Showcase nonconference wins by Michigan, Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State headlined a brilliant start to the season for the elite class of Big Ten hoops. New head coaches at Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota continue to gain their footing, while UCLA and Wisconsin push to make their case for the top tier.
Yet, as all college hoops sickos know, the season can be a rollercoaster. Historic losses, jaw-dropping wins and more have rampaged their way through the conference as December gets under way.
So, who holds the top spot in one of basketball’s premier conferences? Look no further than Hoops HQ to find definitive Big Ten power rankings.
*This is our third installment in a conference power ranking series which so far includes the Big East, ACC and Big 12.
1. Michigan (9-0)
Back-to-back wallopings of No. 21 Auburn and No. 8 Gonzaga secured the Players Era Festival title for Michigan, along with the top spot in this month’s Big Ten power rankings. A strong, dynamic frontcourt trio of transfer forwards lead the way for second-year head man Dusty May, whose reliance on his big men has propelled him to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
In the backcourt, North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau, four-star freshman Trey McKenney and the experienced Roddy Gayle Jr. control the tempo.
And oh yeah, the Wolverines have four victories by 40 or more through eight games, including three versus high-major opponents. Look out for May and Michigan in the Big Ten and beyond.
2. Michigan State (8-1)
Just down the road in East Lansing, Tom Izzo’s Spartans are off to an outstanding start of their own. Although they succumbed to a second-half Cameron Boozer onslaught that saw the top-five recruit score 16 of his 18 points to lead a Duke comeback victory, Sparty more than held their own against the No. 4 Blue Devils.
Sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr., whom Izzo called “as good as any guard I’ve ever had,” has taken on an increased facilitating role, averaging a career-high 9.8 dimes per contest for an MSU squad with three Top-25 wins under their belt (Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina). Senior forward Jaxon Kohler leads the way in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (9.6).
3. Purdue (9-1)
Sure, the Boilermakers suffered a historic loss for a home team ranked No.1 in the AP Poll, tying the record with a 23-point defeat. Sure, the home crowd at Mackey Arena witnessed what Matt Painter described as “an avalanche” as Iowa State took it to the Boilers, handing them their first loss of the season in disheartening 81-58 fashion.
However, current No. 4 Iowa State has been on a tear to start the season, cruising to wins over Syracuse and Creighton, along with a nail-biter over then No. 14 St. John’s. However, Purdue’s big three of Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith finished a combined 8 of 25 while contributing to 11 of the team’s 15 turnovers.
While the loss will surely be a wakeup call for Painter’s formerly top-ranked squad, it far from warrants a plummet in the power rankings for a team with two top-15 wins on the season.
4. Illinois (8-2)
The Illini, who boast the No. 2 scoring offense in the Big Ten (88.6 points per game), carried that success into conference play with an 88-80 victory in Columbus. The backcourt trio of Kylan Boswell, Andrej Stojaković and four-star freshman Keaton Wagler top the squad’s scoring charts.
Coach Brad Underwood assembled The Avengers of east European forwards to handle frontcourt duties. David Mirkovic, a four-star recruit out of Serbia, leads Illinois with 9.5 boards per contest while the Ivisic brothers, Tomislav and Zvonimir, steady the defensive front. Former Evansville transfer Ben Humrichous has contributed off the bench, averaging 22.5 minutes per game.
5. Nebraska (10-0)
One of two remaining unbeatens in the conference, Fred Hoiberg’s Huskers handled business in nonconference play. Nebraska took down Oklahoma and Kansas State and added a thrashing of crosstown rival Creighton. Wednesday night, they clobbered Wisconsin to open their conference slate.
Rienk Mast, a native of the Netherlands who began his career with three seasons at Bradley, is leading the team in scoring (18.1 points per game) after missing all of last season due to injury. Former Iowa sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort found his stroke in the team’s second game, scoring 20 points on six three-point makes to contribute to his 15.8 per contest. Hoiberg’s son, Sam, a senior who earned his time to start through years of waiting, leads the Huskers in assists and steals.
