A shocker in Ann Arbor left the nation with just three remaining unbeatens. In the Cornhusker State, the magic lives on, at least for another week.
So, with chaos unfolding and second-half mayhem nearing its peak, where does your squad fall?
Look no further than Hoops HQ for definitive Big Ten Power Rankings as January nears its close.
*This article is part of an ongoing conference power ranking series. Read our recent editions using the buttons below.
1. Michigan (16-1)
Wisconsin dismantled the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Jan. 10, putting an end to Michigan’s hopes of an undefeated season. Despite this, Michigan maintained its stronghold on the top spot in HHQ’s Big Ten Power Rankings.
A West Coast trip culminated in a pair of 10-point victories over Washington and Oregon. As has been the theme for Dusty May-led teams, portal stars dominated the stat sheet in the PNW.
UCLA transfer Aday Mara poured in a season-high 20 points against the Huskies, while Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. snared 16 rebounds, a season best of his own that included 5 offensive boards. In Eugene, UNC transfer Elliot Cadeau delivered one of his best performances of the season, tallying 17 points and 5 assists.
2. Purdue (17-1)
Matt Painter’s crew displayed an ability to win in a variety of ways Saturday night in Los Angeles. The Boilermakers, who boast the nation’s No. 1 offense according to KenPom, found themselves in a dogfight with a gritty, experienced USC squad, leading just 65-64 with 15 seconds to play.
Stepping to the line with a chance to ice the game, the veteran backcourt duo of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer did just that, shooting 4 of 4. The victory, fueled by 13 forced turnovers, propelled Purdue to a first-place tie in the Big Ten standings and secured win No. 1,000 for the program. Smith continues to make his case for National Player of the Year, averaging a nation-leading 9.4 dimes per contest.
3. Nebraska (18-0)
One of three remaining unbeatens in the country, the Huskers walloped inferior opponents following a couple of road scares. After finding ways to win versus Indiana (in a game Nebraska trailed by 16 in the first half) and Ohio State (who had a look to send the game to overtime in Columbus), Nebraska handled business against Oregon and Northwestern.
In the 90-55 shellacking of the Ducks, Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort saw a rim the size of the ocean, drilling seven long balls on his way to 28 points. The heater carried over to Saturday afternoon in Evanston, where Wildcats fans watched Sandfort splash five more three-pointers. Freshman forward Braden Frager enjoyed a week similar to Sandfort’s, scoring a career-high 23 against Oregon with an additional seven three-point makes, before dropping 20 on Saturday.
4. Michigan State (16-2)
Ranked No. 2 in the conference in opponent points per game, Tom Izzo’s group has stymied their last four opponents, surrendering just 60 points per contest in that stretch. A career-high night for Jeremy Fears Jr. on Jan. 13 versus Indiana garnered praise from the legendary coach.
“As I said all along, when the head is good, the body is good,” Izzo said. “When the head dies, the body dies. He is our head and the better he plays, I think the better we play.”
Fears filled up the stat sheet in the victory over the Hoosiers, totaling 23 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds and a pair of steals. For an encore, the sophomore scored 19 at Washington and swiped three more.
5. Illinois (15-3)
Each of the five starters average double-figures in Champaign, driving an offense that ranks second to only Michigan in scoring in the Big Ten. Led by Keaton Wagler, a true freshman who is averaging 16.1 points per contest, Illinois has not lost in more than a month.
Battling a raucous crowd and a scrappy then-No. 19 Iowa team, steady backcourt play from Wagler, Kylan Boswell and Cal transfer Andrej Stojaković helped Illinois hold on for a 75-69 win. The trio scored 19, 17 and 17 points, respectively. In the paint, freshman David Mirkovic leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.
6. Iowa (13-5)
In a world where teams are rewarded for quality of loss, Ben McCollum’s Hawkeyes would possess a strong argument for the No. 1 spot. Their losses include: then-No. 7 Michigan State, then-No. 4 Iowa State, then-No. 16 Illinois and then-No. 5 Purdue, with all but one of those on the road.
