Big Ten Power Rankings: Mid-February edition &#8211; Inside the Hall

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The Big Ten regular season schedule has just three weeks to go and there’s a clear favorite to win the regular season title.

Here’s our updated look at how the league stands just past the halfway point of February:

18. Penn State (11-15, 2-13)

The Nittany Lions had their best win of the season on Wednesday as they knocked off Washington 63-60 in Seattle. Penn State is in the league cellar largely due to its mediocre defense. The Nittany Lions are allowing 1.253 points per possession in Big Ten games, the worst in the league. Conference foes are shooting 41.6 percent on 3s and 60 percent on 2s against Penn State.

At No. 126 in KenPom, year three of the Mike Rhoades era has been the program’s worst since the 2015-16 campaign.

17. Northwestern (10-16, 2-13)

It’s been a rough stretch for the Wildcats, who have lost five straight. Only one of the losses came by less than 12 points.

Northwestern is one of the Big Ten’s most offensively challenged teams. The Wildcats rank 17th in the league in 3-point shooting percentage and 15th in 2-point field goal percentage. Northwestern should have a chance to break its losing streak when it hosts Maryland on Wednesday.

16. Oregon (9-16, 2-12)

The Ducks got a much-needed boost with the return of big man Nate Bittle in the Purdue game on Saturday, February 7. Oregon also snapped a 10-game losing streak on Saturday with an 83-72 win against Penn State in Eugene.

While expectations were for Oregon to challenge for an NCAA tournament bid in the preseason, the Ducks don’t have the depth or talent to withstand a season-ending injury to Jackson Shelstad and the lengthy absence of Bittle, who has missed seven games this season.

15. Maryland (10-15, 3-11)

After a 1-10 start to Big Ten play, the Terps beat Minnesota on the road and then knocked off Iowa at home last Wednesday for their best win of the season. That momentum, however, quickly ended with an 11-point loss at Rutgers on Sunday.

Maryland has the Big Ten’s worst offense and second-worst defense in year one of the Buzz Williams era. And even more concerning for Williams is that the fanbase seems disinterested in the product he’s putting on the floor.

14. Rutgers (10-15, 3-11)

The Scarlet Knights snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win against Maryland on Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Ranking the bottom five Big Ten teams is akin to putting lipstick on a pig, but with wins against Oregon, Northwestern and Maryland, we’ll put Rutgers as the best of the bottom five for now. The Scarlet Knights can solidify that position down the stretch with a pair of games against Penn State and a road trip to Maryland.

13. Minnesota (11-14, 4-10)

The Golden Gophers are competitive but have lost nine of their last 10 games.

What’s encouraging, however, is just how formidable Minnesota has been in many of those losses. Five of those nine losses have come by five or fewer points and two were in overtime. If Niko Medved can get the fan support, revenue sharing and NIL going in Minneapolis, he should get Minnesota back to the NCAA tournament sooner rather than later.

12. Washington (13-13, 5-10)

The Huskies sit at No. 47 in KenPom as of Monday morning and have the talent to play with most teams in the league.

The reality, however, is that this group has underachieved relative to its talent. Washington barely gets to the free-throw line, ranking second to last in the league in free-throw rate (FTA/FGA) and is a poor 3-point shooting team. As good as Hannes Steinbach is – 18 points and 11.3 rebounds per game – it hasn’t led to enough winning for Danny Sprinkle in his second season at the helm in Seattle.

11. USC (18-7, 7-7)

The Trojans are without Chad Baker-Mazara, who suffered a knee injury early in the second half of a win against Indiana on February 3.

Still, USC is treading water in the league standings and KenPom projects a 10-10 finish in league play. Whether that will be enough to make the NCAA tournament is unclear. Of USC’s six remaining regular-season games, Oregon (home), Washington (road) and UCLA (home) are the best opportunities for wins.

10. Ohio State (16-9, 8-6)

The Buckeyes had a chance for a resume win on Saturday against Virginia in a rare February non-conference showdown, but came up short in a 70-66 loss.

