Big Ten Power Rankings: Mid-December edition

Michigan basketball huddles.

Big Ten programs have completed their December conference games and five programs are currently 2-0 in league play.

Here’s our updated look at how the league stands as we approach the end of the calendar year:

18. Rutgers (5-6, 0-2)

Preseason ranking: 18

At No. 143 in the KenPom ratings and 0-2 in Big Ten play, Rutgers is the worst team in the league right now by a fair margin.

The Scarlet Knights rank just 284th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage and are shooting 44.4 percent on 2s, which is 339th in the country.

17. Penn State (8-3, 0-2)

Preseason ranking: 17

The Nittany Lions got off to a solid start record-wise at 8-1, but lost by 41 at Indiana before falling by four points at home to Michigan State.

Penn State has a winnable neutral-court game against Pittsburgh on Sunday, but it will need to be much better defensively to remain competitive when Big Ten play resumes. Through Tuesday’s games, the Nittany Lions rank 200th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.

16. Maryland (6-5, 0-2)

Preseason ranking: 12

It has been a disastrous start to the Buzz Williams era in College Park as the Terps have lost four of five and lost their two December Big Ten games by a combined 37 points.

Things may not get easier, either, as it appears big man Pharrel Payne could be out for a while with an injury he suffered last Saturday against Michigan.

15. Minnesota (6-5, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 16

Minnesota opened Big Ten play with a solid nine-point win against Indiana at Williams Arena, a victory that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Cade Tyson’s play continues to be a revelation. After he was unplayable last season at North Carolina, Tyson leads Minnesota with 22.6 points per game and is shooting 40.7 percent on 3s.

14. Oregon (5-5, 0-2)

Preseason ranking: 5

Outside of Maryland, Oregon is the most disappointing team in the Big Ten thus far. The Ducks lost five consecutive games from Nov. 24 to Dec. 6, including their conference games against USC and UCLA.

The Ducks have the talent to be dangerous when conference play resumes because of Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, but the NCAA tournament appears to be a long shot at this point. Oregon has yet to beat a team ranked better than 104th in KenPom.

13. Northwestern (7-4, 0-2)

Preseason ranking: 14

It was a disappointing start to Big Ten play for Northwestern, which lost by 12 at Wisconsin in its opener and then fell by four at home to Ohio State three days later.

Arrinten Page has been one of the better transfer portal additions that nobody is talking about in the Big Ten. The 6-foot-11 junior big man is averaging 15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 blocked shots and 1.1 steals for the Wildcats.

12. Washington (7-3, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 8

The Huskies are getting healthy and picked up a crucial road win in Big Ten play at USC on Dec. 6.

Freshman big man Hannes Steinbach, a likely first-round pick in next June’s NBA draft, is averaging 17.9 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting 64.9 percent from the field.

11. Wisconsin (7-3, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 4

The Badgers have been up and down to start the season with a neutral court win against Providence and home wins against Northwestern and Marquette.

Their three losses, however, have come by a combined 69 points to BYU, Northwestern and Nebraska.

10. Ohio State (8-2, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 13

The Buckeyes split their December Big Ten games, winning at Northwestern before falling at home to Illinois. More importantly, Ohio State defeated West Virginia in Cleveland in double overtime for a neutral-site win against a Big 12 opponent.

Statistically speaking, Bruce Thornton is one of the best guards in the country. The Georgia native is averaging 21.8 points, five rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 36.1 minutes per game.

9. Indiana (8-3, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 10

The Hoosiers have lost three of four, including a head-scratching nine-point defeat at Minnesota to open Big Ten play.

The metrics remain strong for IU, but opponents who are physical with their perimeter shooters and can attack the offensive glass are likely to cause problems in the new year.

8. USC (10-1, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 11

The Trojans have been perfect outside their eight-point loss to Washington on Dec. 6 and have five wins against KenPom top-100 teams.

The prognosis for Rodney Rice’s shoulder injury isn’t good – he could miss the rest of the season – but USC is hopeful star freshman Alijah Arenas will be able to play next month. In the meantime, Chad Baker-Mazara will continue to carry a heavy load for Musselman. Baker-Mazara is averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 blocked shots.

7. UCLA (7-3, 2-0)

Preseason ranking: 4

The Bruins are one of five Big Ten teams with a 2-0 record in league play but have work to do to build an NCAA tournament resume.

Donovan Dent, who was expected to be one of the league’s best guards, is shooting just 37 percent from the field and is a dismal 1-for-13 on 3-pointers.

6. Iowa (9-2, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 9

Ben McCollum has the Hawkeyes in a solid position heading into the new year. Iowa battled Iowa State in Ames before falling 66-62 on Dec. 11 and has three wins against KenPom top-100 teams.

The Hawkeyes rank 17th nationally in 2-point and 3-point field goal shooting percentage and are 10th nationally in opponent turnover percentage (22.9). Bennett Stirtz has been as good as advertised, too. Stirtz is putting up 19.4 points, 4.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

5. Illinois (8-3, 1-1)

Preseason ranking: 7

The Fighting Illini have the nation’s second-best offense, per KenPom, but couldn’t stop Nebraska last Saturday at the State Farm Center. Illinois gave up 83 points in the loss.

Illinois has a budding star in freshman Keaton Wagler, who is averaging 15.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. Wagler was ranked the No. 261 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings for 2025.

4. Michigan State (10-1, 2-0)

Preseason ranking: 6

The Spartans boast an elite defense – fifth nationally, per KenPom – and are playing connected basketball on both ends.

A big reason for that is redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears, who has the best assist rate in the country and has emerged as one of the best on-court leaders nationally.

3. Nebraska (11-0, 2-0)

Preseason ranking: 15

Will the Huskers end up this high when the dust settles on the Big Ten standings? Unlikely. But for now, this is fair for Fred Hoiberg’s group.

Nebraska is unbeaten, with six wins against KenPom top-100 competition. Pryce Sandfort’s 32 points led the way as the Huskers knocked off Illinois in Champaign over the weekend.

2. Purdue (10-1, 2-0)

Preseason ranking: 1

The Boilermakers have been terrific outside of their 23-point home loss to Iowa State on Dec. 6, which is one of the more stunning results of the season to date.

Offensively, there’s no team better in the country than Purdue. The Boilermakers have the top adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, and are the nation’s third-best offensive rebounding team.

1. Michigan (10-0, 2-0)

Preseason ranking: 2

As good as Purdue is – and the Boilermakers are a legitimate threat to make the Final Four – there’s no debating the top spot in the league. Michigan isn’t just the best team in the country; it’s the best team in the country, according to all the analytics.

Michigan is downright scary defensively. Opponents are shooting just 38.7 percent on 2s against the Wolverines, which leads the country. Michigan may be favored in every game it plays until a road trip to Purdue in February.

(Photo credit: Michigan Athletics)

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