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Big Ten Power Rankings Week 7: Losses in Ranked Matchups Hurt

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The Big Ten has had plenty of opportunity to prove itself against the other top conference in college basketball this season. Sure. there have been some good moments for teams like Michigan State beating the likes of North Carolina, or Purdue taking down Alabama. Still, the top 25 ranked matchups haven’t quite favored the Big Ten thus far this season. Not to mention a majority of teams within the league who are currently ranked haven’t even had a clash of two ranked teams yet. It’s not ironic that the top five in this week’s Big Ten power rankings are the five teams who are ranked.

It makes you wonder if the current five teams in the AP Top 25 will remain or drop once the bulk of the Big Ten season starts in January. Some big clashes played out this past week, and some teams are trending up, including UCLA after a huge win against former Pac-12 rival Arizona. As for the likes of Indiana and Illinois, they are trending in the wrong direction. Without further delay, let’s take a look at the Week 7 Big Ten basketball power rankings.

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings Week 7: Losses in Ranked Matchups Hurt

18. Minnesota (6-5, 0-2) Last Week: 18th

Nothing changed for the Golden Gophers after losing in blowout fashion to both Michigan State and Indiana. They remain on a break with their next game not until December 21 against Farleigh Dickinson. Coach Johnson certainly shouldn’t feel comfortable about his job moving forward. The NET Rankings don’t like the Gophers at all as they are down to 170th.

17. Washington (7-3, 0-2) Last Week: 17th

Another week, no change for the Huskies. After dropping their first two Big Ten games, including against USC who still only sits one spot ahead in these rankings. Washington got back on track with an 87-69 victory against Eastern Washington. Do they have the same energy for rival Washington State this week?

16. USC (7-4, 1-1) Last Week: 16th

The Trojans didn’t take a step in the wrong direction, but at 7-4, they still have work to do. Beating Washington on the road was huge for the confidence of this team. Additionally, they also handled business against Montana State. USC has a couple more tune-up games before the calendar changes to 2025.

15. Ohio State (6-4, 1-1) Last Week: 12th

Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes have had plenty of opportunities to prove themselves this season with multiple NCAA resume-building matchups. Things once again went bad for Ohio State as they had no answers for the Auburn Tigers. It’s been great to see Devin Royal play consistently, but outside of him, guys like Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson have not delivered in the big games. They have the talent to compete in the Big Ten, but right now they have to get things corrected. They have a matchup with Valpo before they take on another top-ranked SEC team in Kentucky this weekend.

14. Rutgers (7-4, 1-1) Last Week: 15th

The battle of New Jersey went just as expected, down to the wire. Seton Hall looked set for a huge road win. Dylan Harper ripped out the hearts of the Pirates on a last-second buzzer-beater to get Rutgers a much-needed win. Perhaps the Scarlet Knights have some magic in the tank. Time to prove it against Princeton this week.

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13. Wisconsin (9-3, 0-2) Last Week: 6th

The Badgers couldn’t avoid a 0-2 start in Big Ten play, and that has them trending down the list. Three straight losses hurt, but luckily they were able to right the track in Indianapolis. Beating a solid Butler team 83-74 has Wisconsin still in the hunt. it has been nice to see Nolan Winter chipping in the last two games.

12. Illinois (7-3, 1-1) Last Week: 10th

The Illini had No. 1 Tennessee on the ropes. It wasn’t meant to be as the Volunteers got a late lay-up to win the highly contested matchup. Kasparas Jakucionis continues to make his argument for one of the best players in the Big Ten. Buckle up as a rivalry grudge match with Missouri is up next. A win could easily boost Illinois back up in the Big Ten power rankings next week.

11. Indiana (8-3, 1-1) Last Week: 9th

This is another l stacked roster that has more questions than answers so far. The Hoosiers have been a mixed bag. After blowing out Minnesota to open conference play, Indiana completely went quiet at Nebraska. The Huskers outclassed the Hoosiers in every aspect. Oumar Ballo looked completely out of it during the game, despite grabbing 11 rebounds. This team continues to be confusing.

