1. Michigan Wolverines

10-0 Overall, 5-0 Conference

7^th Kenpom (6^th offense, 20^th defense)

The lone undefeated team in the B10. There is currently no other answer for who the top team in the B10 is. Until they lose, they will sit atop these rankings.

Michigan is winning by an average of 14 points a game through 5 conference games. They pass the eye test as well. Juwan Howard’s squad has a deep set of guards and wings with Isaiah Livers, Franz Wagner, Eli Brooks, Mike Smith, and the energizer bunny that is Chaundee Brown. They do a great job of zipping the ball around on offense and getting open looks.

Down low they have the Freshman of the Year in the B10 in Hunter Dickinson. If you haven’t watched Dickinson yet this year, then tune in for a show against Wisconsin Tuesday night. It will be the game of the year so far in the B10. If Michigan wins, it could move up even further in the national rankings.

This week: Tuesday (1/12) vs Wisconsin—Saturday (1/16) @ Minnesota

2. Iowa Hawkeyes

10-2 Overall, 5-1 Conference

3^rd Kenpom (2^nd offense, 73^rd defense)

The Hawkeyes have nearly had a perfect start to their B10 campaign, with their lone hiccup being an overtime battle at Minnesota on Christmas Day.

When the Hawks are clicking on offense, they look nearly unstoppable. Luka Garza, the current favorite for NPOY, is the anchor that needs no further description. But the supporting cast of Joe Wieskamp, CJ Fredrick, and the recently resurgent Jordan Bohannon offer scoring and deadly shooting. Freshman Keegan Murray has been exceptionally surprising off the bench as well. Just based off the eye test, Iowa seems to play much better defensively when Murray is in the game. He seems to offer some length and athleticism that can sometimes be lacking.

The question with the Hawkeyes will always be their defense. Can they resemble anything close to a top 50 defense by year’s end? They might not need to if they continue to score 92 a game.

This week: Thursday: (1/14) vs Michigan State 

3. Wisconsin Badgers

Overall 10-2, Conference 4-1

5^th Kenpom (10^th offense, 7^th defense)

You’ve heard the narrative by now. The Wisconsin Badgers starting lineup is older than the Chicago Bulls starting lineup. Some things never change. The Badgers continue to win year in and year out. And people continue to wonder how they do so.

Well, with five senior starters, the Badgers play a unique style (some might describe it as boring) with 2 legit big men in Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers. Their guards also love to post up on offense. The Badger’s starting point guard – D’mitrik Trice – is averaging nearly 23 points per game over his last four games. Additionally, Wisconsin is one of 2 teams in the country with a Kenpom top 10 rated offense and defense. The other? Baylor.

Greg Gard’s team has a chance to move atop these power rankings with a win at Michigan this week.

This week: Tuesday (1/12) @ Michigan—Friday (1/15) @ Rutgers

4. Illinois Fighting Illini

Overall 9-4, Conference 5-2

Kenpom 8^th (8^th offense, 19^th defense)

Could the Illini be the most inconsistent team in B10 next to Minnesota? The Illini started last week by going down 43-28 at halftime to Northwestern in Evanston. They then went on to have one of the more impressive halves in recent memory, winning the game 81-56. Furthermore, they then provided a confusing encore by losing at home to a Maryland team with a 1-5 conference record heading into the game.

The Illini have the stars in Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn. The question will be if the supporting cast can provide consistent contributions. Also, will the Illini be able to correct their free throw woes and figure out how to defend a ball screen? Dosunmu mentioned after the Maryland game that the team simply didn’t make winning plays. These aspects will need to be corrected if Illinois wants a shot at the B10 title.

The Illini’s game against Nebraska has already been postponed, so it is imperative they defend their homecourt against Ohio State in their lone game of the week.

This week: Wednesday (1/13) @ Nebraska PP’d—Saturday (1/16) vs Ohio State.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

Overall 9-3, 3-3 Conference

Kenpom 17^th (9^th offense, 55^th defense)

Ohio State has had somewhat of an up and down B10 season so far. However, their last game might be their most impressive to date. The Buckeyes visited a reeling Rutgers squad in Piscataway and handily won 79-68. That is already Ohio State’s second win over Rutgers on the season.

What made the Rutgers victory even more impressive, was the fact that starting point guard CJ Walker was sidelined with a hand injury. He remains out indefinitely. In his absence, Duane Washington will have more responsibility as a ball handler. EJ Liddell has also been great as a do-it-all power forward. Zed Key and Kyle Young also provide help downlow as undersized big men.

One of the biggest questions with Ohio State: will Seth Towns be able to emerge as the player he was at Harvard? It has been about 2 years since Towns was the Ivy League Player of the Year. In his first 6 games back in action with the Buckeyes, Towns is logging just under an average of 9 minutes per game.

Other than Rutgers, the Buckeyes only other B10 win is against Nebraska. Needless to say, Buckey will have much to prove to maintain this ranking going forward. They have a great chance to do so this weekend when visiting the 14^th ranked Fighting Illini.