At 8-6 overall in the Big Ten, Ohio State has a strong chance to finish at .500 or better in conference play but the close to the schedule is brutal: Wisconsin (home), Michigan State (road), Iowa (road), Purdue (home), Penn State (road) and Indiana (home).

9. UCLA (17-8, 9-5)

The Bruins trailed Michigan by just two at halftime on Saturday in Ann Arbor and lost by 30 points.

Skyy Clark is back for UCLA, which should help with backcourt depth. Barring a collapse down the stretch, the Bruins should be an NCAA tournament team.

8. Indiana (17-9, 8-7)

The Hoosiers have won five of seven after a 3-5 start to Big Ten play. Right now, that’s enough to be comfortably on the right side of the bubble.

Lamar Wilkerson is as polished a scorer as there is in the Big Ten, but Indiana needs a second scorer to step up more consistently.

7. Iowa (18-7, 8-6)

The Hawkeyes were riding high on a six-game winning streak entering a road game against Maryland last Wednesday. But a seven-point loss ended that streak, and a 21-point home loss to Purdue has the Hawkeyes 10 spots lower in KenPom in just one week.

Iowa still has strong metrics and one of the best guards in the country in Bennett Stirtz, but the close to the schedule is going to be tricky. Iowa’s last six games: Nebraska (home), Wisconsin (away), Ohio State (home), Penn State (away), Michigan (home) and Nebraska (away).

6. Michigan State (20-5, 10-4)

Losers of three of their last four, you can take the Spartans out of the race for the Big Ten title.

Michigan State is elite defensively, but has struggled with turnovers in conference games. The Spartans have the league’s worst turnover percentage (18.7). And the fact that everyone has their eyes on Jeremy Fears Jr. at all times is a distraction as the season hits the stretch run.

5. Wisconsin (18-7, 10-4)

The Badgers have three elite wins in Big Ten play: at Michigan, at Illinois and Michigan State at home. All three will help tremendously come Selection Sunday.

And with a guard duo like Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, there’s plenty of potential for Wisconsin to make a run in March Madness. Wisconsin shoots it well, doesn’t turn the ball over and is an elite free-throw shooting team.

4. Nebraska (22-3, 11-3)

After starting 9-0 in Big Ten play, the Huskers have lost three of five but have a favorable close to the league schedule. The Huskers are KenPom favorites in each of their last six games, but the toughest matchup on paper appears to be Tuesday’s trip to Iowa.

As the Big Ten’s best 3-point shooting team, Nebraska’s defense is often overlooked. The Huskers have the league’s second-best defense at .998 points per possession allowed through 14 league games.

3. Purdue (21-4, 11-3)

Purdue appears to have its mojo back after a three-game losing streak in late January. The Boilermakers have won four straight games ahead of a big week in West Lafayette. Purdue hosts Michigan on Tuesday and Indiana on Friday before a six-day break.

Braden Smith has been tremendous in league play. He ranks second in the league in assist rate (44.5) and third in 3-point shooting percentage (45.5).

2. Illinois (21-5, 12-3)

Illinois will be rooting heavily for Michigan to drop a game so that it can find a way to draw even with the Wolverines in the league standings.

The Fighting Illini host Michigan on February 27 in the most anticipated game left on the Big Ten regular season schedule. Freshman Keaton Wagler is a legit contender for Big Ten player of the year and first team All-American honors and the supporting cast for Brad Underwood is elite. There’s no more enjoyable team in the country to watch offensively than Illinois.

1. Michigan (24-1, 14-1)

Outside of a home loss to Wisconsin in January, Michigan is perfect on the season. The Wolverines have also reclaimed the top spot in KenPom and will be No. 1 in today’s top-25 polls.

Michigan’s week contains two must-watch games. On Tuesday, the Wolverines travel to Purdue, followed by a neutral court game against Duke on Saturday in Washington, DC.