It was a tremendous week of action in the Big Ten. We got to see rivalry games, a massive game in West Lafayette, and games with plenty of NCAA Tournament implications as well. Of course, it all led to a shakeup in these Rankings.

So, let’s jump into this week’s Power Rankings.

Big Ten Week 12 Power Rankings

#1 – Nebraska Cornhuskers (+1)

The Huskers reached a historic mark this week, getting to a perfect 20-0 overall and 9-0 in Big Ten play after beating Washington at home on Wednesday and Minnesota on the road on Saturday. Both figured to be potential trap games, but the Huskers not only swept the matchups, but won both by double-digits.

For over two months, many have been waiting for the “other shoe to drop” for the Huskers, expecting the team to nosedive as the schedule got tougher. However, Nebraska keeps answering the ball and more, continuing to surpass expectations all season long. This is a great team and fans should enjoy the moment. And if the team can close the deal in some key upcoming opportunities, perhaps the Huskers can earn a conference title.

This week, Nebraska will face its biggest slate of the season, with Michigan on the road on Tuesday and Illinois at home on Sunday. KenPom expects a split, but Nebraska has overcome poor odds before. If the Huskers manage to stay undefeated through these games, it’s probably time to start talking about games in April. Even a split would be quite an accomplishment.

#2 – Illinois Fighting Illini (+2)

The Illini had an incredible week of play, beating Maryland at home on Wednesday and shocking Purdue on the road on Saturday. The wins left Illinois sitting at 17-3 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play. The team has now won nine straight games after falling to Nebraska in early December.

Last week, we wrote that Illinois might be the most underrated team in the country and that certainly aged well. In a single afternoon, Illinois went from being an afterthought in the Big Ten title race to one of the top contenders and just a game out of first place. Obviously, we shouldn’t overreact to a single outcome, but a result like that has been coming for awhile and it sets up Illinois for a potential monster finish.

Illinois will get two more intriguing games this week, with Washington at home on Thursday and Nebraska on the road on Sunday. The latter should be a great revenge opportunity for Brad Underwood and company.

#3 – Michigan State Spartans (+2)

The Spartans continued surging this week, with blowout wins over Oregon on the road on Tuesday and Maryland at home on Saturday. The wins left Michigan State sitting at 18-2 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play. The team has now won six straight since falling in Lincoln to open up the new year.

Michigan State is another team that isn’t getting enough national attention. The Spartans have the nation’s best defense and are pummeling opponents with physicality and rebounding. It’s led to many teams quitting against the Spartans in the second half, including Maryland on Saturday. While the Terps are having a rough season, it was Michigan State’s effort that made Maryland call it quits.

We’ll now get to see how the Spartans’ recent rise translates against the Big Ten’s top tier, as Michigan State will get Rutgers on the road on Tuesday and then arch-rival Michigan at home on Friday. The latter game will certainly be the main focus. KenPom has the Spartans as modest favorites.

#4 – Michigan Wolverines (-1)

The Wolverines had a great week, blasting Indiana at home on Tuesday and taking out arch-rival Ohio State at home on Friday night. The matchup with the Buckeyes had some rough spots, but Michigan was able to use a strong second half push to keep Dusty May unbeaten against Ohio State. As a result of the wins, Michigan improved to 18-1 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play.

While Michigan’s overall resume remains strong, it’s hard not to feel like the shine surrounding the Wolverines has worn off over the last few weeks. The loss to Wisconsin certainly left a mark, but Michigan is no longer blowing through teams with ridiculously lopsided margins. It’s still clearly a good team, it’s just looking more like regular good than historically great. The Wolverines even lost the top spot on KenPom this week, as undefeated Arizona passed them.

The good news for Wolverine fans is that the team has a chance to prove the doubters wrong this week. Michigan will begin its Big Ten gauntlet this week, with Nebraska at home on Tuesday and rival Michigan State on the road on Friday. If the Wolverines find a way to sweep those games, it would be a major statement. However, a split seems likely.

