• Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State sit atop the Big Ten standings, along with Northwestern, with undefeated records in conference play. Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State are all 2-0, while Northwestern is 1-0.
• No. 3/3 Purdue leads four Big Ten teams in the polls this week. Michigan State (No. 11/10), Ohio State (No. 14/13) and Wisconsin (24/24) are also ranked, while Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota are among the teams receiving votes.
• The Big Ten is tied with the Big 12 and Big East for the most wins against AP ranked opponents with seven.
• As of Dec. 20, The Big Ten has 10 teams among the top 50 in the NET Rankings, the most of any league. No. 7 Purdue leads the conference, followed by No. 13 Michigan State, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 27 Wisconsin, No. 32 Illinois, No. 33 Iowa, No. 35 Minnesota, No. 41 Indiana, No. 42 Northwestern and No. 48 Michigan.
• As of Dec. 20, The Big Ten leads all conferences with 14 Quadrant 1 wins according to the NET Rankings.
• A national-best six Big Ten squads are among the top 25 of KenPom’s ratings. Purdue leads the league at No. 3, followed by No. 13 Illinois, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 18 Michigan, No. 20 Michigan State and No. 25 Iowa.
• Iowa sophomore forward Keegan Murray, the nation’s leading scorer with 23.5 ppg, was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday. Murray scored 35 points to go along with seven rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block in a 94-75 win over Utah State. The sophomore accounted for 18 consecutive Iowa points during a 6:08 stretch in the first half.
• Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin and Nebraska guard Bryce McGowens were named Big Ten Co-Freshmen of the Week. Bufkin came off the bench and scored 14 points and grabbed three rebounds in an 87-50 win over Southern Utah. McGowens tallied 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in the game against Kansas State.
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