- Illinois and Wisconsin sit atop the Big Ten standings with matching 8-2 records in conference play. Michigan State is right behind at 7-2, while Purdue follows with a 7-3 record.
• The Big Ten has a nation-leading five teams ranked in the top 20 of both the Associated Press and USA Today polls. Purdue leads the league at No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the USA Today poll, followed by No. 11/11 Wisconsin, No. 13/13 Michigan State, No. 16/16 Ohio State and No. 18/18 Illinois. Indiana and Iowa are among the teams receiving votes.
• As of Jan. 30, the Big Ten has a nation-leading seven teams among the top 30 in the NET Rankings, and eight teams in the top 50. No. 8 Purdue leads the conference, followed by No. 15 Illinois, No. 18 Michigan State, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 21 Wisconsin, No. 23 Iowa, No. 29 Indiana, and No. 47 Michigan.
• As of Jan. 30, the Big Ten’s 98 total Quadrant 1 games in the NET Rankings lead all conferences. The Big Ten is second in Q1 wins (34), Q1 and Q2 wins (64), and total number of Q1 and Q2 games played (147).
• A national-best eight Big Ten squads are among the top 35 of KenPom’s Jan. 30 ratings. Purdue leads the league at No. 8, followed by No. 16 Illinois, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 22 Iowa, No. 25 Indiana, No. 26 Wisconsin, and No. 33 Michigan.
• In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, the Big Ten has five teams projected as top five seeds, tied for the most among all conferences. Purdue is projected as a No. 2 seed, while Michigan State (No. 3 seed), Wisconsin (No. 4 seed), Ohio State (No. 5 seed), and Illinois (No. 5 seed) all earn top marks. Iowa is projected as a No. 7 seed, and Indiana is projected as a No. 8 seed, giving the Big Ten seven total teams projected in the field.
• Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday. Ivey averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.5 assists, and 0.5 blocks per game last week, highlighted by the game-winning 3-pointer in Purdue’s 81-78 win over No. 16 Ohio State.
• Nebraska guard Bryce McGowens was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday. 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks last week, including a 29-point effort against Rutgers that tied the school’s freshman record for points in a conference game.
53rd IHSAA Football Tourney Scores, 48 teams bring home the hardware
53rd IHSAA Football Tourney Scores, 48 teams bring home the hardware CLASS 6A 1: Penn 28 Crown Point 24 2: Carroll (Fort Wayne) 42 Fort Wayne Northrop 23 3: Westfield 23 Carmel 20 OT 4: Fishers 28 Hamilton Southeastern 20 5: Brownsburg 53 Avon 29 6: Decatur Central 17...