#5 – Purdue Boilermakers (-4)

The Boilermakers had the team’s worst week of the season, dropping two straight in winnable contests. Purdue fell on the road to UCLA on Tuesday night and followed it up with a loss to Illinois at home on Saturday. Both games were highly competitive, but the Boilers just couldn’t get enough stops to come out on top. The losses dropped Purdue to 17-3 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten play.

Purdue now finds itself in an awkward spot. Generally speaking, the team’s profile remains strong. The Boilermakers remain in the top 10 nationally on KenPom, only have three slip ups all year, and maintain a serious shot at the Big Ten title and an elite seed in March. Most teams would kill to be in Purdue’s spot heading into late January.

With all that said, last week’s results were tough ones. Purdue was probably due for a letdown after winning nine straight, but the Boilers are a better team than UCLA and let the game slip away. Moreover, the loss to Illinois is a tough one for Big Ten purposes. The Boilers are now a full two games out of first place and trail three others (Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State) in the standings as well. There’s still time to overcome that deficit, but there’s a reason why TRank already has Purdue down to a six percent chance to win a share of the title. It will now take quite an effort for the Boilers to earn a share of the Big Ten crown.

Purdue will try and get back on track this week, with Indiana on the road on Tuesday and Maryland on the road on Sunday. KenPom favors the Boilers in both games.

#6 – Iowa Hawkeyes (+1)

The Hawkeyes won the team’s only game this week, beating Rutgers at home on Tuesday. It pushed Iowa to 14-5 overall and 4-4 in Big Ten play. The team will now try and build off that with USC at home on Wednesday and Oregon on the road on Sunday. KenPom favors the Hawks in both games.

#7 – Wisconsin Badgers (-1)

The Badgers had mixed results this week. Wisconsin opened with a convincing win at Penn State on Thursday, but followed it up with a loss against USC at home on Sunday. While the team was in position to beat the Trojans, a poor final few minutes cost Wisconsin a valuable win. As such, Wisconsin now finds itself sitting at 14-6 overall and 6-3 in Big Ten play.

Wisconsin will get a crucial slate of games this week. The Badgers are comfortably above the NCAA cut line at the moment, but the margin probably isn’t a much as many fans might expect. TRank currently has Wisconsin as a nine seed. However, anymore upsets and things will be really tight. And that’s what Wisconsin has to avoid this week with Minnesota at home on Wednesday and Ohio State at home on Saturday.

#8 – Ohio State Buckeyes (—)

The Buckeyes had a disappointing week. Ohio State opened with a win over Minnesota at home on Tuesday, but fell to arch-rival Michigan on the road on Friday night. The win was also unconvincing, taking overtime to beat a flawed Gopher squad at home. The split left Ohio State sitting at 13-6 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play.

Ohio State remains firmly on the bubble. TRank has the Buckeyes as one of the last teams in the field and only a 65.7 percent chance of making the cut. More simply stated, unless Ohio State finds a way to shock a few top-tier opponents, it’s going to be a stressful March and Selection Sunday. Avoiding upsets will be the key.

This week, Ohio State will get Penn State at home on Monday and Wisconsin on the road on Saturday. KenPom expects a split and it’s hard to disagree.

#9 – UCLA Bruins (+2)

The Bruins had their best week of the season to date, knocking off Purdue at home on Tuesday and following it up with a solid win over Northwestern at home on Saturday. The wins pushed UCLA to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in Big Ten play. The team has now won four of its last five games and is back on the right side of things in most NCAA Tournament projections.

Naturally, the question now is whether the Bruins can maintain this improved level of play. This UCLA squad has shown spark before, but it’s too often followed by sloppy efforts, often on the road. It’s crucial for the team to avoid another backslide. We’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out with Oregon on the road on Wednesday and Indiana at home on Saturday. These two should be wins.

#10 – Indiana Hoosiers (-1)

The Hoosiers went 1-1 last week, falling on the road at Michigan on Tuesday, but bouncing back with a convincing win at Rutgers on Friday. The win over the Scarlet Knights snapped a four-game skid. Indiana now sits at 13-7 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play.

