Big Ten Power Rankings: Early December edition
- Alex Bozich
- 50s ago
Big Ten play begins today and it’s time to reshuffle our league power rankings.
Here’s our updated look at how the league stands ahead of the start of conference games later today:
18. Rutgers
Preseason ranking: 18
The Scarlet Knights are 5-3, which includes a loss at home to Central Connecticut. At No. 120 in KenPom, Rutgers is the worst team in the league according to the analytics.
The bright spot for Steve Pikiell has been the play of sophomore Dylan Grant, who is averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 27 minutes per game.
17. Minnesota
Preseason ranking: 16
The Gophers started 4-1, but have lost three straight to San Francisco, Stanford and Santa Clara. Those are all solid teams, but Minnesota has yet to beat a team rated higher than No. 272 in KenPom (Green Bay at home in overtime).
Cade Tyson has rejuvenated his career at Minnesota after struggling last season at North Carolina. Tyson is averaging a team-high 22.4 points on 53.2 percent shooting from the field and is 14-for-39 on 3s.
16. Penn State
Preseason ranking: 17
The Nittany Lions have played one team ranked higher than No. 185 in KenPom and it was a 77-65 loss to Providence on a neutral court. At 7-1 overall, the record is solid but the resume is bare. As a result, Penn State ranks No. 98 in KenPom.
Penn State is being led by freshman guard Kayden Mingo, who is averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and two steals in 29.4 minutes per game. He’ll be a contender for All-Big Ten freshman first team honors.
15. Maryland
Preseason ranking: 12
The Terps lost their last two games to Gonzaga and Alabama by a combined 72 points, are 5-3 overall and No. 95 in KenPom.
Mentioned as a potential NCAA tournament team in the preseason, Buzz Williams has a lot of work to do with this group. After a Tuesday game against Wagner, Maryland’s first two Big Ten games are at Iowa and at home against Michigan.
14. Oregon
Preseason ranking: 5
Our preseason thought on Oregon was that the duo of Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle would be enough to keep the Ducks in the top half of the league. Through seven games, that take was misguided. Oregon lost all of its games in the Players’ Era Festival in Las Vegas by double figures.
Through seven games, Oregon ranks just 262nd nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (30.4) and 270th in 2-point shooting percentage (48.1). Dana Altman is too good a coach for the Ducks to finish at the bottom of the league, but the start has been far from encouraging.
13. Washington
Preseason ranking: 8
Injuries have been an issue for Danny Sprinkle. The Huskies have been without star freshman Hannes Steinbach for the last three games due to an ankle injury. At 5-2 overall, Washington is No. 57 in KenPom but hasn’t beaten a top 100 team.
The Huskies will have a chance to change the narrative this week when they host UCLA and travel to USC to start Big Ten play.
12. Northwestern
Preseason ranking: 14
The Wildcats started 4-0 but have dropped two of their last three. Both losses, to Virginia and Oklahoma State, were by five points.
Through seven games, Nick Martinelli is averaging 20.6 points but even more encouraging is the play of Arrinten Page. The junior big man is averaging 15 points, seven rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and a block in 26.9 minutes per game.
11. Ohio State
Preseason ranking: 13
The Buckeyes started 6-0 before losing to Pittsburgh on a buzzer-beater for the second straight season.
Ohio State has four players averaging 14 or more points – Bruce Thornton, Christoph Tilly, John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal. There’s pressure on Jake Diebler to make the NCAA tournament this season and that is no certainty. KenPom projects the Buckeyes to finish 19-12 overall and 10-10 in the league.
10. Nebraska
Preseason ranking: 15
The Huskers are 8-0 with neutral court wins against Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas State.
Rienk Mast’s return has been pivotal for Fred Hoiberg. The 6-foot-10 center from the Netherlands is averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 46.9 percent on 3s.
9. UCLA
Preseason ranking: 4
The vibes with the Bruins aren’t great. UCLA hasn’t beaten anyone yet and just lost to Cal on a neutral court. The Bruins are 5-2 and No. 32 in KenPom.
Most concerning for UCLA fans is Donovan Dent’s play. He’s shooting a mediocre 41.1 percent on 2s and is 1-for-11 on 3s through six games. To reach its potential, UCLA needs Dent to return to the form he exhibited at New Mexico.
8. Wisconsin
Preseason ranking: 4
The Badgers got crushed by BYU on Nov. 21 and then lost to TCU on a neutral court a week later, dropping them from No. 15 in KenPom down to No. 27.
The storyline so far for Wisconsin has been Nick Boyd’s play. The former Florida Atlantic and San Diego State guard is averaging a team-high 21 points through the first seven games.
7. Iowa
Preseason ranking: 9
The Ben McCollum era is off to a 7-0 start with a neutral court win against Ole Miss the highlight thus far. The Hawkeyes get their first Big Ten test on Tuesday at Michigan State.
Bennett Stirtz has been terrific through seven games. He’s averaging 18.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 37.9 minutes per game while shooting 45.7 percent on 3s.
6. USC
Preseason ranking: 11
Aside from the triple-overtime scare at home against Troy, USC has exceeded expectations to start the season. The Trojans won the Maui Invitational by beating Boise State, Seton Hall and Arizona State.
The trio of Rodney Rice, Chad Baker-Mazara and Ezra Ausar has been terrific for Eric Musselman, who is no stranger to finding success with the portal. Rice and Baker-Mazara are both averaging 20.3 points per game.
5. Indiana
Preseason ranking: 10
The Hoosiers are off to a strong start under Darian DeVries with wins in six of their first seven games by 17 or more points.
Indiana ranks 50th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage and 17th in 2-point field goal percentage. More impressive, however, is the defense. Opponents are making just 39.1 percent of their 2s and IU has the nation’s 14th-best defense, according to KenPom.
4. Illinois
Preseason ranking: 7
The Fighting Illini have challenged themselves in non-conference play. Illinois has already played Texas Tech, Alabama and UConn. They’re 1-2 in those contests, with the win coming at home against Texas Tech. Illinois still has Tennessee and Missouri left in non-conference play.
Kylan Boswell leads a balanced Illinois offense that features five players averaging in double figures. Boswell’s 17.3 points per game are up five points from 12.3 from a season ago.
3. Michigan State
Preseason ranking: 6
The Spartans look like a Big Ten contender once again with wins against Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. Michigan State is No. 15 in KenPom and is 7-0. This week will be telling as the Spartans have home games against Iowa and Duke.
Jeremy Fears is second in the country in assist rate at 51.6 percent and has clearly established himself as one of the nation’s best point guards.
2. Purdue
Michigan has all of the buzz in the Big Ten – and rightfully so – but Purdue has been impressive through seven games. The Boilermakers have wins against Alabama, Akron, Memphis and Texas Tech – all top-70 KenPom teams. Purdue’s average margin of victory in those games is a solid 16 points per game.
Fletcher Loyer leads Purdue in scoring at 16.1 points per game and is shooting 52.2 percent on 3s on 46 attempts.
Preseason ranking: 2
1. Michigan
Preseason ranking: 1
There’s no disputing Michigan at No. 1 in the Big Ten – and the country – at this point. The Wolverines won the Players’ Era Festival by beating San Diego State by 40, Auburn by 30 and Gonzaga by 40. Michigan is comfortably the No. 1 team in KenPom.
Michigan’s defense is allowing its opponents to shoot just 36.9 percent on 2s, which leads the country. Big Ten fans will struggle to score on a front line that includes Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.
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