By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – With a sample size that now seems big enough to know something about each of the 14 Big Ten men’s basketball teams, here is my first conference power rankings.

Iowa's next game is against Northern Iowa on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

1. Michigan, 2-0, 10-0 – John Beilein looks like a college professor whose class I would have struggled in.

2. Michigan State, 2-0, 8-2 – Tom Izzo should consider hypnotizing his players before every game so they believe that they’re facing Iowa at the Breslin Center.

3. Indiana, 2-0, 8-2 – Hoosier basketball fans should take on Nebraska football fans in a battle of who lives more in the past. But it has to happen in a hurry because both programs are on the rise.

4. Ohio State, 2-0, 8-1 – The Buckeyes are tough to read, but with only one loss at this stage, and with victories over Cincinnati, Creighton and Minnesota, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.   

5. Wisconsin, 2-0, 8-2 – Coming off a rare losing season, the Badgers are back to normal, winning games in a boring, methodical and predictable fashion.

6. Nebraska, 1-1, 8-2 – Tim Miles is determined to prove that Nebraska is more than just a volleyball school.

7. Maryland, 1-1, 8-2 – Maryland coach Mark Turgeon always looks like he can’t find his keys.

8. Minnesota, 1-1, 8-2 – Richard Pitino hasn’t lived up to his father’s standards as a head coach, and let’s hope that he hasn’t lived down to his father’s standards as a person.

9. Iowa, 0-2, 7-2 – Barring a huge upset, the Hawkeyes should finish 11-0 in nonconference play, and have already suffered their annual beat-down at Michigan State. So this ranking could change for the better.

10. Purdue, 1-1, 6-4 – The Boilermakers might have the best player in the conference in junior guard Carsen Edwards, but his supporting cast leaves much to be desired.

11. Northwestern, 0-2, 7-3 – The renovation of Welsh-Ryan Arena is so far the high point to Northwestern’s season.  

12. Penn State, 0-2, 5-4 – It has been seven years since Penn State last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2011, and signs now point to that streak reaching eight years.

13. Rutgers, 0-2, 5-4 – Anytime Rutgers isn’t at the bottom of the conference standings is an accomplishment, and an embarrassment for the team, or teams, below it.

14. llinois, 0-2, 3-7 – Illinois coach Brad Underwood looks like the angriest person on the planet, pretty much from start to finish of each game.