Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers in the middle of Big Ten power rankings

Wisconsin has been a pleasant surprise in the Big Ten so far this year. Not much was expected of the Badgers after losing Ethan Happ to graduation but they have played very well so far this year.

In their first game, they lost a tough game in overtime against a very good Saint Mary’ s team. Since that game, they have quietly taken care of business and then made easy work of a Marquette team that just beat Purdue last week.

Their biggest non-conference test left on their schedule is a trip to Tennessee in what should be a great game. Wisconsin is always going to grind games out, but if they can figure out how to score they could be a dangerous team.

Penn State, like Illinois, were a trendy sleeper pick in the Big Ten. The difference between the two of those teams is that it looks like the Nittany Lions are ready to make the jump. They have had little trouble with any of their first three games including a blowout win against Georgetown.

Lamar Stevens is the star of the team but Myreon Jones is leading the team in scoring with 15 points a game. If he can provide scoring help to Stevens this team will be tough to handle.

After a bunch of years of disappointment, the Nittany Lions may finally have a team to make a little noise in the Big Ten. It is still early but they have been one of the more impressive teams so far this year.

The Wolverines have a new coach in Juwan Howard and had to replace their top three scorers, but outside of a horrible last ten minutes against Appalachian State, they have looked very good.

Michigan would hold on to win the game against the Mountaineers and used a strong second half to beat a talented Creighton team at home. They followed that up by blowing out Elon and it looks like this team hasn’t missed much yet.

Michigan may have one of the toughest stretches in the country coming up, though, as they play in the Bahamas where they will face Iowa State and then either Alabama or North Carolina. A date with Gonzaga, Seton Hall, or Oregon may await them after that. They then come back to the states and to play Louisville, a couple of Big Ten games, and then Oregon. If they can make it through that stretch with a winning record the Wolverines will challenge for the top of the Big Ten.