6. UCLA (7-2)
Despite a slow start from HHQ’s No. 20 ranked player in this year’s Top 100, Donovan Dent, the Bruins find themselves 7-2 with a pair of Big Ten wins. Dent, who transferred from New Mexico as a top portal option, has struggled in his first games near his hometown of Riverside, averaging just 12 points while shooting 36 percent from the field. The guard is finding his teammates, however, averaging 6.4 assists per game.
Picking up some slack while Dent gets going, key returners Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. have steadily produced. Bilodeau leads the Bruins in scoring at 15.6 points per contest while Dailey Jr. has brought in a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game. Mick Cronin’s UCLA squad battled with then-No. 5 Arizona in a four-point loss and will get a chance at nonconference redemption with a monster opponent awaiting them in No. 8 Gonzaga on Saturday night.
7. Iowa (8-2)
The Bennett Stirtz show has made its way to Iowa City. Stirtz, who followed head coach Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake and finally to Iowa, is the sole Hawkeye averaging double figures in scoring at 18.8 points per contest. Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who hosted Stirtz and Iowa in Ames Thursday night, said the senior’s decision making jumps off the tape.
“He makes the right decision over and over and over again,” Otzelberger said. “Whether it’s a point guard, a quarterback, guys who consistently make the right decision and you can tell he has a lot of pride in doing that.”
Strong outings from Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu helped the Hawkeyes open up a 13-point first half lead, but a rare off-night from Stirtz, combined with a suffocating second-half performance on the defensive end from the Cyclones halted any chance of an Iowa upset.
8. Wisconsin (7-3)
A season ago, Missouri transfer John Tonje led the Badgers in scoring on the way to a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance. A fellow John has paved the way for Wisconsin in 2025-26, as junior John Blackwell is averaging 21 points per contest to start the season. His backcourt mate, San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd, has gotten off to a career-high start (20.2 points per game).
For the Badgers, a steady third option remains crucial. In each of their losses, by 28 to then-No. 9 BYU, by 11 to TCU and by 30 to No. 23 Nebraska, Blackwell or Boyd failed to perform at their best. When asked to step up their scoring production, transfers Andrew Rohde (Virginia) and Austin Rapp (Portland), along with Nolan Winter, were unable to do so.
9. Indiana (8-2)
While second-year head man Curt Cignetti continues to make history on the gridiron in Bloomington, first-year coach Darian DeVries and his transfer-stacked squad have settled in nicely to their initial season together. Although Indiana suffered back-to-back losses at Minnesota and versus then-No. 6 Louisville, they have cruised to each of their victories, including a 113-72 whooping of Penn State Tuesday night.
Five unique Hoosiers have topped the scoring charts in a game thus far, but Sam Houston transfer Lamar Wilkerson paces the group with 18.8 points per contest. He uncorked for a program-record 10 three-point makes in the win over the Nittany Lions for a total of 44 points. Tucker DeVries, who migrated with his Dad from West Virginia, sits just below that mark at 17.2 points per game.
10. USC (9-1)
Transfer stars Chad Baker-Mazara and Rodney Rice have opened the season on a tear for the Trojans, with both averaging more than 20 points per game. Baker-Mazara, who committed to his fifth collegiate destination this offseason, played a key role in Auburn’s Final Four run last season. Rice, a vital piece of Maryland’s ‘Crab Five’, left a Nov. 25 matchup with Seton Hall due to a shoulder injury.
In Rice’s absence, USC started 1-1 in conference play. Unfortunately for Eric Musselman and the Trojans, a collapse that saw them surrender an 18-point halftime lead at home to Washington followed a solid road win in Eugene, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the Trojan faithful. They took care of business in their most recent contest with San Diego, and will get a chance at redemption with a fellow Evergreen state foe, Washington State, on Saturday night in LA.
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11. Ohio State (7-2)
A puzzling loss to a Pitt team with defeats at the hands of Quinnipiac and Hofstra sank the Buckeyes to the bottom half of the power rankings. Bruce Thornton, Ohio State’s senior leader, is averaging 21.7 points per game, good for seventh in the nation. He exploded for 34 on 13 of 17 shooting from the floor Tuesday in a loss to Illinois.
