Big Ten basketball is starting to get good as we head for the stretch run of the season.

Michigan State, behind a balanced unit and star freshman Jase Richardson, raced out to a 9-0 Big Ten record before stumbling in Los Angeles. That stumble felt inevitable at some point, but it made the conference race even tighter as we brace for some marquee head-to-head matchups down the stretch.

For now, there are 3 clear favorites in the B1G, but don’t rule out someone else jumping into the fray. Let’s reset that race and dive into the remaining schedule for all the top contenders moving forward.

Purdue

Currently: 10-2 in B1G
Remaining games: USC, at Michigan, Wisconsin, at Michigan State, at Indiana, UCLA, Rutgers, at Illinois

Is it possible to be overlooked as the back-to-back champions of the league? Maybe it was easy to early on without Zach Edey’s massive shadow, but Purdue has reminded everyone there is still plenty of talent in West Lafayette with a recent blowout of Michigan and key rivalry win vs. Indiana.

The Boilermakers edged ahead of MSU after Tuesday night’s results, but a 3-game stretch that begins in a week will determine if Purdue can truly make its run at 3 straight league titles.

From Feb. 11 through Feb. 18, the Boilermakers will play at Michigan, vs. Wisconsin and at Michigan State, capping a 3-game stretch of ranked opponents. Only Illinois in Champaign to end the regular season is the other ranked opponent as things currently stand.

The fact Purdue also ends that 3-game streak with a Matt Painter vs. Tom Izzo classic is noteworthy. If the Boilermakers drop 1 (or both) of the initial ranked games, they can keep things close with a win over the Spartans. If they drop 2 of 3 and end with a loss to MSU, it will give the Spartans breathing room down the stretch.

Michigan State

Currently: 9-2 in B1G (0.5 games behind Purdue)
Remaining games: Oregon, Indiana, at Illinois, Purdue, at Michigan, at Maryland, Wisconsin, at Iowa, Michigan

Michigan State went 0-2 in LA, losing to UCLA late Tuesday night. Before that, though, the Spartans produced the best start of any team in the B1G this season, and it’s not hard to see why. The Spartans have played just 1 league game against a ranked opponent at the time of tip-off (No. 19 Illinois), and they have just 3 games played against AP Top 25 teams this season. One of those games even included UNC, so take that with a grain of salt.

Of the 6 closest teams chasing MSU in the B1G standings, only 1 team (Wisconsin) has fewer games against ranked opponents this season. The other 5 teams all have 5+ games each against ranked opponents.

MSU will change that number in a big way down the stretch with 6 remaining games in league play against teams currently ranked in the top 25. The Spartans also get 5 straight ranked foes with 3 on the road from Feb. 15-March 2.

If MSU weathers that storm, they’ll be in a position to make good on the +225 odds to win the B1G at bet365. However, it’s far from the easiest path of competing teams remaining, and be sure to use our Michigan sports betting apps to track all the odds.

Michigan

Currently: 8-2 in B1G (1 game behind)
Remaining games: Oregon, at Indiana, vs. Purdue, at Ohio State, vs. Michigan State, at Nebraska, vs. Rutgers, vs. Illinois, vs. Maryland, at Michigan State

Michigan put itself behind the 8-ball a bit with a road loss to Minnesota before getting blown out by Purdue on the road, but the Wolverines found some footing with a close win at Rutgers.

The recent road performances are troublesome. But it should be pointed out that Michigan has just one road game in its remaining 5 remaining ranked opponents, and that showdown comes in the season finale at Michigan State.

The Wolverines (10-0) and Spartans (11-0) are the only teams in the conference who are undefeated at home this season. If Michigan can keep that rolling, Dusty May will have his group in the thick of the B1G race entering the final games of the season.

Keep an eye on: Maryland

Currently: 7-4 in B1G (2.5 games back)
Remaining games: at Ohio State, Rutgers, at Nebraska, Iowa, USC, Michigan State, at Penn State, at Michigan, Northwestern

Maryland is part of a grouping that also includes UCLA, Wisconsin and Illinois who are all within striking distance of first place in the standings. The Illini especially have enough talent to make things close at the end, but it’s the path of the Terrapins that has them as a team I would watch money on to make some noise.

DraftKings also has Maryland at +1600 to win the Big Ten as of Wednesday morning, so there’s some value in taking the Terrapins. And be sure to use our Maryland sports betting apps to take part in the action.

Maryland has managed to go 3-2 in ranked B1G games so far, and that’s a great sign with the Terps facing just 2 more ranked opponents the rest of the season. A home game vs. Michigan State and a road game vs. Michigan are the only teams currently ranked on Maryland’s remaining schedule.

Barring any change, the Terps will make it through the B1G slate with just 6 league games against ranked opponents. Compare that to MSU — who has 5 straight ranked opponents and 6 of its last 7 to finish the regular season — and it illustrates the bonus Maryland was gifted in the schedule.