Power Rankings
1. (2) Wisconsin (8-1, 18-3) – Bo Ryan’s Badgers rarely make Sports Center’s Top Ten highlights or even the Big Ten Network’s highlights of the week. But if going under the radar is the result of playing fundamental basketball, I’m sure Ryan doesn’t mind. The team seems just dangerous enough to win the Big Ten and just bad enough to lose to a 15-seed in the first round of the tourney.
2. (4) Purdue (8-1, 17-5) – These rankings reflect how well a team is playing right now and Purdue is one of the hottest teams in the country. Youth isn’t the only word to describe these Boilers – they are also very balanced. In 22 games, the team’s had eight players lead a game in scoring. When the leading scorer (Keaton Grant) averages only 11 points per game, it gives testament to teamwork at its best.
3. (1) Michigan State (7-2, 19-3) – The Spartans’ second conference road loss this week, this time at the hands of Penn State, has coach Tom Izzo a little bit worried. "We are not as tough as we need to be," Izzo said. "I've been saying that all year. I was saying that when we won. We had a few games where we had it, but consistently we're not as good as we need to be [to compete] on this level. ... You've got to bring it every day."
4. (3) Indiana (7-1, 18-3) – IU’s best win to date is against Illinois State. The team lost all three games (Xavier, UConn and Wisconsin) in which it had a chance to prove itself as an upper echelon type of team. Eric Gordon finally had a good game with a 29 point outburst, but it came in a home win against lowly Northwestern that was altogether too close. The season is shaping up to the Hoosiers’ 2001 season when they earned a #4-seed, but were eliminated in the first round.
5. (5) Ohio State (5-2, 14-6) – The Big Ten, like any other major conference, proves home court advantage plays a huge role in games. Last month, the Buckeyes dominated the Hawkeyes in Columbus, winning by 31. This past week, the Hawkeyes won by five and put a damper on a strong Big Ten start. Coupled with a close win against struggling Penn State, the Buckeyes are struggling to find someone not named Butler to step up and help out.
6. (6) Minnesota (2-4, 12-6) – Arch-rival Wisconsin brought out the worst in Minnesota when the Badgers walked out with a 63-47 victory at Williams Arena. The team continues to lack consistency and focus – it had 18 turnovers and shot 36 percent from the field in the loss. Nineteen of the missed field goals were inside the paint. The senior trio of Dan Coleman, Lawrence McKenzie and Spencer Tollackson went from a combined 49 points against Michigan to a mere 20 points against Wisconsin.
7. (8)Iowa (4-6, 11-12) – Heading into a game with the Badgers, Todd Lickliter almost wishes his team lost to Ohio State. Reason: his team hasn’t strung together two Big Ten victories in a row. He figures if he treats the big win against Ohio State like a loss, the team might have a greater urge to win against Wisconsin. "I appreciate the way guys have responded to losses; now we're going to have to play our best game of the year if we're going to be able to compete," said Lickliter.
8. (7) Illinois (2-8, 10-13) – It might be time for Illinois to give up on this season and start preparing for the next. While Bruce Weber would never say he’s given up on this season, he has a decent freshman class that is, for the most part, watching from the sidelines. Playing freshmen Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale, Bill Cole and Mike Davis might help salvage some good from this train-wreck season.
9. (10) Penn State (3-6, 11-10) – Saturday night’s home win against Michigan State proved to the Nittany Lions that they can win without Geary Claxton. However, coach Ed DeChellis underscored that mental hurdle, crediting the win simply to talent. "It's a team sport played by individuals and when individuals play well, the whole team looks a heckuva lot better,” he said. To salvage anything from the season, the team must build on this new confidence.
It’s not fun to review the bottom two teams. I stole these recaps from Skip Myslenski of the Chicago Tribune.
10. (9) Michigan (1-8, 5-16) – The Wolverines have a promising talent in freshman guard Manny Harris, averaging 17.1 points per game in conference play, third best in the league, and 34.4 minutes, sixth most. "He's been a great asset to us from Day One," coach John Beilein said. "He's learning college basketball and is eager to do that."
11. (11) Northwestern (0-8, 7-12) – Like Minnesota's Smith, coach Bill Carmody is another who must worry about his players' heads. "Each day in practice you try to concentrate on one thing we can get better at," Carmody said. "You show on tape what you do well. They know what they do wrong. We emphasize what we do well to keep confidence up."
