Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - November 18-24
BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL
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BIG TEN STATISTICS
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NCAA STATISTICS
BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS
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BIG TEN STANDINGS
NCAA AP TOP 25 POLL
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NCAA USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
Big Ten. Big News.
- Entering Tuesday’s action, the Big Ten owns a record of 63-4, the most wins and best win percentage (.940) of any conference in the country. Included in the league’s early success is a 51-1 mark on its home courts with an average margin of victory over 21 points.
- Eleven Big Ten teams were recognized in Monday’s AP and USA Today Coaches Polls. The AP Top 25 includes No. 1 Purdue, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Illinois, No. 17 Michigan State, No. 19 UCLA, and No. 23 Wisconsin. Purdue remains No. 1 in this week’s coaches poll, followed by No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 Illinois, No. 20 UCLA, No. 18 Michigan State, No. 21 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Indiana. Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC also received votes in both polls.
- This week’s game schedule features several games against ranked opponents. Tonight, No. 17 Michigan State will face No. 12 Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. in New York City as part of the Champions Classic (ESPN). On Wednesday, the Big Ten will return to Chicago’s United Center, as No. 8 Illinois meets No. 11 Alabama at 8 p.m. (FS1). Prior to the game, the Big Ten will unveil the logo for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, which will also be held at the United Center. On Friday, No. 23 Wisconsin will visit Salt Lake City, where it will face No. 9 BYU. Tip is slated for 4 p.m. (Peacock). With a win over Memphis on Thursday, No. 1 Purdue could face its second ranked foe of the young season, as No. 15 Texas Tech could be the Boilermakers’ opponent on Friday at the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas.
- On Monday, the Big Ten announced its weekly award winners. Purdue’s Braden Smith averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists at Purdue scored a pair of wins. The senior guard scored 29 points, including 21 in the second half, in the Boilermakers’ 87-80 win at No. 8 Alabama. Among his points were the game-winning field goal and with 1:00 left to go up 82-80 and a pair of free throws to go up 84-80 on the next possession. Smith performance made him the first player since Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield in Jan. 2016 to have at least 29 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in a top-10 road win. Smith then recorded his 19th career double-double with 16 points and 10 assists in a win over defending MAC champion and preseason favorite Akron.
- Illinois’ David Mirkovic was named Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week. The freshman averaged 19.0 points and 12.5 rebounds. Mirkovic posted the first 20-point, 20-rebound game by an Illini in 53 years with career highs of 27 points and 21 rebounds in the win over Colgate. His 21 boards also set the Illini freshman single-game rebounding record, breaking the previous mark of 17. Mirkovic also scored in double figures in the win over #11 Texas Tech, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
- Milestone Watch... Congratulations to Purdue head coach Matt Painter, who earned his 500th career victory in Sunday’s win over Akron. Painter is the 16th active coach to reach the milestone, doing so in the seventh-fewest games... Northwestern head coach Chris Collins stands just two wins shy of 200 for his career.
- Twelve Big Ten players representing 10 schools have been included on the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Watch List, announced on Tuesday, launching the 50th anniversary season of college basketball’s most prestigious individual honor. Indiana’s Tucker DeVries, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Oregon’s Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, UCLA’s Donovan Dent, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell are among the list of 50 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team™ and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
- The 29th annual TIAA Big Ten Tournament will be played at the United Center in Chicago, March 10th – 15th, 2026. For the first time, all 18 Big Ten teams will compete for the tournament title. The tournament will open with a pair of games on Tuesday, March 10 and culminate with championship on Sunday March 15.
- For the second consecutive year, Purdue’s Braden Smith has been named the 2025-26 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, as chosen by a select media panel. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American, Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.5 rebounds a season ago before being named the recipient of the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to setting a Big Ten record with 175 assists in conference play, Smith became the only player in NCAA history to amass at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds, and 75 steals in a season.
- The media panel also selected a 10-member Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Eight of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are represented on the team, with Smith the lone unanimous selection. The Purdue guard is joined by teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendenborg, Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Oregon duo Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, UCLA’s Donovan Dent, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell.