Big Ten men’s basketball rankings: Championship contention still (almost) anyone’s game

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Big Ten Conference play resumes in earnest Thursday night with no clear vision of who to consider the championship favorite at this point.

No fewer than the first seven teams on the list below seem like strong contenders. UCLA’s early win at Oregon, though only one of 20 those teams will play this season, seems like an important early foothold.

No rankings changes from where we left off a week ago as most teams notched easy non-conference wins to ease back into the conference grind.

1. UCLA (11-2, 2-0)

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Snuck in a win over national power Gonzaga before resuming its role of west coast spoiler to this Midwestern party.

2. Illinois (9-3, 1-1)

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Will it prove beneficial for the Illini to get this frequent flyer bonus out of the way by playing Oregon and Washington right away?

3. Maryland (11-2, 1-1)

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Finished non-conference play against Maryland Eastern Shore, and that’s the first time I considered Maryland might have other shores.

4. Oregon (12-1, 1-1)

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Gets to restart at home, but facing Illinois and Maryland right away is not exactly easing back into things.

5. Michigan State (11-2, 2-0)

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Starting to get that vibe the Spartans are gonna make a championship run. Games like Friday at Ohio State will be key.

6. Michigan (10-3, 2-0)

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Averaging a mere 92.4 points over its last five games and somehow still lost two of them.

7. Purdue (9-4, 1-1)

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Three-time defending champs and preseason favorite to three-peat now looking like underdogs.

8. Wisconsin (10-3, 0-2)

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John Tonje looks right at home in Big Ten after stints at Colorado State and Missouri.

9. Ohio State (9-4, 1-1)

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With Meechie Johnson on leave of absence, Buckeyes still waiting to get their whole team together.

10. Penn State (11-2, 1-1)

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Ace Baldwin’s 23 points and 10 assists gave Nittany Lions state championship over Penn.

11. Iowa (10-3, 1-1)

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Three double-figure scorers off the bench vs. New Hampshire a reminder the Hawkeyes will be tough to defend.

12. Northwestern…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-ten-mens-basketball-rankings-220029707.html

Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2025-01-02 22:00:00

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