Big Ten Bracketology, Week 4: Can the Wolverines’ Surge Redefine the Race?

What a whirlwind week it’s been in Big Ten basketball! With Michigan, Iowa, and USC each hoisting trophies from their respective multi-team events, and Purdue fresh off their Baha Mar Championship win, the conference is buzzing with excitement and promise. Michigan State’s strong performance—even without the structure of a formal bracket—adds yet another layer to the Big Ten’s growing prowess this season. Now, with the NCAA unveiling the inaugural NET rankings of the year, we’ve got a much clearer lens to assess where these teams truly stand as tournament hopes sharpen. So, buckle up—let’s dissect this thrilling week of hoops and what it means for the road ahead. LEARN MORE

The B1G had a great feast week, with three teams (Michigan, Iowa and USC) taking home titles in their respective Multi-Team Events (MTE) after Purdue won the Baha Mar Championship a week prior. Michigan State also had a great showing in an MTE without a formal bracket, capping off a good overall week in B1G basketball.

Perhaps more importantly than all of the feast-week MTE action, the first edition of the NET rankings were released by the NCAA this morning, meaning there is a lot more data available to pinpoint where each of these teams really stands in the projected tournament picture. With that being said, it’s time to break down all the action after an eventful week.

Michigan – No. 1 Seed (No. 1 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 2 Seed (No. 7 overall)

The Wolverines made the biggest statement out of any team in the country during Feast Week. Michigan cruised to the Players Era Championship with three wins by a combined margin of 110 points, and it’s not like the Wolverines had an easy draw either. Michigan started the tournament with a 94-54 win against San Diego State, clinched a spot in the championship game with a 102-72 win against then-No. 21 Auburn (who knocked Michigan out of the NCAA Tournament last season) and finished off the event with the most impressive win of them all — demolishing then-No. 7 Gonzaga 101-61 to claim the Players Era title. The Wolverines jumped from No. 15 in KenPom all the way to No. 1 after the busy week, and also claimed the No. 1 spot in the first NET rankings of the year. This solidifies their case to be the No. 1 overall seed as the calendar turns to December.

How ridiculous was Michigan in Las Vegas? This ridiculous: Michigan is the first team — ever — to beat ranked teams by 30-plus points in back-to-back games, per CBS Sports Research.

Had never been done in men’s D-I history.

Until tonight.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) November 27, 2025

Purdue – No. 1 Seed (No. 2 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 1 Seed (No. 1 overall)

The Boilermakers had a light week after returning from their MTE in the Bahamas, but Purdue did dominate the one game it played. The Boilermakers used a career-high 24 points from Daniel Jacobsen to beat Eastern Illinois 109-62 at home on Friday morning. With a No. 3 ranking in the initial NET rankings and two Quad 1 wins (against Alabama and Texas Tech), Purdue easily keeps their No. 1 Seed.

Michigan State – No. 3 Seed (No. 9 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 3 Seed (No. 11 overall)

The Spartans just keep on winning (just like Coen Carr keeps on dunking). It feels like every week I write the newest version of this column, Michigan State has another win against a major-conference opponent. This week, the Spartans traveled down to the Fort Myers Tip-Off for matchups with East Carolina and then-No. 16 North Carolina. Michigan State cruised to an 89-56 win against East Carolina, then passed the big test of the week with a 74-58 win against the Tar Heels. Jeremy Fears Jr. was excellent in that game, totaling an efficient 19 points (on 8-for-10 shooting), along with seven assists and five rebounds. The Spartans are undefeated and haven’t allowed 70 points in a game this season, but the biggest test of the season will come on Saturday when a top-five Duke Blue Devils team visits the Breslin Center.

Indiana – No. 5 Seed (No. 18 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 6 Seed (No. 23 overall)

As the top three in the conference have started to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, the Hoosiers continue to pass the eye test as one of the second-tier Big Ten contenders. Indiana looked great this week, starting out by beating Kansas State 86-69 while becoming the first team to hold the Wildcats under 84 points all season. The Hoosiers also defeated Bethune-Cookman 100-56 to move to 7-0 for the season. Indiana will now play four straight games against high-major opponents, starting with a conference matchup against Minnesota and a neutral court game against a top-ten Louisville team.

