’m gonna puke. Let’s wait until they play another top team before we crown them.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Ranking: 4

Last Week: 3

Move: DOWN 1

​The non-chastised Pitino has Minnesota out to a 3-0 start and escaped a close game with Niagara with a win.

Wisconsin Badgers

Ranking: 5

Last Week: 5

Move: —

Wisconsin looks legit once again, and Andy Van Vliet has shown signs that he is ready to take the next step in his college career.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Ranking: 6

Last Week: 7

Move: UP 1

The Hawkeyes sit at 2-0 on the season, but the loss of Nicholas Baer may cost them a few games early in 2017.

Michigan Wolverines

Ranking: 7

Last Week: 8

Move: UP 1

Michigan looked great in their first game against UNF but struggled to put away CMU in their second matchup of the year. John Beilein’s squad may have some early season growing pains.

Northwestern Wildcats

Ranking: 8

Last Week: 6

Move: DOWN 2

​After beating Loyola and St. Peter’s by a combined 13 points, the Wildcats lost to Creighton on Wednesday. Forgive me if I assume Northwestern and its 12 fans are a bit overrated at this junction in the season.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Ranking: 9

Last Week: 10

Move: UP 1

After a 47-point win against Southern, the Illini struggled late to keep UT Martin down on Sunday. Their matchup with DePaul on on Friday will be the team’s first real test of 2017.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Ranking: 10

Last Week: 11

Move: UP 1

​The Nittany Lions may be 3-0, but so are a lot of other college basketball teams. Penn State got all they could handle from Montana this week.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ranking: 11

Last Week: 12

Move: UP 1

Ohio State opened with two home wins, but couldn’t quite pull away from Radford at home. The jury is still out on the potential for the Buckeyes in 2017.

Indiana Hoosiers

Ranking: 12

Last Week: 9

Move: DOWN 3

​It seems that Archie Miller has not yet arrived in Bloomington this season. How else do you explain a staggering loss to Indiana State and a loss to Seton Hall where you never really look competitive?

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Ranking: 13

Last Week: 13

Move: —

After barely beating EIU to open 2017, the Huskers followed up with a 19-point win over UNT. Nebraska could go a long way in announcing its talent with a win over St. John’s this week.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Ranking: 14

Last Week: 14

Move: —

​At 3-0, Rutgers has held two of its first three opponents under 40 points. Impressive, aside from the opponent.