Big Ten’s hottest teams fighting for men’s basketball crown at halfway point

Time is a great thickener of things.

Lincoln said that. Or at least, Daniel Day-Lewis, while playing Lincoln, said that. David Strathairn, playing William Seward, said he didn’t know what Lincoln meant, but I’m willing to bet you do.

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Especially as it pertains to a conference title race in late January. The bracket projections aren’t calcifying yet, and there are plenty of bigtime matchups left to play out, but we’re really starting to sort the wheat from the chaff now.

Time is a great thickener of things, and things are thickening up nicely in this week’s power rankings.

Note: Records current as of Jan. 28.

1. Michigan (19-1, 9-1)

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Wolverines got a stern test at home from Nebraska, which is very much here to stay. Michigan passed that test and has now won five straight since the upset loss at home to Wisconsin.

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2. Nebraska (20-1, 9-1)

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We aren’t dropping the Huskers any farther than they deserve. The next five games (Illinois, at Rutgers, Purdue, Northwestern, at Iowa) will tell us whether The Mayor’s team is in this race for the duration.

3. Michigan State (19-2, 9-1)

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Spartans almost got Rutgersed. Someone always does. But if we’re talking about stacking results, Michigan State has now won its last seven games, by an average of 20.7(!) points.

4. Illinois (17-3, 8-1)

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Another team on a roll, Illinois has won its last nine. Keaton Wagler put his stamp on the freshman-of-the-year race at Purdue.

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More: Illinois freshman ‘never really thought I would’ have historic scoring night at Purdue

5. Purdue (17-4, 7-3)

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The biggest mover, in the wrong direction, in the title race. The trouble for Purdue now is they’ve got four teams ahead of them, and the unbalanced schedules make losses hard to find. Per KenPom, Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois have the easiest conference strengths of schedule in the Big Ten.

6. UCLA (15-6, 7-3)

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Hiya Mick Cronin! After some unconvincing results in November and December, the Bruins have…

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Publish date : 2026-01-29 20:47:00

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