The B1G basketball season is heating up as we hit the later portions of January, and the time has come to revisit Tradition’s hoops power rankings!

To this point, the NCAA Tournament outlook for the B1G looks bleak with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projecting 6 league teams in March Madness. Within the race for the conference title, 3 teams have separated themselves from the pack as competitors.

Purdue, in spite of 2 losses in B1G play, continues to look like one of the best teams in the country while Wisconsin leads the league standings. Meanwhile, Illinois remains in the hunt and could continue to push with Terrence Shannon Jr. back in the lineup.

 

14. Michigan (7-11; 2-5)

What does the future hold for Juwan Howard in Ann Arbor? The Wolverines did snap a 5-game losing streak with a win over Ohio State, but they followed that up with a big loss to Illinois. Now, Michigan must try and reload to face Purdue on Tuesday night in primetime. At 7-11 overall, the Wolverines are trying to avoid their first losing season since 2009-10.

13. Rutgers (10-8; 2-5)

Rutgers’ season has been brutally inconsistent, and things have not improved in the B1G slate. The Scarlet Knights have been better at home recently but a road blowout loss to Illinois cemented a season sweep to the Illini. At this point, Rutgers is mainly fighting to avoid a last-place finish in the league.

12. Penn State (9-10; 3-5)

Finding a path to the NCAA Tournament was always unlikely after the departure of Micah Shrewsberry. Still, the Nittany Lions have provided some moments to build on, including an upset over Wisconsin for Mike Rhoades’ program.

11. Maryland (11-8; 3-5)

Maryland secured a nice road upset of Illinois for a rare bright spot this season. Unfortunately, the momentum did not carry over with losses to Northwestern and Michigan State since then.

10. Minnesota (12-6; 3-4)

Minnesota’s feel-good start to the season has come crashing down. After a 3-1 start to league play, Ben Johnson’s Golden Gophers have lost 3 straight. Now, Wisconsin arrives for a Tuesday night rivalry matchup for a Minnesota squad looking to right the ship.

9. Ohio State (13-5; 3-4)

Ohio State was squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble in Joe Lunardi’s latest update, but the Buckeyes have been lackluster since restarting conference play. A bounce-back win against Penn State helps things but losses to Indiana and Michigan certainly hurt the résumé.

8. Iowa (11-7; 3-4)

Since resuming B1G play on Jan. 2, Iowa has gone 3-2. The 2 losses have come at Wisconsin and vs. Purdue, but both losses were by double digits. The rest of the schedule sets up pretty well for the Hawkeyes, but they will need some key wins and a strong finish to even consider an NCAA Tournament push.

7. Michigan State (12-7; 4-4)

Is Michigan State figuring things out? After a narrow loss on the road to Illinois, the Spartans have rattled off 3 straight wins, though those victories did come against Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland. Now, Tom Izzo’s group needs to prove they can do it against against ranked opponents with a road trip to Madison. Without a huge number of signature wins in nonconference play, Michigan State needs a big finish to the B1G season.

6. Indiana (12-7; 4-4)

Indiana continues to struggle against tougher competition this season. That includes back-to-back losses by double digits to Purdue and at Wisconsin in recent results. Now, the Hoosiers get another ranked opponent with a Saturday road test against Illinois. With a large portion of the B1G stuck in neutral, it’s possible Indiana still puts together a solid season overall. However, the Hoosiers need a marquee win or two to get into the discussion for an NCAA Tournament bid.

5. Northwestern (13-5; 4-4)

Northwestern continues to play some inconsistent basketball with a narrow home win vs. Maryland and a road loss to Nebraska the most recent results. 3 of the past 4 games have been decided by 6 points or loss including 2 wins in those games, but the Wildcats need to find their stride. That won’t be easy with games against Illinois and at Purdue coming up before we hit February.

4. Nebraska (14-5; 4-4)

Nebraska’s magical season experienced some recent speed bumps with 3 losses in the past 5 games. A potential silver lining is that all 3 losses came on the road. After returning home, the Huskers beat Northwestern to regroup with Keisei Tominaga’s dagger clinching the victory. Nebraska will get Ohio State at home and Maryland on the road before a key 3-game stretch that includes home vs. Wisconsin, at Illinois and at Northwestern. That stretch will determine how serious the Huskers are in the race for the B1G title.

3. Illinois (14-4; 5-2)

Illinois received a key ruling this week with a court delivering an injunction of Terrence Shannon Jr.’s suspension. Though he did not start in his first game back with the team, Shannon did score 16 points off the bench as the Illini rolled past Rutgers. A disappointing loss to Maryland did set Illinois back a bit, but Brad Underwood’s group has responded to keep pace near the top of the league standings.

2. Wisconsin (14-4; 7-1)

Wisconsin returned home from its first conference loss and responded wonderfully, beating Indiana 91-79 to maintain a slim lead atop the B1G standings. Max Klesmit led the way with 26 points on 8-for-11 shooting (5-for-7 from 3-point range) in that game. The Badgers undoubtedly have an argument to be in the pole position for the power rankings, but we’ll wait on that until Wisconsin and Purdue go head-to-head in February.

1. Purdue (17-2; 6-2)

Purdue has bounced back from its second defeat of the season in impressive fashion, rattling off 3 straight wins against Penn State, Indiana and Iowa. Facing the rival Hoosiers in Bloomington, Edey went off for 33 points and 14 rebounds while Foster Loyer went 4-for-4 from deep. Barring a disaster stretch for Matt Painter, the next big test comes in the form of a Feb. 4 road trip to Madison to face Wisconsin. The B1G schedule-makers also knew something ahead of time it seems, pairing Wisconsin and Purdue in a regular-season finale in West Lafayette on March 10. That game could decide the B1G title on the final day of the season.