This week: Wednesday (1/13) vs Northwestern — Saturday (1/16) @ Illinois

6. Indiana Hoosiers

Overall 8-5, 3-3 Conference

Kenpom 23^rd (52^nd offense, 15^th defense)

Indiana is quietly keeping its head above the B10 waters at 3-3. Last week they split their games against Wisconsin (L) and Nebraska (W). Their 3 wins in conference play come against 3 of the lower tier teams in the league in Nebraska, Maryland, and Penn State.

Everyone knows the name Trayce Jackson Davis, but he will need more consistent production from his backcourt teammates. Al Durham has had a nice stretch of games lately after struggling to begin the season. He’s averaging over 15 points per game over his last 4 games. The Hoosiers could still utilize more production from their junior point guard Rob Phinese who had his best showing of the season last time out against Nebraska.

Armaan Franklin has been a revelation this season, but he is looking to return soon coming off an ankle injury. Indiana’s big question long term: will Khristian Lander develop into the player he was rated as coming out of high school. The 5-star recruit reclassified from the 2021 class to the 2020 class. This has obviously been a tough transition as he’s only played an average of 8 minutes a game. On the other hand, this could be a huge experience year for him, as the season obviously won’t count towards his eligibility.

 If the Hoosiers could win both of their games this week, they’d sneakily be positioning themselves in the upper half of the B10.

This week: Thursday (1/14) vs Purdue — Sunday (1/17) @ Michigan State

7. Purdue Boilermakers

Overall 8-5, 3-3 Conference

Kenpom 34^th (47^th offense, 37^th defense)

Purdue got a huge comeback win at Michigan State last week on a Trevion Williams floater with 4 seconds remaining in regulation. Can Purdue ride this momentum into a winning stretch? They have 2 very winnable games this week at Indiana and at home against Penn State. They could potentially move to 5-3 in the conference.

Trevion Williams continues to play like one of the better big men in the conference. He has great versatility with his wide frame, great mobility, footwork, and passing. If Purdue wants to capitalize on its potential, they will need Eric Hunter to get back on track after starting the season strong. He’s broken into double digit scoring only once in his past 5 games.

This week: Thursday (1/14) @ Indiana — Sunday (1/17) vs Penn State

8. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Overall 10-4, 3-4 Conference

Kenpom 32^nd (28^th offense, 47^th defense)

As mentioned earlier, this could be the most inconsistent team in the league with Illinois. Their wins pop out at you: Iowa, Michigan State, and Ohio State. But that stretch really seemed like they were overachieving. They’ve recently descended back towards B10 earth, losing 3 of their last 4 games.

No one doubts that Marcus Carr is a stud. But who else is going to consistently produce with him on this team? Their 7-footer from Drake – Liam Robbins – had a nice game against Ohio State with 27 points 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Overall, he’s had a nice season transitioning from the MVC to the B10. But Gabe Kalscheur – a known shooter – is having an abysmal shooting year. Additionally, Both Gach (the Utah wing transfer) has struggled in B10 play, averaging just over 7 points per game.

They have a tough task in regaining that momentum this week in their lone game is against Michigan. On the positive side of things, Richard Pitino’s team has racked up all their big wins at home this year. Maybe there’ll be another golden surprise on Saturday?

This week: Saturday (1/16) vs Michigan

9. Michigan State Spartans

Overall 8-4, 2-4 Conference

Kenpom 44^th (50^th offense, 48^th defense)

It’s been a strange season for the Spartans. After starting out a very un-Michigan State-like 0-3 in B10 play, they beat Nebraska and flexed their muscles in a 23-point blowout of Rutgers. Just as it seemed MSU was back in full force, they blew a 17-point lead to Purdue on a Trevion Williams floater with 4 seconds remaining in regulation.

The questions about the Spartans are the same as they were in the offseason. How do you replace Cassius Winston as your starting point guard and Xavier Tillman as your big man? Early in the year, Izzo attempted having Foster Loyer orchestrate the team, and then Rocket Watts. Now he’s onto freshman AJ Hoggard. Can Hoggard manage the team the way Tom wants over the course of a rigorous B10 season? Questions remain about the Spartans down low, but a committee approach of Joey Hauser, Thomas Kithier, Malik Hall, and Marcus Bingham seems serviceable. That group will be tested against Luka Garza this week. Nonetheless, this will be a huge week of opportunities for the Spartans to get some quality wins against Iowa and Indiana.

This week: Thursday (1/14) @ Iowa — Sunday (1/17) vs Indiana

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Overall 7-4, 3-4 Conference

Kenpom 38^th (45^th offense, 43^rd defense)

Just a few games into the B10 season, Rutgers looked like it could be a real contender for the B10 title. Moving to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in conference after beating Illinois, a case could be made for Rutgers as the hottest team in the B10. Now… they’re one of the coldest teams in the B10. They’ve lost 3 straight, and 4 of their last 5. Everything seemed to go downhill once Ron Harper Jr. twisted his ankle against Purdue. He returned against Iowa, but just hasn’t looked the same since. He hasn’t scored more than 13 points in his 3 games since injury after averaging 23+ prior to injury. The Scarlet Knights have also been missing athletic freshman big Cliff Omoruyi, who sprained his knee against Illinois back in December.

