Big Ten Power Rankings, Week 4

If you're reading my blog for something besides basketball, I do apologize. I am not giving up on other endeavors for this blog, but I'm busy doing other things in life and these rankings are really easy since I follow this stuff anyways. If you're interested in reading some other stuff I've written - nothing terribly exciting - search "Nathan Hart" at idsnews.com where you'll find some of my recent articles.

Anyways, on to the weekly rankings.

Power Rankings (last week's ranking in parenthesis)

1. (3) Michigan State (6-1, 18-2) – The Spartans are back on top after losses from the Hoosiers and the Badgers. They got the job done this week against Big Ten bottom-feeders Michigan and Northwestern. People might point to the February 16 date at Bloomington as crucial, but the Spartans better watch out four days earlier when they visit the up-and-coming Boilermakers.

2. (2) Wisconsin (6-1, 18-2) – The Badgers’ loss to Purdue might not look as bad as the season progresses. Maybe it’s the local corn syrup factory smell that irritates the Badgers and makes them play so poorly at West Lafayette. They’ve lost 31 of the last 32 games at Purdue. Coupled with a too-close home win against Michigan, the Badgers must regain focus for this week’s showdown with IU.

3. (1) Indiana (6-0, 17-2) – The IU student section that dropped f-bombs and “cow turds” on referee Jim Burr missed the point. The refs didn’t lose that game for IU against UConn. IU lost the game for IU. Eric Gordon continues to under impress – he’s yet to put on a dominating performance since sitting out the Kentucky game. The Hoosiers do not look prepared for the NCAA Tournament since they’ve been forced to rely heavily on the three-point shot.

4. (4) Purdue (6-1, 15-5) – Here’s the emerging dark horse in the Big Ten. After Minnesota’s rise and fall, and Geary Claxton’s injury, the Boilers have become the diaper dandy of the conference. The centenarian on this team is only a sophomore – Chris Kramer might be the most underrated player in the Big Ten. He’s sixth on his team in scoring, but first in hustle and leadership.

5. (6) Ohio State (5-2, 14-6) – There’s a clear separation from the fifth to the sixth team in the Big Ten. At season’s end, this split might help the conference’s upper echelon all make the NCAA tournament. Each of the top five teams should have at least eight victories against the other six teams in the conference. For OSU, wins against Illinois and Minnesota have gotten them back on track after a three-game slide.

6. (5) Minnesota (2-4, 12-6) – Tubby Smith’s welcome to the Big Ten wasn’t all that pleasant. His team has already lost to the Hoosiers, Buckeyes and Spartans. He has his turn with the Badgers Sunday. Dan Coleman, Lawrence McKenzie and Spencer Tollackson have second and third team all-Big Ten written all over them, but the lack of a standout player has dropped them to the lower level in the conference after a promising non-conference performance.

7. (7) Illinois (2-6, 10-11) – The Fighting Illini’s record is deceptively bad. They’ve lost on the road to Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue. The only bad conference loss might be at home to Penn State, although the Nittany Lions had Geary Claxton on hand for that game. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Bruce Weber’s squad this week – they’re traveling to East Lansing for a Wednesday game with the Spartans.

8. (8)Iowa (3-5, 10-11) – Picked to finish very low in the Big Ten, some critics are saying the Hawkeyes are already exceeding expectations with three conference wins and an overall record nearing .500. Coach Todd Lickliter isn’t quite buying it. “We have not exceeded our expectations,” the coach said at a press conference. “I’d never limit this team by telling them they’ve met someone else’s expectations.”

9. (10) Michigan (1-7, 5-15) – Despite the record, the Wolverines are improving. Just three weeks ago, the Badgers crushed Michigan 70-54 at the Crisler Arena. This past week, the Badgers needed a three by Marcus Landry late in the game to seal a 64-61 home victory. If the Wolverines are going to win a couple game in the Big Ten, they must see improvement from young guns Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims.

10. (9) Penn State (2-5, 10-9) – Overall record with Geary Claxton this season: 10-5. Without: 0-4. It’s obvious the Nittany Lions are a different team without their senior leader. Jamelle Cornley and Talor Battle haven’t really stepped up since Claxton went down and the team is struggling to score. A grand total 91 points in two games won’t get you very far in any conference.

11. (11) Northwestern (0-7, 6-11) – Not only are the Wildcats losing every Big Ten outing, they are losing badly. They’ve yet to come within ten points of the other team in a conference game and are averaging to lose by 16 points per game. Having already suffered home losses to Michigan and Penn State, the Wildcats might become the Miami Dolphins of the Big Ten. Will they win a single game?