Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 4-6

WEEKLY RELEASE - MARCH 4

Big Ten. Big News.

Entering this final week of the regular season, Michigan State was at the top of the B1G standings with a 15-3 mark in conference play. They were followed closely by Michigan in 2nd at 14-4, then Purdue, Maryland, and Wisconsin in a tie for 3rd at 12-6, then UCLA in 6th at 11-7, Illinois in 7th at 11-8, Oregon in 8th at 10-8, and Indiana in 9th at 9-9.
Milestone Watch... Iowa's Fran McCaffery and Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg are approaching coaching milestones, as McCaffery has 295 wins at Iowa, while Hoiberg owns 195 career wins.
Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, and Wisconsin have clinched their spots in the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. With just under a week left in the regular season, six more spots in the tournament will be secured, as the tournament returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on March 12-16. The tournament will be the first to feature a 15-team field and begin.
On Monday, the Big Ten announced its weekly men’s basketball awards. Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli collected his second Player of the week honor of the season, while Michigan State’s Jase Richardson was named Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week.
Eight B1G teams were ranked or received votes in the Associated Press and/or USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls released on February 17. Michigan State leads the way at No. 8 in the AP poll, followed by No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Michigan, No. 16 Maryland, and No. 20 Purdue. The coaches also listed Michigan State at No. 8, followed by the Badgers at No. 12, the Wolverines at 13, the Terps at 15, and the Boilermakers at 19. Illinois, Oregon, and UCLA also received votes in both polls.
The Big Ten has collected 93 wins against Quad 1 opponents and 178 victories against Quad 1 and 2 teams combined. Michigan State leads the league with nine Quad 1 wins, tied for second most in the country. Michigan, Oregon, and Purdue are among a group of nine teams nationally with at least eight Quad 1 wins. Michigan and Michigan State have 15 combined Quad 1 and 2 wins and join Purdue and Wisconsin in a group of 11 teams across the country with at least 14 Quad 1 and 2 victories.
Nine Big Ten teams were ranked in the top 40 and 14 in the top 70 in the NET Rankings through games on March 4. Michigan State leads the way at No. 11, followed by No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 14 Maryland, no. 16 Illinois, No. 17 Purdue, No. 25 Michigan, No. 26 UCLA, No. 31 Oregon, and No. 36 Ohio State. Indiana, Northwestern, Nebraska, Penn State, and Iowa also hold spots in the top 70. Only the SEC has more teams in the top 40, with 11.
Nine of the Big Ten’s 18 teams rank in the top 35 of the Kenpom Ratings entering games on March 4, including five in the top 20. Michigan State leads the way at No. 9, followed by No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 14 Maryland, No. 16 Purdue, No. 19 Illinois, No. 27 UCLA, No. 29 Michigan, No. 32 Ohio State, and No. 33 Oregon. Only the SEC has more teams in the top 40 with 11.
The Big Ten finished its nonconference schedule with a 160-38 record, besting last season’ 144 nonconference victories. Among those wins, the B1G was 122-7 (.946) at home. The Big Ten’s 160 wins and .812 nonconference win percentage sit behind only the SEC’s 185 wins and .889 (185-23) win percentage.
The 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 12-16. This will mark the 14th time the tournament has been held in Indianapolis. The tournament will be the first to feature a 15-team field and begin with three games on Wednesday, March 12. Peacock will televise the opening three games of the 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, with second-round and quarterfinal games on Thursday and Friday slated for Big Ten Network. For the 28th consecutive year, CBS Sports will broadcast the semifinals and championship game on CBS, with those games also streaming live on Paramount+.

Big Ten Weekly Men's Basketball Central - March 4-6

Edit