SiriusXM Big Ten Radio’s college basketball power rankings

Pete Pistone and the rest of the SiriusXM Big Ten Radio team will unveil Power Rankings each week of the college basketball season. Check out this week’s edition of basketball Power Rankings below, and listen to SiriusXM Big Ten Radio (Ch. 372) on the SiriusXM app now.The long and winding road of the Big Ten basketball regular season came to a close. Teams now set their sights on this week’s conference tournament in Indianapolis, with several squads hoping to move on to the NCAA Tournament the following week. Just as the regular season slate proved, the conference tournament will also be a gauntlet before the champion is crowned Sunday afternoon

Here’s how the SiriusXM Big Ten Radio team came together and voted on this week’s final regular-season edition of our college basketball rankings:

1. ILLINOIS @IlliniMBB

The Illini went on the road and beat both Michigan and Ohio State, a performance good enough to wrestle away the top spot in our Power Rankings. The return of Ayo Dosunmu was a definite positive, but the play of freshman Andre Curbelo has also bolstered an already strong team even further.

2. MICHIGAN @umichbball

The Wolverines ended the regular season with a mixed bag, losing to Illinois and splitting a pair of games with Michigan State. The win over the Spartans clinched the conference regular-season crown, but there is some concern about an injury to Eli Brooks going forward.

3. IOWA @IowaHoops

A blowout over Nebraska and a regular-season finale victory over Wisconsin have the Hawkeyes flying high into the conference tournament. Iowa carries a three-game winning streak and victories in seven of its last eight games into the conference tournament.

4. OHIO STATE @OhioStateHoops

A loss to Illinois to wrap up the regular season schedule wasn’t the way Ohio State wanted to go into the conference tournament, but there’s not much to get down on with the Buckeyes, who still will be a force in the next several weeks of play.

5. PURDUE @BoilerBall

A five-game winning streak and victories in six of its last seven teams have Purdue feeling good about the post-season. Purdue is definitely trending up at the right time on the calendar.

6. WISCONSIN @BadgerMBB

Road losses at Purdue and Iowa left a bitter taste in Wisconsin fans’ mouths to wrap up the regular-season slate. However, do not underestimate the Badgers just yet. Despite the sour ending, this team is capable of still making some noise here in tournament time.

7. MICHIGAN STATE @MSU_Basketball

The Spartans knew how tough the close of the regular schedule was going to be, both in terms of opponents and number of games. A win over Michigan to cap off the season may have just been enough to keep Michigan State’s string of NCAA Tournament appearances alive.

8. RUTGERS @RutgersMBB

A disappointing road loss against Nebraska started Rutgers’ final regular-season week, but the Scarlet Knights rebounded with a win against Minnesota. Steve Pikiell is poised to bring his team into the NCAA Tournament, snapping a 30-year drought for Rutgers.

9. MARYLAND @TerrapinHoops

A pair of inexplicable losses to Northwestern and Penn State came after Maryland put together a five-game winning streak. They still have a shot at an NCAA Tournament spot, but the Terps need to pick things up in a hurry to make any kind of impact.

10. PENN STATE @PennStateMBB

Wins over Minnesota and Maryland capped off a nice regular-season ending for Penn State. Considering the uncertainty around the future of this team, it’s a testament to Jim Ferry that this team played as well at times as they did this season.

12. NORTHWESTERN @NUMensBBall

Northwestern started out 3-0 in conference play and ended with a three-game winning streak as well. It doesn’t erase the tough middle stretch of the campaign, but Northwestern deserves credit for bouncing back strong.

12. INDIANA @IndianaMBB

The arrow is pointing decidedly down for Indiana, who comes into the conference tournament on a five-game losing streak as well as dropping six of its last seven games. The head coaching position and Archie Miller’s future will be in the spotlight in the coming weeks.

13. NEBRASKA @HuskerHoops

A big upset at home against Rutgers and then road losses at Iowa and Northwestern capped off the regular season for Nebraska.

14. MINNESOTA @GopherMBB

It’s been tough down the stretch for Minnesota, now losers of seven consecutive games and 10 of their last 12 contests.