Big Ten Men's Basketball Power Rankings: There's a battle for the top four seeds in the Big Ten Tournament.
By Dante Pryor
The Big Ten season is winding down, and schools are beginning to look toward the conference tournament during these last five-ish weeks of the season. The Big Ten Tournament begins March 13th. However, before we get to the Target Center in Minneapolis, there is a regular season champion to sort out.
Ideally, teams want one of those coveted top-four seeds. A top-four seed means you get a double bye. Purdue and Illinois look locked into those top two seeds, with four teams vying for the other two slots. Here are your power rankings for the last week of February.
No. 14-11
No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (8-20, 3-14)
So, the Wolverines are a mess on and off the court. The Wolverines have lost five in a row and 10 of 11. Head coach Juwan Howard's future is uncertain, and the roster isn't great. Athletic Director Warde Manuel the infamous "vote of confidence" in January. It's hard to see Michigan sticking with Howard past this season.
No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (16-12, 6-11)
If Jake Diebler wanted to state his case for getting an interview after this season, their upset of #2 Purdue in his debut was a strong case. They are 2-1 since firing Chris Holtmann with two strong wins against the Boilermakers and Spartans.
No. 12 Indiana Hoosiers (14-13, 6-10)
A lot had to go right for the Hoosiers to make the NCAA tournament for a third consecutive season. Not only did those things not happen, Indiana's season has cratered. The roster's construction is poor, and they are not playing inspired basketball. Could this season cost Mike Woodson his job?
No. 11 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-13, 6-10)
After a four-game winning streak that included wins against Northwestern and #11 Wisconsin, the Scarlet Knights have lost three straight games. Their inability to shoot and score crept back up in these last three games, which included a 46-point performance against Maryland.