Unfortunately for Hawkeyes fans, the AP Poll and HHQ’s power rankings do not, and they remain on the outside looking in at the top five. Iowa bounced back nicely from three consecutive defeats, dominating Indiana 74-57 in Bloomington on Jan. 17. Drake transfer Bennett Stirtz led the way with 27 points. Tavion Banks, who transferred with Stirtz, uncorked for a career-high 26 in the win.
7. Wisconsin (13-5)
Four straight victories for the Badgers earned Wisconsin the largest climb in this edition of Big Ten Power Rankings. Greg Gard’s team, who walked into the Crisler Center as a 19-point underdog and trailed by 11 in the first half, shocked the nation with a 91-88 win.
John Blackwell, a senior leader for Gard, delivered a game-high 26 points versus Michigan. Locked in a tie game with their border state rivals, Blackwell buried a buzzer-beating three to secure a 78-75 victory over Minnesota. San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd, who leads the team with 19.9 points per game, paced the group with 32 points against Rutgers Saturday afternoon.
Wanna Bet? Texas at Kentucky Leads Wednesday, January 21’s Picks
The Wanna Bet? team is counting on Kentucky’s offense to stay hot at home. Northwestern at USC and Memphis at Tulsa round out a packed day of college hoops.
8. USC (14-4)
Defensive struggles that have plagued the Trojans all season evaporated Saturday night versus then-No. 5 Purdue. The offense could not pick up the slack, however, as Chad Baker-Mazara struggled once more.
The senior still leads USC with 18.9 points per contest, but his reliability has come into question of late. UNC Asheville transfer Jordan Marsh scored a season-high 20 on Jan. 13 against Maryland. Big man Ezra Ausar has produced consistently, finishing with double-digit points in the last nine games.
9. Indiana (12-6)
In the midst of the toughest stretch of their season, the Hoosiers have floundered. After relinquishing a 16-point lead at home versus then-No. 10 Nebraska, Indiana fell to Michigan State and Iowa by a combined 38 points. On Jan. 20, they head to Ann Arbor to take on No. 2 Michigan.
Lamar Wilkerson continues to be the engine for Darian DeVries’ offense as his son continues to struggle. While Tucker DeVries has averaged under 9.0 points per game in the last five, Wilkerson led the Hoosiers’ scoring efforts in all but one. His 32 versus Nebraska pushed the Huskers to the brink.
10. Ohio State (12-5)
Alternating 28-point performances from Bruce Thornton and sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. resulted in just one victory for the Buckeyes, who fell at Washington on Jan. 11 before defeating UCLA on their home floor on Jan. 17.
The latter 28, delivered by Mobley, was backed up by 22 points from Devin Royal, a junior who sits just behind Mobley on the scoring chart at 14.4 points per contest. Ohio State will host Minnesota Wednesday night, with a mammoth upset chance against their arch rival looming Friday night in Ann Arbor.
11. UCLA (12-6)
The Bruins dropped the battle for the final spot in the top 10 Saturday afternoon, in spite of a 30-point masterpiece from Tyler Bilodeau. Following the 86-74 loss, head coach Mick Cronin ripped into his defense, which ranks in the bottom half of the conference.
“In my opinion, we don’t have anybody interested in rising to that challenge, we had nobody interested in rising to the challenge defensively,” Cronin said. “Everybody wants somebody else to get the dirty work, we’re a team that struggles to have dirty work guys.”
Cronin, who rarely minces his words in postgame remarks, has continued to watch New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent struggle. His 12.4 points per contest would be a significant drop from a season ago (20.4). Former four-star recruit Trent Perry provided a bright spot for the Bruins’ backcourt in a 71-60 win at Penn State on Jan. 14, however, exploding for a career-best 3o points.