Indiana will now prepare for a massive slate, with Purdue at home on Tuesday and UCLA on the road on Saturday. Both are going to be an uphill climb, but are winnable if the team plays well.

#11 – USC Trojans (-1)

The Trojans had mixed results last week. USC opened with a tough loss at home to Northwestern on Wednesday, but rebounded with a marquee win at Wisconsin on Sunday. The latter was particularly impressive, given how the Badgers have played this month. The split left USC sitting at 15-5 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play.

Most still have USC projected outside the NCAA Tournament field. For example, TRank has the Trojans as the third team out of the field and with just a 33.3 percent chance of making the final cut. Much of that has to do with the letdowns against

USC will now prepare for Iowa on the road on Wednesday and Rutgers at home on Saturday. KenPom projects a split. We’ll see if the Trojans can defy the odds.

#12 – Washington Huskies (+1)

The Huskies went 1-1 last week, falling on the road to Nebraska on Wednesday, but rebounding with a win over Oregon at home on Sunday. The split left Washington sitting at 11-9 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play. The group remains alive for an at-large NCAA bid, but only by the narrowest of margins. At this point, it’s going to take some incredible play down the stretch to get there.

Washington will begin that pursuit this week with Illinois on the road on Thursday and Northwestern on the road on Saturday. The Huskies are underdogs in both games.

#13 – Northwestern Wildcats (+2)

The Wildcats finally broke through in Big Ten play this week, beating USC on the road on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the celebration was short lived, as Northwestern fell in the next game on the road against UCLA on Saturday. The split left Northwestern sitting at 9-11 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play.

It feels odd to keep writing this after the last few months, but Northwestern remains better than its record. While the Wildcats are just 1-8 in league play, the group is still 60th on KenPom and has plenty of winnable games remaining. Unfortunately, the group just isn’t closing the deal enough. If Northwestern wants to avoid a lost season, it needs to start finding ways to close things out.

Fortunately, the Wildcats get two winnable games on the slate this week, with Penn State at home on Thursday and Washington at home on Saturday. These need to be wins.

#14 – Minnesota Golden Gophers (-2)

The Gophers lost both of the team’s games last week, falling to Ohio State on the road on Tuesday and to Nebraska at home on Saturday. The losses dropped Minnesota to 10-10 overall, 3-6 in Big Ten play, and almost certainly out of the race for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The Gophers are now the 34th team out of the field on TRank and it’s hard to see that turning around.

Minnesota will get two challenging games this week, with arch-rival Wisconsin on the road on Wednesday and Penn State on the road on Sunday. A split would be a positive performance.

#15 – Oregon Ducks (-1)

The Ducks continued their decline this week, with two more losses. Oregon fell at home to Michigan State on Tuesday and followed it up with a loss at rival Washington on Sunday. The losses left the team sitting at 8-12 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play. Oregon will try and snap its six-game skid on Wednesday at home against UCLA and on Sunday at home against Iowa.

#16 – Rutgers Scarlet Knights (—)

The Scarlet Knights lost both of the team’s games last week, falling on the road to Iowa on Tuesday and at home against Indiana on Friday. The group looked particularly rough in the loss to the Hoosiers and fell to 9-11 overall and 2-7 in Big Ten play. Rutgers will now prepare for Michigan State at home on Tuesday and USC on the road on Saturday.

#17 – Maryland Terrapins (—)

The Terrapins looked atrocious last week, getting blown out by Illinois on the road on Wednesday and Michigan State on the road on Saturday. Neither game was remotely competitive and left Maryland sitting at 8-12 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play. The team will now prepare for Purdue at home on Sunday.

#18 – Penn State Nittany Lions (—)

The Nittany Lions lost the team’s only game last week, falling at home to Wisconsin on Thursday in a putrid effort. As a result, Penn State now sits at 9-10 overall and 0-8 in Big Ten play. The group will now prepare for Ohio State on the road on Monday, Northwestern on the road on Thursday, and Minnesota at home on Sunday. The Nittany Lions are projected as underdogs in all three games.