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 (Last week: 1)

2. Michigan (2)

3. Iowa (3)

The Hawkeyes fell to Michigan on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena by an 18-point deficit in a game that many Iowa fans felt was a must win. Fran McCaffery’s squad had dropped back-to-back home games against Michigan State and Ohio State, but they were able to right the ship largely thanks to Roy Devyn Marble’s 26 points, 22 of which came in the first half. Next up for No. 16 Iowa (18-6, 7-4 Big Ten) are road games at Penn State and at Indiana. 

4. Ohio State (4)

5. Wisconsin (7)

Traevon Jackson’s mid-range jumper in the final seconds Sunday sunk Michigan State and pulled Wisconsin back over .500 in Big Ten play. The Badgers (19-5, 6-5) had lost five of six games before the win over the Spartans and a win over Illinois in Champaign five days earlier. Wisconsin dug itself a hole in the conference standing but has won its way back within a game of third-place Iowa. 

T6. Indiana (6)

T6. Minnesota (T8)

8. Northwestern (5)

9. Nebraska (T8)

Nebraska finds itself in position to win more conference games than it has since joining the Big Ten two years ago. The Cornhuskers (12-10, 4-6) have never won more than five Big Ten games, but head coach Tim Miles has them looking good, having won four of the last six. Terran Petteway is near the top of the conference with 17.5 points per game this season. Nebraska has Illinois at home Wednesday in another winnable contest. 

10. Purdue (11)

11. Illinois (12)

12. Penn State (T8)

Penn State had won three straight Big Ten games, but losses to Michigan State and Illinois dropped the Nittany Lions back into last place in The Daily Illini power rankings. D.J. Newbill and Tim Frazier have carried the scoring load for Penn State (12-12, 3-8), but they just haven’t had enough help to get the Nittany Lions out of the conference cellar.