The Scarlet Knights still have the pieces to make some noise in the league. There is some urgency to right the ship soon though to avoid falling too far behind the leaders. It seems like the biggest key for this team will be getting everyone healthy. Ron Harper Jr. looked like an All-American prior to his injury. Their game for this Tuesday against Penn State has already been postponed, but could this have been a blessing in disguise? This will give the tam some much needed time before facing off against Wisconsin later in the week.

This week: Tuesday (1/12) @ Penn State PP’d — Friday (1/19) vs Wisconsin

11. Maryland Terrapins

Overall 7-6, 2-5 Conference

Kenpom 45^th (17^th offense, 79^th defense)

Maryland’s B10 play has been bipolar to say the least. The Terps are 2-5 in the league. They also have 2 of the most impressive wins in road victories at Wisconsin and Illinois. Their most recent win at Illinois also came without their leading scorer (Eric Ayala).

Despite their struggles, the Terrapins still have some talent on this team with Ayala, Aaron Wiggins, Darryl Morsell, and Donta Scott. Donta Scott has been a bright spot and is progressing nicely in his sophomore campaign. He’s averaging 13 points per game and 7 rebounds per game.

The big question with Maryland remains in their post play and overall defense. Could Chol Marial, the 7’2 Sudanese sophomore, eventually develop into the top 100 prospect he was coming out of high school?

Unfortunately for Maryland, their lone game against Nebraska this week has been postponed due to COVID in Nebraska’s program. They will now direct their attention and momentum to a good Michigan squad next week.

This week: Saturday (1/16) vs Nebraska PP’d

12. Northwestern Wildcats

Overall  6-4, 3-3 Conference

Kenpom 59^th (63^rd offense, 59^th defense)

Northwestern’s B10 season so far was exemplified as a microcosm in it’s last game vs Illinois. The Wildcats dominated the first 20 minutes, leading by 15 at intermission. They were then outscored by 40 (53-13) in the second half by Illinois, losing by 25. Similarly, Northwestern grabbed the attention of many across the nation by beginning B10 play 3-0. They’ve since dropped 3 in a row, albeit to 3 of the stronger teams in the league (Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois). The most concerning aspect of these losses is that they’re losing by an average of 20 points per game.

The Cats do have several players who can hurt you: Miller Kopp, Chase Audige, and Pete Nance. But the most important might be Boo Buie. It seems like when Boo goes, so does Northwestern. In their last 3 losses, Boo has scored 2 points … total. He was averaging over 14 a game prior to those 3 contests. Northwestern has a tough test this week against Ohio State, who will be looking to avenge a loss from earlier in the season to the Cats.

This week: Wednesday (1/13) @ Ohio State

13. Penn St. Nittany Lions

Overall 3-4, 0-3 Conference

Kenpom 48^th (19^th offense, 80^th defense)

The Nittany Lions are coming off a COVID shutdown of the program. They currently have yet to pick up a win in conference play and might be simply overmatched this year. Losing Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins, and your head coach just before the season isn’t ideal.

Penn State isn’t completely void of talent, however. They showed it in the non-conference schedule when they went on the road to a ranked Virginia Tech Hokie squad and sweated out a 20-point win.

Jim Ferry’s squad has some good pieces on the wing and at the guard position in Izaiah Brockington, Myreon Jones, and Seth Lundy. Penn State’s big long-term question: will Seth Lundy be able to begin progressing towards an All-B10 type of player? He’s shown flashes earlier this season, especially with back to back games of 32 and 23 points, against VCU and Seton Hall.

It doesn’t help that the Nittany Lions have played Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. But it will be interesting to see if they can start picking up wins in their next stretch of games against Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, and Nebraska.

This week: Tuesday (1/12) vs Rutgers PP’d — Sunday (1/17) @ Purdue

14. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Overall 4-8,0-5 Conference

Kenpom 121^st (134^th offense, 114^th defense)

Fred Hoiberg must be excited about next season. The team has COVID. He already has a 5-star wing signed in Bryce McGowens (brother of current Nebraska guard Trey McGowens). And there’s going to be a ‘One-Time-Transfer’ rule, where no one must sit out a year when transferring. What Nebraska fan isn’t going to be excited about that? Fred Hoiberg, the King Master of getting transfers, will be in his absolute prime.

Teddy Allen has been a bright spot for the current Huskers, as the 6-6 220-pound wing has been averaging 18.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Another intriguing piece for Nebraska is Dalano Banton. Although he stands at 6’9, Banton averages 5.1 assists to go along with 12.6 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game. He has a unique style of play to watch.

It remains to be seen how long the program will be on pause as they deal with their COVID situation.

This week: Wednesday (1/13) vs Illinois PP’d — Saturday (1/16) @ Maryland PP’d