A unanimous No. 1 squad solidified its place atop the Big Ten Power Rankings, for now.
As the regular season nears the homestretch, one of the nation’s premier hoops conferences continues to clash.
So, where does your team fall ? Head to Hoops HQ for ratings and analysis in February’s initial Big Ten Power Rankings.
*This article is part of an ongoing conference power ranking series. Read our recent editions using the buttons below.
1. Michigan (20-1)
Challenged with a pair of top-10 opponents in a four-day stretch, the Wolverines rose to the occasion, securing their spot atop the latest Big Ten Power Rankings. Led by remarkably consistent frontcourt play, as well as steady facilitating from Elliot Cadeau and freshman Trey McKenney, Michigan has rattled off six straight victories following its sole defeat of the season.
Hosting then-No. 5 Nebraska at the Crisler Center on Jan. 27, McKenney swiped the rock and converted on the other end, giving the Wolverines a lead they would not relinquish with just over a minute to go. Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr., one of three Michigan bigs averaging double-digit points and 7 or more rebounds, paced the Wolverines with 17 and 12.
Friday night in East Lansing, a hostile ‘Izzone’ hazed Dusty May pregame, visually screaming in the ears of the Michigan head man. Unfazed, May and his staff saw elite execution from their team, jumping out to a 20-7 lead early in the first half. The Spartans flirted with a second-half comeback, but 26 points and 12 boards from Yaxel Lendeborg became too much to handle.
2. Illinois (19-3)
Deemed by many as one of the toughest places to play in the country, Mackey Arena greeted freshman Keaton Wagler and his teammates with a cacophony of noise for a top-15 showdown on Jan. 24. By scoring the team’s first 14 points and 24 of the Illini’s 41 in the first half, Wagler kept the crowd at bay. Late in the second half, with Purdue trailing by a deuce, Wagler silenced the Boilermakers faithful, burying a dagger from the midrange with just 18 seconds to play. The first-year star finished the contest with a career-high 46 points.
Wagler, a four-star recruit who has burst on the scene in what is a loaded freshman class, struggled to open Sunday’s matchup with Nebraska, scoring just five points through the first 20 minutes. As he has done all season, Wagler showed remarkable poise, catching fire in the second half on the way to a team-high 28 points and a 78-69 Illinois victory.
Sunday’s win marked the 11th straight for the Illini and avenged their sole conference loss of the season, at home against the same Nebraska team on Dec. 13.
3. Nebraska (20-2)
Although Nebraska suffered its first two losses of the season, defeats at the hands of two of the hottest teams in the country hardly warrant a plummet in the rankings. The strength of this year’s Huskers squad, its defense, showed up in force for top-10 matchups with Michigan and Illinois, holding the top scoring teams in the Big Ten well below their averages.
Strong opening halves in each contest led to Nebraska leads at the break, but contrary to their most recent win at Minnesota, the Huskers returned to the floor with a lid on the rim for the second half. Most notably, leading scorer and sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort, who scored 34 points combined, scored all but eight of those in the first half. Rienk Mast has continued to struggle of late while battling illness. The usually reliable big man shot just 2 of 10 against the Illini.
4. Michigan State (19-3)
“To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. I did not like the way we played.”
In the aftermath of a rare defeat witnessed by a student section that bears his name, Tom Izzo lit up his team at the microphone. The Spartans came out flat in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of their season, and proved less physical than their in-state rivals.
Michigan State stormed back in the second half, even taking a 57-55 lead on a Jeremy Fears Jr. layup with under eight minutes to play. Fears, fresh off of a career-high night at Rutgers in which he scored 29 points, surpassed that total with 31 Friday night. Despite the comeback effort falling short, Michigan State will get another chance at a top-5 opponent on their home floor Saturday night against Illinois.
5. Purdue (18-4)
In the midst of their worst stretch of the season, offensive struggles have plagued a usually prolific scoring group. The Boilermakers, who sit No. 2 in offensive rating, according to KenPom, have fallen shy of 70 in three of their last five; Purdue is 2-3 in that span.
However, documented struggles from Fletcher Loyer, whom Matt Painter and his staff rely upon as a secondary scoring option, may have finally turned a page Sunday afternoon in College Park. Loyer, who entered the contest 6 of 21 from deep in the last five, drilled 7 of 10 long balls against Maryland.
6. Wisconsin (16-6)
A home loss to USC on Jan. 25 marked one of two blemishes on Wisconsin’s record in January. Greg Gard’s group bounced back nicely, taking care of Minnesota and Ohio State in Madison driven by the experienced backcourt duo of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd.
Blackwell, a junior, paced the Badgers’ scoring efforts with 23 and 22 points, respectively. A San Diego State transfer who began his career at FAU, Boyd added 21 points in each victory. A gauntlet awaits Wisconsin in the next 10 days, with a trip to No. 5 Illinois followed by a home tilt with No. 10 Michigan State looming.
7. Indiana (15-7)
Following his first marquee win as head coach of Indiana, Darian DeVries praised the Hoosiers faithful.
“We want this to be the loudest, toughest place that there is, not only in the Big Ten, but in the country,” DeVries said. “Because it does matter and it does make a difference in games.”
With then-No. 12 Purdue threatening to overtake Indiana, Tucker DeVries dished to Conor Enright, a DePaul transfer averaging under 5 points per game this season. An unlikely hero, Enright buried the triple and clinched a rivalry victory for an elated home crowd.
8. UCLA (15-7)
Amidst the confusion and discontent brought on by Charles Bediako’s return to college basketball, former UCLA guard Amari Bailey is the latest to make waves in that area. Bailey, who committed to the Bruins as a five-star recruit in the class of 2022, was selected 41st overall by the Hornets in the 2023 NBA Draft and suited up for 10 NBA games. Now, he attempts his return to the collegiate level.
