Week Two 2025-’26 Big Ten Power Rankings – Illinois Rises

The Big Ten had another great week of action, with a plethora of marquee matchups across the league. Some of the biggest involved the top half of the conference as well, including Illinois, Michigan, and Purdue. Of course, all those games also shook up these rankings as well.

So, let’s jump into this week’s Power Rankings.

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#1 – Illinois Fighting Illini (+1)

The Illini had a fantastic week, beating a ranked Texas Tech squad at home on Tuesday and following it up with a blowout win over Colgate at home on Friday. The wins left Illinois sitting at 4-0 and poised to move up considerably in these projections and the human polls.

While it’s too early to reach any massive conclusions, it’s hard to complain about much to do with the Illini through four games. The team has looked every bit the part of a Final Four squad. David Mirkovic and Zvonimir Ivisic look like monsters down low and Kyle Boswell is tearing it up in the backcourt as well. Brad Underwood and staff will have to mesh the rotations a bit more, but there’s plenty of time for that.

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Illinois will now prepare for a monster matchup against Alabama in Chicago on Wednesday. It figures to be one of the team’s best resume building opportunities of non-conference play. The team will then host LIU at home on Saturday.

#2 – Purdue Boilermakers (+1)

The Boilermakers also had a great week of play, beating Alabama on the road on Thursday and following it up with a win over Akron on Sunday. The win over the Crimson Tide was particularly impressive, as Purdue showed its offensive capabilities in the win. In fact, the Boilers are now rated first nationally in offensive efficiency. The wins pushed the group to a perfect 4-0 on the season.

If there’s one thing to keep an eye on for Purdue, it’s on the defensive side of the court. The team is just 50th nationally in defensive efficiency and multiple opponents have already finished well above a point a possession so far this season. Neither of those…

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Publish date : 2025-11-17 15:26:00

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