Ohio State finally enters Big Ten play as the league favorite and atop the AnnArbor.com Power Rankings
Big Ten teams launched conference basketball action this week and it's already included some expected results and some surprises.
So there is a big shakeup in the middle and bottom of this week's Big Ten basketball Power Rankings but one thing remains the same.
Ohio State is at the top. Where did Michigan fall to after a 23-point blowout to Purdue? Find out after the jump. And if you want to talk about it, leave a comment.
1) Ohio State (13-0, 0-0, 1): The Buckeyes haven’t played a Big Ten game, but Ohio State just continues to roll through the non-conference play, annihilating Tennessee-Martin 100-40 and knocking off Oakland, 92-63. Helps when you have the best player in the league in freshman forward Jared Sullinger.
2) Purdue (12-1, 1-0, 2): JaJuan Johnson is an NBA player. Purdue showed that it is a contenders in the Big Ten and perhaps a team that can make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. How do you know? Purdue went on the road in the Big Ten, at Michigan, and beat the Wolverines by 23 points, 80-57. That just doesn’t happen all that often.
3) Wisconsin (11-2, 1-0, 5): As teams know, it is next to impossible to win at the Kohl Center. Just ask Minnesota, which lost in Madison, 68-60, on Tuesday. Wisconsin has two losses to Top 25 or fringe Top 25 teams (Notre Dame, UNLV). Since the 58-51 loss to Notre Dame on Nov. 28 in Orlando, the Badgers have won seven in a row.
4) Minnesota (11-2, 0-1, 4): The Gophers may have lost to Wisconsin this week, but they played well for most of the game against the Badgers and had point guard Al Nolen — the best defensive point in the league — return from injury. The loss had broken a five-game win streak.
5) Michigan State (8-4, 0-0, 3): Something is wrong with the Spartans. Kalin Lucas isn’t healthy. The freshmen aren’t consistent. And Michigan State lost another game to a Top 25 team. The Spartans will rebound a little and make the NCAA tournament — but right now every team ahead of them is in the Top 25 and playing better ball.
6) Illinois (11-3, 1-0, 7): The Illini had balance on Wednesday night against Iowa with five players in double figures in an 87-77 win. Illinois hit its first seven 3-pointers to hold off the Hawkeyes and get a road win. That said, though, it is still Iowa.
7) Northwestern (9-1, 0-0, 9): The Wildcats finally get a test Friday against No. 11 Purdue. Star forward John Shurna is hoping he’ll play against the Boilermakers after injuring his ankle against Mt. St. Mary’s. For Northwestern to have a shot, it’ll need him.
8) Penn State (8-4, 1-0, 11): Penn State is not a good basketball team. But the Nittany Lions led almost the entire way on the road in a 69-60 win at Indiana on Monday, which might tell you more about the Hoosiers than PSU. But they received scoring from more than just Talor Battle, which was key. Jeff Brooks had 23 points and D.J. Jackson had 15. If Penn State has found a third scorer, that will make them competitive.
9) Michigan (10-3, 0-1, 6): A 23-point blowout loss will set any team back. Michigan has gone from a surprise team to a team that many are trying to figure out in one game. Which Michigan is for real? The one that won seven straight against bad-to-decent opponents or the one that ran out of energy and forgot how to play defense in the second half against Purdue?
10) Iowa (7-6, 0-1, 10): Much like Penn State, Iowa is not good. The Hawkeyes are destined for the bottom of the league. But for another week, they avoid returning to the cellar because of another team’s follies. They outscored Illinois in the second half but have a bigger test Tuesday — Ohio State comes to town.
11) Indiana (9-5, 0-1, 8): The Hoosiers are falling apart fast. They’ve lost three in a row against mediocre teams Northern Iowa (67-61), Colorado (78-69) and Penn State (69-60). That’s just not good at all, and with Ohio State and Minnesota up next, a young Indiana team is going to have some confidence issues.
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein
Comments
Blu-n-Tpa
Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.
Michigan beats OSU, Michigan beats OSU, Michigan Beat osu. Great win tonight vs osu. Coach Borseth leads team to another win over a Top 25 team and the women's team defense shows the way. Beating osu is a great start to the Big Ten season and hey, beating osu is good whenever it happens. Go Blue
rocco
Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 12:35 p.m.
Some superb coaches are willing to work with two and out or one and done players including Coach K at Duke and coaches at Self at Kansas and Williams at North Carolina. Ive always admired the teams Chad Matta puts on the floor. Sullinger was the number one center coming out of high school and as a freshman is already being touted as possible Big 10 (not just freshman) player of the year. Why impugn Matta's integrity without backup data. Maybe we are all a little jealous since our coach does such a mediocre job in recruiting.