Directing the focus back to the players suiting up for the blue and gold this season, Mick Cronin’s group struggled defensively in a 98-97 double-overtime loss to Indiana. Cronin, who lamented that performance postgame, got 25 and 24 points from his backcourt pairing of Trent Perry and Donovan Dent, respectively.
The Bruins, who sit as a 10-seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology, host Rutgers and Washington before facing three consecutive top-10 opponents (at No. 2 Michigan, at No. 10 Michigan State, vs. No. 5 Illinois).
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9. Iowa (16-5)
A surgical performance from Bennett Stirtz drove an ideal start to a Pacific Northwest road trip for the Hawkeyes. Sunday night in Eugene, the Drake transfer uncorked for a career-high 34 points, added 7 dimes and zero giveaways.
Stirtz stepped back, rose up and buried his first three-pointer of the game just before the under-12 media timeout to give Iowa an 18-17 lead. The Hawkeyes dominated from there, and the rim became the size of the ocean for Stirtz, who finished the contest 12 of 15 from the floor.
10. Ohio State (14-7)
The emergence of sophomore John Mobley Jr. may have come out of nowhere to many fans across the country. For Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler, however, the play of his star sophomore comes as no surprise at all, something he attributes to Mobley’s incredible work ethic.
“It’s why I have such trust and belief in him, because I know the work that he puts in,” Diebler said.
Mobley averaged more than 25 points in a four-game stretch from Jan. 17 to Jan. 26, driving Ohio State wins over UCLA, Minnesota and Penn State. On the road at then-No. 3 Michigan, Mobley delivered a team-high 22 points in a loss.
11. USC (16-6)
A career-high outburst from an unsuspecting journeyman drove USC to the brink of a crucial road victory against Iowa on Jan. 28. However, in spite of a 33-point clinic from Kam Woods, a Robert Morris transfer suiting up for his fifth unique university this season, the Trojans fell 73-72.
Inconsistency and a porous defense (which ranks No. 16 in the Big Ten in points allowed) have prevented USC from going on any winning streaks of significance in conference play. The Trojans survived visiting Rutgers Saturday evening thanks in large part to 21 points and 7 rebounds from Ezra Ausar.
12. Washington (12-10)
Flipped a hand littered with injuries, top-1o opponents and arduous travel, Danny Sprinkle’s group has done everything they can to stay afloat. Sure, the Huskies have won just three of their last eight, but with all five losses coming against top-15 opponents, it becomes tough to fault a Huskies squad riddled with ailments.
Saturday night in Evanston, three Huskies surpassed the 20-point mark on the way to a 76-62 victory over Northwestern. Freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, who has provided a consistent bright spot in Seattle, finished the contest with his fourth consecutive double-double. The Germany native is averaging 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds, the latter of which is good for third nationally.
13. Northwestern (10-12)
The nation’s leading scorer resides in Evanston. A senior forward who attended nearby Glenbrook South High School, Nick Martinelli’s 23.7 points per game paces the country. Thursday night against Penn State, Martinelli matched a career-best 34 points, shooting a lights out 13 of 19 from the floor.
Despite a home loss to Washington to cap the week, coach Chris Collins expressed pleasure in the way his Wildcats have played, winners of two of their last four.
“Regardless of wins, losses, I’ve just felt better about the way we’ve approached ourselves heading into these games,” Collins said.
14. Minnesota (10-12)
Frigid temperatures and heavy snowstorms blasted the U.S. for much of the past week, coinciding with an icy streak for the Golden Gophers offense. Minnesota, which ranks second to last in the Big Ten at just 71.8 points per contest, has dropped seven straight.
Niko Medved’s team scored more than 70 just three times in that span. To make matters worse, UNC transfer Cade Tyson, who began the season on a tear, seems to have hit a wall. The senior has failed to surpass the 20-point mark in each of his last seven games.
15. Rutgers (9-13)
One of just two Scarlet Knights averaging double-figure scoring numbers, NJIT transfer Tariq Francis ranked as the No. 499 transfer recruit this offseason, according to 247.
Although Rutgers suffered its fifth consecutive defeat Saturday at USC, production from Francis has allowed the Scarlet Knights to compete. On Jan. 27, Rutgers pushed Michigan State to the brink behind 23 points from Franics before falling 88-79 in overtime. Against the Trojans, Francis’ 26 drove a furious rally from the Scarlet Knights, who fell just shy, 78-75.
16. Oregon (8-14)
A season derailed by injuries has tanked the hopes of the Ducks, who entered the season relying on production from the experienced duo of Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad.
With Bittle and Shelstad sidelined, Oregon has dropped eight straight. Dana Altman’s team is in serious danger of finishing below .500, which would mark the first time in Altman’s tenure in Eugene. The Ducks have dropped their last seven by an average of 16.9 points per game.
17. Penn State (10-12)
In many ways, Penn State’s securing of its first conference win epitomized the struggle the 2025-26 season has been. With the game tied at 75 and time winding down, freshman Kayden Mingo drove the lane, where he was met by Minnesota forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson.
Mingo pivoted, worked his way around Crocker-Johnson and flipped in a left-handed finger roll with just a second to play. The crowd erupted as leather swished through nylon, and the Nittany Lions came away with a 77-75 victory.
18. Maryland (8-13)
A ridiculous hot streak from Kansas transfer David Coit aided Maryland’s avoidance of the cellar in the previous power rankings. Unfortunately, as Coit has cooled off, averaging just 11.3 points per game in the last three, so have the Terrapins.
Maryland dropped seven of its eight games in January by more than 21 points per contest.
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