Mid-major transfer big men roam the paint for Jake Diebler’s squad. Christoph Tilly, who played his first three seasons at Santa Clara, has gotten off to career-best averages in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (5.3). Brandon Noel, a Wright State transfer, continues to work toward consistent production at the high-major level. The Buckeyes now shift their focus to a pair of quality nonconference opponents: West Virginia and North Carolina.
12. Washington (6-3)
Battling with UCLA on their home floor just three days before they were set to take on USC, Washington erased a 16-point deficit. After a Donovan Dent missed free throw gave the Huskies a chance at a buzzer-beating shot, Zoom Diallo’s three-pointer missed long, and Washington fell 82-80.
Fast forward to Dec. 6, more than 1,000 miles down the Pacific coast, and Danny Sprinkle’s Huskies would not be denied, coming back from an 18-point halftime deficit to hand USC its first loss of the season. Freshman forward and Germany native Hannes Steinbach finished the contests with 29 and 24 points, respectively. His 18.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game lead the team. Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III, a pair of SC transfers, along with Diallo have formed a solid backcourt trio for Washington.
13. Minnesota (5-5)
Niko Medved opened his first season in the Big Ten with a triumph over another first-year head man in DeVries. The Golden Gophers held Tucker DeVries to his lowest scoring output of the season and got 17 points out of North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson on the way to a 73-64 win.
A North Carolina native, Tyson is enjoying a career year after playing two seasons at Belmont and the last at UNC. The senior ranks top-five nationally in scoring at 21.8 points per contest. Unfortunately for Gopher fans, Minnesota dropped three consecutive games versus San Francisco, Stanford and Santa Clara.
14. Penn State (8-2)
An inexperienced Nittany Lion squad has taken the floor for Mike Rhoades and Penn State to start the season. In fact, three of PSU’s consistent starters are true freshmen, including Kayden Mingo, who leads the team with 15.4 points per game.
Unfortunately for Rhoades and his staff, the young cubs could not withstand the Lamar Wilkerson barrage in Bloomington Tuesday night. As the Big Ten schedule unfolds, matchups with all five of the conference’s currently ranked squads will undoubtedly test this year’s Penn State team.
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15. Oregon (4-5)
Throughout Dana Altman’s tenure in Eugene, the Ducks have displayed a tendency to start slow. During the 2023-24 season, the final of the Pac-12’s existence, Oregon started 16-8. However, following a home loss to Washington State, Altman’s team went on a tear, losing just three games the rest of the year on the way to a Pac-12 tournament title and a Round of 32 appearance.
Although it is early, time may quickly be running out for this year’s squad. The Ducks have dropped each of their first two conference matchups, adding to their current five-game losing streak. The guard and center combo of Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle have shown up, but with Bittle battling injuries and the supporting cast struggling to keep up, Altman and Oregon may be in for a long season.
16. Northwestern (5-4)
“I’m sick of losing.” This sentiment from star senior Nick Martinelli followed the Wildcats’ third consecutive defeat, this time an 86-82 home loss to Ohio State. Martinelli, a hometown star who attended nearby Glenbrook South High School, poured in 32 points in the contest. He averages a team-best 21.1 points per game thus far.
Northwestern is set to enter a stretch of nonconference play in which they will be favored in all four matchups, but when the Big Ten schedule resumes, coach Chris Collins and his staff will more than have their hands full.
17. Maryland (6-4)
All four of the Terrapins’ early season losses came against respectable opponents. Pharrel Payne, a Texas A&M transfer averaging 18.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and David Coit, a Kansas transfer, have led the way for Buzz Williams.
However, following the loss of the entire starting five and their head coach from last season, the outlook appears bleak for this season’s Maryland squad. They fell 83-64 at Iowa to open Big Ten play and will prepare to welcome No. 2 Michigan into College Park Saturday night.
18. Rutgers (5-5)
Programs like Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky replace top draft picks like clockwork. For Rutgers, which lost Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, a pair of top-five selections, the vacancy has been too much to overcome.
The Scarlet Knights certainly deserve a bit of grace due to their opening Big Ten schedule: then-No. 1 Purdue and current No. 2 Michigan. Unfortunately, a talent-depleted roster combined with a 67-54 home loss to Central Connecticut State cannot be glossed over, and Rutgers lands at the bottom of the power rankings.
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