As we close out the month of December, there are a very few certain things about this conference. That being said, one thing we do know for sure is that the Big Ten has earned enough of a non-conference resume as a league to be a top two conference. The conference is ranked second in “Conference NET,” which aggregates NET rankings of all the teams, and it has accumulated a record of 100-36 in the non-conference at the time of writing.
The second is that the league is still wide open. Michigan State was the favorite among all teams in the entire nation, but they have solidified themselves in the second tier of teams. Even Michigan, who looked great getting wins over then-ranked North Carolina and current No. 1 Gonzaga, has had a few stumbles afterwards. Any team can truly win on any given night in 2019-2020 Big Ten basketball.
December 27, 2019 Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings
No. 14 Nebraska (5-7, 1-1 B1G)

Previous: No. 13; Last Week: Loss vs. North Dakota 74-75
Nebraska dropped a tough one to North Dakota by just one point in a game they were favored to win by nine. The Cornhuskers have now lost four of their last five games and are .500 at home.
No. 13 Northwestern (5-6, 0-2 B1G)

Previous: No. 14; Last Week: Loss at DePaul 78-83
In Northwestern’s first four losses they lost by a combined 48 points. However, they have dropped two straight games by just a combined 10 points. As the season has gone on the Wildcats are staying with their opponents giving them a chance to win each contest. With Big Ten play resuming, Northwestern is still a team opponents need to watch for as a slip up in a tough league can doom any contender.
No. 12 Wisconsin (6-5, 1-1 B1G)

Previous: No. 12; Last Week: Win vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee 83-64
Wisconsin has an opportunity to redeem their non-conference slate with a game against Tennessee in Knoxville. That will be a difficult test, though, as they have been undefeated at home, but winless in road or neutral court games. If the Badgers are unable to pull this off, they will need to find a way into postseason contention through a Big Ten gauntlet.
No. 11 Rutgers (9-3, 1-1 B1G)

Previous: No. 10; Last Week: Win vs. Lafayette 63-44