Illinois – No. 5 Seed (No. 19 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 4 Seed (No. 15 overall)

The Fighting Illini got caught looking ahead to the weekend a little too early, as they had a close call versus Texas Rio Grande Valley at home. Illinois escaped with an 87-73 victory at home before moving on to the litmus test of the week against UConn. The Illini ventured to Madison Square Garden for a Black Friday battle against the Huskies, but it was UConn who came out with the 74-61 win. Illinois has looked very competitive against all three of its high-major opponents this season, but has only collected one win (against Texas Tech) in those three games. The Illini will have another opportunity to claim a big win next weekend against a ranked Tennessee squad.

Iowa – No. 6 Seed (No. 21 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 8 Seed (No. 30 overall)

The Hawkeyes traveled out west to face off with a previously unbeaten Ole Miss squad in the first round of the Acrisure Classic. Bennett Stirtz scored 29 points to lead Iowa to a 74-69 win against the Rebels to advance to the championship game, where the Hawkeyes took on Grand Canyon. Iowa controlled the pace of that game and completely shut down the Antelopes’ offense in a 59-46 win to secure the Acrisure Classic title. The Hawkeyes moved to 7-0, but a tough test looms against Michigan State at the Breslin Center tomorrow.

Bennett Stirtz pass placement off flare screen

Tracking for a 3:1 A:TO over his last two college seasons. You can see why. pic.twitter.com/KshYkoZJOG

— Chucking Darts NBA & Draft Podcast (@ChuckingDarts) November 29, 2025

USC – No. 6 Seed (No. 23 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 7 Seed (No. 28 overall)

The Trojans had one of the more impressive weeks of any B1G team, and continue to be one of the more intriguing teams in the conference title race. This week, USC went to the Maui Invitational and tallied three wins to claim the Maui Invitational championship. The Trojans beat Boise State and Seton Hall by just five combined points before beating Arizona State 88-75 in the championship game, despite not having Rodney Rice healthy. USC is ranked No. 20 in the initial NET rankings and is within the top 30 in KenPom and Torvik, setting the Trojans up in a great position heading into December.

Nebraska – No. 7 Seed (No. 26 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 10 Seed (No. 39 overall, Last Four Byes)

The Cornhuskers didn’t look as dominant as they had been through the first few weeks of the season, but they remained undefeated and moved to 8-0 before the schedule toughens up. Nebraska won 80-73 against Winthrop at home, but unfortunately announced after that game that Connor Essegian was out for the remainder of the season with an injury. In the first game without Essegian, the Cornhuskers defeated South Carolina Upstate 72-63. Both wins were closer than they should have been, and Nebraska will have to play a bit better to stay undefeated against in-state rival Crieghton.

UCLA – No. 8 Seed (No. 29 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 5 Seed (No. 20 overall)

The Bruins had a rough week, suffering an 80-72 loss to the California Golden Bears at Chase Center. Heading into Tuesday’s matchup, UCLA had won 12 of 13 against Cal in the series, and given the Bruins’ topsy-turvy start to the season, this was a poorly timed loss. UCLA will have to get rid of that memory quickly, though, as its start to conference play includes games at Washington and versus Oregon at home this week.

Wisconsin – No. 9 Seed (No. 34 overall)

Previous seeding: No. 7 Seed (No. 25 overall)

The Badgers bounced back from a lopsided loss against BYU by scoring 100 points of their own in a 104-83 neutral-court rout against Providence. Nick Boyd had a career-high 36 points in that game, but unfortunately for Wisconsin, it couldn’t follow up the win in the semi-finals of the Rady Children’s Invitational with another one. The Badgers fell 74-63 to TCU (who beat reigning national champion Florida to get to the championship game), leaving San Diego with a solid, yet simultaneously disappointing showing. Wisconsin will move on to the start of conference play against Northwestern and an in-state rivalry game against a struggling Marquette team.

