Harty: My latest Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings
IOWA CITY, Iowa – As we near the finish of the 2015-16 Big Ten men’s basketball race, the Indiana Hoosiers have taken a slight lead in my latest conference power rankings.
The Hoosiers have earned the top spot, partly by default with Iowa losing at Penn State and Maryland losing at Minnesota in the past week. Indiana helped its cause by hanging on to defeat Purdue at home on Saturday.
It is close to becoming a four-team race between Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State and Maryland, although, Ohio State and Wisconsin are only two games behind Indiana and Iowa in the loss column.
1. Indiana 12-3, 22-6 – The Hoosiers have come a long way since being 5-3 after an embarrassing 94-74 loss to Duke in early December. Senior point guard Yogi Ferrell is performing like a Big Ten Player of the Year of Year candidate, but is also getting plenty of help from a talented supporting cast that includes freshman center Thomas Bryant and Michigan transfer Max Bielfeldt.
2. Iowa 11-3, 20-6 – Iowa’s status as an elite team is now being questioned after a three-game stretch in which the Hawkeyes lost at Indiana, struggled to defeat Minnesota at home and then lost at Penn State. The Hawkeyes will have had a week off when they face Wisconsin on Wednesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has been hurt recently by the absence of a reliable third scorer to complement Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok and by poor free throwing shooting.
3. Michigan State 9-5, 22-5 – This might be too low of a ranking, considering the Spartans have won six of their last seven games and because Denzel Valentine is healthy and arguably the best collegiate player in the country. Having Tom Izzo as your head coach doesn’t hurt, either.
But I refuse to rank Michigan State ahead of Iowa, which already has completed a regular-season sweep against the Spartans, winning both games by double figures.
4. Maryland 11-4, 23-5 – The Big Ten’s most talented team still is a head-scratching work in progress, evidenced by its 68-63 loss at lowly Minnesota on Thursday. The Gophers entered the game 0-13 in Big Ten play, while Maryland entered with a roster filled with future NBA players.
5. Purdue 9-6, 21-7 – Good, but rarely great has been the narrative for Purdue this season. There just hasn’t been enough perimeter scoring to complement Purdue’s productive and massive frontline.
6. Ohio State 10-5, 18-10 – The Buckeyes are quietly staying within striking distance, having won four Big Ten games in a row.
7. Michigan 9-6, 19-9 – If only star guard Caris Levert could’ve stayed healthy this season. The Wolverines can beat just about anybody on any given day with or without Levert. But without him, consistency has been a problem.
8. Wisconsin 9-5, 17-10 – Just when you thought it was time to dismiss the Badgers from NCAA Tournament consideration, they catch fire under interim head coach Greg Gard, winning seven games in a row. The streak ended with a loss at Michigan State this past Thursday, but talk of Wisconsin’s demise was premature. The Badgers overcame a double-digit deficit to defeat Illinois on Sunday in Madison, Wis.
9. Nebraska 6-9, 14-14 – This was considered a rebuilding season under fourth-year head coach Tim Miles, but it’s been slightly better than that. Nebraska has 10 underclassmen on its roster, suggesting that better days lie ahead.
10. Penn State 5-9, 14-13 – In his fifth season as head coach, Pat Chambers finally might have the Nittany Lions moving in the right direction. Penn State has won three of its last four games.
11. Northwestern 5-9, 17-10 – The Wildcats are improving under Chris Collins, but still need a few more pieces in order to make the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. Perhaps next season will see that elusive milestone finally come true because it’s unlikely to happen this season.
12. Illinois 4-10, 12-15 – Injuries have taken the fight out of what probably was an average Fighting Illini team at full strength. They took a double-digit lead against Wisconsin on Sunday, but couldn’t sustain it.
13. Minnesota 1-13 7-19 – The Gophers had been close to pulling off an upset in several gamwes before finally getting over the hump against Maryland on Thursday at home. Joey King’s post-game interview in which the senior forward thanked the fans and praised his younger teammates was a thing of beauty.
14. Rutgers 0-14, 6-21 – The Scarlet Knights are the Big Ten’s most consistent team, but for all the wrong reasons.