Big Ten. Big News.
- Entering Tuesday’s action, the Big Ten owns an overall record of 107-25, the most wins and best win percentage (.811) of any conference in the country. Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of a 75-2 mark through the first three weeks of the season, winning games by more than 21 points per game. Its eight wins against ranked non-conference opponents are also tied with the Big 12 for the most by any conference in the nation.
- The Big Ten was represented by 10 teams in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, released on Monday. Purdue leads the AP poll at No. 1, followed by No. 3 Michigan, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 14 Illinois, No. 22 Indiana, and No. 24 USC. The Boilermakers also hold the No. 1 spot in the Coaches Poll and are joined by No. 2 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 15 Illinois, No. 19 Indiana, and No. 25 Iowa. Nebraska, UCLA, and Wisconsin also received votes in both polls.
- The Big Ten will open conference play on Tuesday with three games, as Iowa visits Michigan State (7 p.m./Peacock), Rutgers hosts Purdue (8 p.m./FS1), and USC travels to Oregon (10 p.m./USC). A total of 18 conference games will be played between Dec. 2-13 before conference play breaks until January 2026.
- In addition to Saturday’s Big Ten Football Championship Game, Saturday’s basketball slate includes three match-ups between top 15 teams. At Noon, No. 1 Purdue welcomes No. 10 Iowa State to Mackey Arena (CBS), while No. 7 Michigan State plays host to No. 4 Duke in East Lansing (FOX). At 8 p.m., No. 14 Illinois will head south to Nashville to face No. 13 Tennessee inside Bridgestone Arena (ESPN).
- The Big Ten recently completed a series of successful “Feast Week” events around the country. Purdue began the run, topping Memphis and No. 15 Texas Tech to win the Baha Mar Championship, the Boilermakers’ fifth straight “Feast Week” title. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg hit a free throw with 0.6 seconds to play to give the Huskers an 86-85 win over Kansas State in the championship game of the NABC Hall of Fame Classic. Iowa turned to its defense, allowing its fewest points since Dec. 2016, in a 59-46 win over Grand Canyon in the championship game of the Acrisure Classic. Led by tournament MVP Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan ran away with the Players Era Festival title after scoring 30-point wins over San Diego State, No. 21 Auburn, and No. 12 Gonzaga. USC’s Chad Baker Mazara averaged 17.3 points to lead the Trojans to wins over Boise State, Seton Hall, and Arizona State to claim the Southwest Maui Invitational crown. Michigan State capped its first undefeated November since the 2015-16 season after downing East Carolina and No. 18 North Carolina at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
- On Monday, the Big Ten announced its weekly award winners. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg was named Player of the Week after earning MVP honors at the Players Era Festival. Lendeborg averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks, shooting 63.0% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range in leading the Wolverines to three wins, including victories over No. 12 Gonzaga and No. 21 Auburn. The graduate student from Pennsauken, N.J. opened the festival with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and a block against San Diego State, followed by 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals against Auburn, then posted with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double against Gonzaga, adding three assists, two blocks and four steals.
- Penn State’s Kayden Mingo was named Freshman of the Week after posting 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 5.0 steals per game inleading the Nittany Lions to a pair of wins. The Farmingdale N.Y. native tied the program’s single-game record with eight steals to go with 13 points and five assists in a win over Sacred Heart. Mingo added 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a victory over Boston University.
- Milestone Watch… Northwestern head coach Chris Collins stands just one win shy of 200 for his career. Collins would join Arthur Lonborg (1927-50) as the only Northwestern coaches with 200 victories.
- The NCAA unveiled its first NET rankings for the 2025-26 season on Monday. Through games on Monday, Dec. 1, the Big Ten boasts 13 teams in the list’s top 75 spots, including seven in the top 25. Michigan leads the Big Ten contingent at No. 1, followed by No. 3 Purdue, No. 10 Michigan State, No. 13 Indiana, No. 16 Iowa, No. 23 USC, and No. 24 Illinois. No other conference in the country has more teams in the top 75 (Big 12, SEC – 11 each) or the top 25 (Big 12, SEC – 5 each).
- Seven Big Ten teams enter this week’s action ranked in the nation’s top 25 in total attendance. Indiana leads the league with 93,422 fans, good for fourth nationally. Illinois (85,621) and Nebraska (69,311) list seventh and ninth, respectively, while Purdue (59, 504), Michigan State (59,188), Wisconsin (56,623), and Ohio State (55,796) are included in the top 25. Seven teams also rank in the nation’s top 25 in average attendance, with Indiana’s 15,570 good for 10th in the country.
- 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.