Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - December 23-29
BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL
•
BIG TEN STATISTICS
•
NCAA STATISTICS
BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS
•
BIG TEN STANDINGS
NCAA AP TOP 25 POLL
•
NCAA USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
Big Ten. Big News.
- Entering tonight’s games, the Big Ten has posted a 141-39 (.783) mark against non-conference opponents, including a 102-4 (.962) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference. The Big Ten’s .783 nonconference win percentage also ranks second among all conferences (Big 12 156-38 (.804)).
- Michigan and Nebraska are two of the six remaining undefeated teams. Michigan improved to 11-0 with Sunday’s 102-50 win over LaSalle, the Wolverine’s fifth time surpassing the century mark in its last six games. This is the Wolverines’ best start since 2020-21, when U-M began 11-0 en route to a Big Ten title and Elite Eight run. The Huskers’ 78-55 win over North Dakota, sparked by Berke Buyuktuncel‘s triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) helped extend Nebraska’s best start in program history and its school-record win streak to 16 games, dating back to last season.
- Through games on Monday, Dec. 22, the Big Ten boasts 13 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including six in the top 25, and 10 in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten contingent at No. 1, followed by No. 7 Purdue, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 12 Michigan State, and No. 13 Iowa. Indiana, USC, UCLA, and Ohio State also claimed spots in the top 50. No other conference in the country has more teams in the top 25 (Big 12, SEC - 6), top 50 (ACC, SEC - 9), or top 75 (Big 12, SEC -12).
- Entering Tuesday’s games, Big Ten teams have combined to win 20 Quad 1 games, more than any other conference. Michigan and Michigan State are two of just five teams nationally to score four wins over Quad 1 opponents. In total, nine Big Ten teams have recorded at least one Quad 1 victory, with five teams earning at least two such wins.
- The Big Ten currently ranks second in today’s Kenpom conference rankings (+18.03), behind only the SEC (+18.81). Fourteen of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are ranked in the top 75 of the Kenpom rankings after Mondays’ games, including six in the top 25 and 12 in the top 50. Michigan leads the conference at No. 1, followed by No. 5 Purdue, No. 9 Illinois, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 19 Iowa, and No. 22 Nebraska. No other conference has more teams in the top 25, top 50, top 75, or top 100.
- The Big Ten was represented by nine teams in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, released on Monday. Michigan leads the way at No. 2 in this week’s AP poll, followed by No. 5 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 13 Nebraska, No. 20 Illinois, No. 24 USC, and No. 23 Iowa. According to the Coaches Poll, the Wolverines hold steady at No. 1, with Purdue at No. 5, Michigan State at No. 9, Nebraska at No. 13, Illinois at No. 19, Iowa at No. 23, and USC at No. 25. UCLA and Indiana also received votes in both polls. The Big Ten leads all conferences with seven entrants in the AP poll, one more than the Big 12 and SEC.
- Each Big Ten team has now played two conference games, with Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, and UCLA sporting 2-0 marks. All 18 Big Ten teams will face nonconference opposition before returning to conference action on Jan. 2.
- On Monday, the Big Ten announced its weekly award winners. Rutgers’ Tariq Francis and UCLA’s Skyy Clark shared Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Francis scored a career high 34 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field and 15-for-19 from the free throw line and drained the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in Rutgers’ 71-70 win over Penn.
- Clark averaged 24.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 12-for-22 from three-point range in a pair of Bruins’ wins, becoming the first player in UCLA history to hit six or more three-pointers in back-to-back games. Clark connected on six of 10 three-point attempts for 18 points in a 90-77 win over Arizona State, then drained six of 12 three-point attempts and scored a season-high 30 points in a 108-87 victory over Cal Poly.
- Nebraska’s Braden Frager earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week award after scoring a team-high 17 points and added four rebounds in the Huskers’ 78-55 win over North Dakota. The Lincoln, Neb. native shot 5-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line and grabbed four boards as Nebraska stayed perfect on the season.
- Milestone Watch... Congratulations to USC head coach Eric Musselman, who earned his 250th career win on Sunday with the Trojans’ victory over UC-Santa Cruz... Congratulations to Indiana’s Tayton Conerway, who recorded his 1,000th career point in Saturday’s win over Chicago State... Purdue’s Braden Smith is 18 assists shy of breaking the Big Ten record for career assists (890 - Cassius Winston, MSU (2017-20)... Nebraska’s Rienk Mast has 979 career rebounds and is on the verge of becoming just the second active player in Div. I with 1,000 career rebounds... Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz is just 8 assists from becoming the eighth player in the country with 500 career assists.
- 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.