Ohio State – No. 10 Seed (No. 37 overall, Last Four Byes)

Previous seeding: No. 8 Seed (No. 29 overall)

The Buckeyes defeated Mount Saint Mary’s 113-60 in their first game of the week, with John Mobley Jr.’s season-high 26 points leading the team. They say lightning never strikes twice, but in the second game of the week, Ohio State came away with an important lesson: don’t play Pitt in basketball during the holiday season EVER again. That’s because the Buckeyes lost to the Panthers on a buzzer-beater on Black Friday 364 days ago at home, and again on Black Friday, a Pitt buzzer-beater handed Ohio State a loss (this time by a score of 67-66 on the road).

Northwestern – Next Four Out

Previous seeding: Next Four Out

The Wildcats played just one game during the week, dropping that contest 86-81 to Oklahoma State. While Northwestern has looked better on the offensive end this season, the defense – which is ranked 82nd in defensive efficiency according to KenPom – is on pace for its worst season since the ‘Cats went 8-23 in the 2019-20 season. Northwestern has a top-50 offense, but has to find a way to get stops more consistently if it wants to contend for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will have an opportunity to take on two tournament-caliber offenses to open conference play against Wisconsin and Ohio State this week.

Washington – In Consideration

Previous seeding: First Four Out

The Huskies were without Hannes Steinbach for the Acrisure Holiday Classic, but still had a decent showing in Palm Springs, Ca. Washington beat Nevada 83-66 in the first game of the MTE, but fell 81-68 to Colorado in the championship game. The bad news for the Huskies was the loss to the Buffaloes, but the good news is that Colorado has come out of nowhere to start the season 7-0, so that loss may not be as bad as most people would think when just looking at the name of the opponent. Washington needs to get healthier to really have a chance at a spot in the big dance.

Oregon – Out

Previous seeding: No. 9 Seed (No. 35 overall)

The Ducks were not looking like a tournament team and had dropped spots in the bracket every week since the season started, but this week was the real tipping point. Oregon went 0-3 at the Players Era Tournament, losing 84-73 to then-No. 21 Auburn, 97-80 to San Diego State and 76-66 to Creighton. Teams that go 0-3 at MTEs typically don’t make the NCAA Tournament, and considering Gonzaga is likely the only other Quad 1 opportunity on the Ducks’ non-conference schedule, Oregon would need a miraculous rebound in conference play to end the season in tournament contention.

Penn State – Out

Previous seeding: Out

The Nittany Lions stayed away from MTE mania, choosing instead to play home games against Boston University and Sacred Heart. Penn State defeated the Terriers 96-87 and beat the Pioneers 90-59. The Nittany Lions have a team without much continuity, meaning these games against bad opponents have given them plenty of time to gel together. They will play against Campbell this week, which will be the final chance to get an easy win on the board before the start of conference play.

Maryland – Out

Previous seeding: Out

Predictably, the Terrapins defeated UNLV 74-67 at the Players Era Tournament. However, Maryland failed to keep its next two games within respectable margins. Gonzaga defeated the ‘Terps 100-61 and Alabama beat Maryland 105-72. The Terrapins will have an opportunity to bounce back against Wagner before facing Iowa on the road to start the conference season.

Minnesota – Out

Previous seeding: Out

The Golden Gophers haven’t gotten much of anything going on offense, and the same was true at the Acrisure Invitational. Minnesota lost 72-68 against Stanford and lost 86-75 against Santa Clara. The Golden Gophers are now 0-4 in games against top-100 KenPom opponents, and that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season, as Rutgers is the only other B1G team outside the top 100.

Rutgers – Out

Previous seeding: Out

The Scarlet Knights played slightly better than very low expectations in Las Vegas at the Players Era Tournament. Rutgers lost 85-60 to Tennessee, but stayed competitive in a 68-63 loss to Notre Dame and followed that up with an 80-65 win against UNLV to close out the tournament. Rutgers will still be playing a lot more teams in the Tennessee stratosphere than the UNLV realm throughout conference play, however, and the Scarlet Knights don’t look like a threat to make any noise in the B1G.