12. Minnesota (10-8)
Following a loss at the buzzer to rival Wisconsin on their home floor, Niko Medved’s Golden Gophers headed to the locker room tied with then-No. 13 Illinois Saturday afternoon. Ultimately, the Illini pulled away, handing Minnesota its third consecutive defeat and dropping the Gophers below .500 in conference play.
Colorado State transfer Jaylen Crocker-Johnson has found a rhythm in Minneapolis, finishing with 10 or more points in 14 of the last 15. Without a monstrous performance from Cade Tyson, who leads the team with 20.8 points per contest, the Gophers have continued to struggle offensively. (Their 72.8 points per game ranks second to last in the Big Ten.)
13. Washington (10-8)
Injuries continue to derail what looked to be a promising start to the season in Seattle. The most recent blow, the loss of USC transfer Desmond Claude for the remainder of the year due to an ankle injury, cost the Huskies their third-leading scorer.
As the number of players donning street clothes on the bench climbs, Danny Sprinkle’s group perseveres. UW fell by 10 to then-No. 4 Michigan on Jan. 14, a rather underwhelming margin of victory for one of the nation’s best teams. In that contest, which the Huskies kept close throughout, true freshman JJ Mandaquit delivered a career-best 15 points. Fellow freshman Hannes Steinbach leads the team in scoring (17.8) and rebounding (11.1).
14. Rutgers (9-9)
The third 30-point performance of the season from Tariq Francis drove the Scarlet Knights to a 77-75 overtime win over Northwestern. Francis, a NJIT transfer who averaged 19.2 points per game last season, has proven streaky, finishing under 40 percent from the floor in four of the last seven. However, he finished with 30 or more in the other three.
A Rutgers squad that ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring (70.7) flutters without explosions of that extent. Aside from Francis, the lone member of the Scarlet Knights to average double figures is sophomore forward Dylan Grant at 11.8 points per contest.
15. Maryland (8-10)
David Coit is averaging 36.5 points per game in his last two outings. No, you did not misread that. Your eyes did not deceive you. The Kansas transfer poured in 31 at USC, before erupting for a career-high 43 points, which narrowly surpassed the 41 he scored on Nov. 19. He canned nine three-pointers in the 43-point outburst, which matched a program record.
“I thought he was gonna have 100 points today,” said Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades.
Unfortunately for the Terrapins, they will need that out of Coit and then some in the next three games, with No. 11 Illinois, No. 10 Michigan State and No. 4 Purdue next on the schedule.
16. Oregon (8-10)
Staying afloat became all the more difficult in Eugene last weekend, with coach Dana Altman announcing that point guard Jackson Shelstad is likely out for the season. Losing a facilitator and leader hurts for the Ducks. When the news of Nate Bittle’s extended absence was reported, however, it likely put a dagger in Oregon’s hopes for 2025-26.
With injuries to each of their top scorers subduing the Ducks, Altman’s squad fought valiantly on their home floor versus then-No. 4 Michigan, falling 81-71. Sean Stewart, an Ohio State transfer and former highly-touted recruit delivered his best game as a Duck, finishing with 22 points and 8 rebounds.
17. Northwestern (8-10)
Nick Martinelli surpassed 20 points in each of the last six games for Northwestern. His 23.2 points per game ranks No. 2 nationally. Yet, the Wildcats won just one of those contests, an 80-60 victory over Howard in which Martinelli scored 32.
Northwestern has since lost five consecutive conference games. Yes, three were to top-15 teams in Michigan State, Illinois and Nebraska, but the Wildcats also blundered winnable matchups with Minnesota and Rutgers. Thus, the search for its first Big Ten win continues for Northwestern in 2026.
18. Penn State (9-9)
A Nittany Lions defense that allows 76.3 points per game surrendered 96 at Maryland Sunday morning. For the second to worst defense in the conference, it is their third time conceding more than 90 points this season.
Continuing to provide a rare bright spot for Penn State fans, freshman Kayden Wingo leads the team in scoring (15.2), assists (4.5) and steals (2.4). The guard returned from a broken nose suffered in practice against Maryland, pouring in 19 points.
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