10. Northwestern (8-3, 1-1) Last Week: 11th

A one-spot increase in the Big Ten power rankings should make Wildcats fans happy. Northwestern continues to be a scary team. Their three losses aren’t looking so bad with them coming by a combined eight points. Those losses have been to Dayton, Butler, and Iowa. Coach Chris Collins has the Cats right where he wants them.

9. Iowa (8-3, 1-1) Last Week: 14th

It appears things have gotten back on track for the Hawkeyes. A two-game slide against two ranked teams in Michigan and Iowa State was corrected after Iowa was able to cruise against New Orleans. Owen Freeman is hitting his stride now, and that’s a great sign.

8. Nebraska (7-2, 1-1) Last Week: 13th

Getting blown out by Michigan State by 37 points was a wake-up call for the Cornhuskers. Boy did they respond by blowing out Indiana in the very next game. Brice Williams went off for 30 points. Nebraska is going to be dangerous moving forward, with that kind of effort.

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7. Purdue (8-3, 1-1) Last Week: 1st

This is probably the lowest that the Boilermakers will be all season. Purdue lost in their state for probably the first time in years. They didn’t have enough firepower to hold off the Texas A&M Aggies at the Indy Classic. Braden Smith being the leading scorer is great, but when it’s only 15 points something isn’t going right. Trey Kaufman-Renn had plenty of issues in that game. The road doesn’t get any easier, as they get No. 2 Auburn in Birmingham later this week. Neutral sites haven’t been kind for these big matchups so far for Purdue.

6. Maryland (8-2, 1-1) Last Week: 8th

Kevin Willard’s Terrapins continue to rattle off wins. Sure, their last game they played was at Purdue, and it resulted in a loss. Still, they played well enough to prove they are a contender this season. The Big Ten has probably close to 10 teams that could emerge at the top. Maryland is one of those teams.

5. Michigan (8-2, 2-0) Last Week: 3rd

The Wolverines are amongst the AP Top 25 teams in the country right now. That is huge. They won both of their first two Big Ten games. Too bad they fell just short in the Jimmy V Classic against Arkansas. The two-point loss is nothing to frown at. They have a real chance to jump back near the top of the Big Ten power rankings this week. They take on No. 14 Oklahoma who is unbeaten thus far at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina. Vlad Goldin is getting better and better.

4. Penn State (9-2, 1-1) Last Week: 7th

The Nittany Lions are pushing it to the max this season. Ace Baldwin Jr is for sure the leader, but what Penn State is getting out of Nick Kurn and Yanic Niederhauser is big. Sure they couldn’t build off the win against Purdue, by beating Rutgers, but this team is still amongst the contenders in the Big Ten.

3. Michigan State (8-2, 2-0) Last Week: 2nd

The Spartans aren’t at the top because they have been off for well over a week. Their last game saw them completely demolish Nebraska in a 37-point win. Michigan State has three more non-conference games this month. The first is at Little Caesars Arena, against Greg Kampe’s Oakland Golden Grizzlies. They are not a team to sleep on. Jaxon Kohler continues to be a monster on the glass for Tom Izzo.

2. Oregon (10-1, 1-1) Last Week: 5th

The Ducks are the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten at N0.10 in the country. Their only defeat so far came against UCLA in conference play. Other than that two-point defeat, this team is amongst the best in the country. They get old Pac-12 rival Stanford this week at the San Jose Tip-Off.

1. UCLA (9-1, 2-0) Last Week: 4th

The Bruins rose to the top spot after taking down Arizona at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a huge game, and the environment delivered. UCLA has plenty to be happy about moving forward. Time will tell if they can keep a hold on the top spot in the Big Ten power rankings.

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The post Big Ten Power Rankings Week 7: Losses in Ranked Matchups Hurt appeared first on Last Word On Basketball .