It’s no miracle who’s No. 1 in Big Ten men’s basketball power rankings, or is it?

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Only two more weeks left to determine who will take the Big Ten men’s basketball regular-season crown away from Purdue.

The bigger question is which team is best poised to make another Boilermaker-like run deep into the NCAA Tournament?

Here are this week’s power rankings, updated through Wednesday’s games, as the conference attempts to put its best foot forward into March:

1. Michigan State (23-5, 14-3)

Prev: 3

Won four straight — all against teams headed to the tournament. Impressive, even if one came on Tre Holloman’s miracle heave.

2. Wisconsin (22-6, 12-5)

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How close did the Badgers come to being the surprise league champ? Take your pick between a three-point loss to Michigan, a three-point loss at UCLA and an overtime loss to Oregon.

3. Michigan (21-6, 13-3)

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Eight victories by three or fewer points. Wolverines are either the ultimate survivors or prone to a quick postseason exit.

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4. Maryland (21-7, 11-6)

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Maybe deserved a better fate against the Spartans, but also maybe don’t chuck one from 25 feet with 5 seconds left and leave the door open for a buzzer-beater.

5. Purdue (19-9, 11-6)

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Second half at Indiana was an abject disaster. Boilermakers, the original John Wooden school. really need one Friday against UCLA.

Insider: From lightly recruited Mr. Basketball, Braden Smith became Purdue’s most prolific passer

6. UCLA (20-8, 11-6)

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Bruins can make a statement Friday in an arena with a John Wooden statue outside, but must fly 1,800 miles to do it.

7. Oregon (20-8, 9-8)

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Sneaking into Madison and leaving with an overtime win exactly the kind of momentum-builder teams seek in late February.

8. Illinois (18-11, 10-8)

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Back-to-back losses to Duke and Wisconsin by 64 combined points provided some perspective on the Illini’ ceiling.

9. Ohio State (16-13, 8-10)

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Looking like the most Bubblicious Big Ten team right now. Could pass that identity off to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/no-miracle-whos-no-1-203058135.html

Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2025-02-27 20:30:00

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