Big Ten Weekly Men’s Basketball Central: Jan. 10-Jan. 16

by | Jan 11, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

• Michigan State and Illinois sit atop the Big Ten standings with 4-0 records in conference play. Wisconsin and Ohio State are right behind at 4-1, and Rutgers currently has a 3-1 record.

• No. 7/5 Purdue leads five Big Ten teams in the polls this week, including a national-best four in the top 16. Michigan State (No. 10/9), Wisconsin (No. 13/13), Ohio State (No. 16/15), and Illinois (25/24) are also ranked, while Indiana and Iowa are among the teams receiving votes.

• The Big Ten is tied with the Big 12, Big East, and SEC for the most non-conference wins against AP ranked opponents with seven.

• As of Jan. 9, The Big Ten has seven teams among the top 35 in the NET Rankings, the most of any league. No. 8 Purdue leads the conference, followed by No. 10 Illinois, No. 15 Michigan State, No. 24 Wisconsin, No. 25 Ohio State, No. 27 Iowa, and No. 33 Indiana.

• As of Jan. 9, The Big Ten is second nationally in Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 wins in the NET Rankings among all conferences with 36 and is second in Quadrant 1 wins with 21.

• A national-best eight Big Ten squads are among the top 30 of KenPom’s Jan. 9 ratings. Purdue leads the league at No. 6, followed by No. 11 Illinois, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 24 Indiana, No. 26 Iowa, No. 28 Michigan and No. 30 Wisconsin.

• Illinois junior center Kofi Cockburn and Wisconsin sophomore guard Johnny Davis were named the Big Ten Co-Players of the Week on Monday. Cockburn averaged 26.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.0 assist, and 1.0 steal per game in Illinois’ two wins last week, recording a double-double in each. In a road win over No. 3 Purdue, Davis scored 37 points and added 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals.

• Michigan State guard Max Christie and Ohio State guard Malaki Branham were named the Big Ten Co-Freshmen of the Week. Christie scored 21 points to go along with four rebounds, an assist, and a steal in an 79-67 home win over Nebraska. In a home win over Northwestern, Branham recorded 24 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and a block.

2021-22 Men’s Basketball Standings

2021-22 Men’s Basketball Standings
SCHOOL CONF. PCT. OVERALL PCT. PF-PA HOME AWAY NEUTRAL STREAK
Michigan State 4-0 1.000 13-2 0.867 1137-983 7-0 3-0 3-2 W8
Illinois 4-0 1.000 11-3 0.786 1126-904 7-1 2-1 2-1 W4
Wisconsin 4-1 0.800 13-2 0.867 1075-974 7-1 3-1 3-0 W5
Ohio State 4-1 0.800 10-3 0.769 990-908 7-0 2-2 1-1 W1
Rutgers 3-1 0.750 9-5 0.643 985-916 9-1 0-4 0-0 W4
Indiana 3-2 0.600 12-3 0.800 1124-912 11-0 0-3 1-0 W2
Purdue 2-2 0.500 13-2 0.867 1277-999 8-1 1-1 4-0 W1
Penn State 2-3 0.400 7-6 0.538 875-861 5-3 1-2 1-1 L1
Michigan 1-2 0.333 7-6 0.538 946-869 4-2 1-3 2-1 L2
Minnesota 1-3 0.250 10-3 0.769 905-843 5-2 3-1 2-0 L2
Iowa 1-3 0.250 11-4 0.733 1301-1074 9-1 1-3 1-0 L1
Northwestern 1-3 0.250 8-5 0.615 1014-850 6-2 1-2 1-1 L3
Maryland 0-4 0.000 8-7 0.533 1052-1016 6-4 0-2 2-1 L3
Nebraska 0-5 0.000 6-10 0.375 1186-1252 6-5 0-4 0-1 L3