Editor’s note: Every week, The Daily Illini basketball staff ranks the basketball teams in the Big Ten 1-12 and compiles the lists into its own Big Ten power rankings.

1. Michigan State

Michigan State was rolling until it coughed up a poor performance against North Carolina at home during the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. The Spartans (7-1) don’t play again until Saturday, and head coach Tom Izzo took his team to Indianapolis this weekend to watch Michigan State’s football team win the Big Ten Championship Game. His squad got the chance to see what a Spartans championship looks like. 

2. Wisconsin

Wisconsin beat rival Marquette by six last week, making it through its first 10 games unscathed. The Badgers (10-0) reached No. 4 in the AP Poll on Monday, the first time they have been in the top 5 since 2007. The rest of Wisconsin’s nonconference schedule is favorable, with Milwaukee, Eastern Kentucky and Prairie View A&M left before Big Ten play. 

3. Ohio State

T4. Michigan

Nik Stauskas has gotten off to a heck of a start for the Wolverines, but it hasn’t kept his team from dropping three games. None of the three losses was bad, and an overtime win over Florida State will boost the resume come March. But nothing would help Michigan (6-3) more than a win over No. 1-ranked Arizona on Saturday. 

T4. Iowa

6. Indiana

7. Illinois

8. Minnesota

9. Purdue

10. Nebraska

11. Penn State

12. Northwestern 

A regime change has Northwestern fans hopeful, but the product on the court has been less than encouraging. The Wildcats (5-5) have yet to beat a power conference team in any of their four chances and none of them has really been close. Northwestern faces Mississippi Valley State and Brown before a Chicagoland-area rivalry game with DePaul on Dec. 27.