Big Ten Weekly Men’s Basketball Central – December 30-January 5

Big Ten. Big News.
• Entering Tuesday’s action, the Big Ten owns a nonconference record of 154-39, the second-best win percentage (.798) of any conference, behind only the Big 12 (.806). Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of an 115-4 (.966) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference. Big Ten teams have just five nonconference games remaining on the schedule, three tonight and two in February.
• Coming into Monday’s action, Michigan (11-0) and Nebraska (12-0) were the only B1G members among the remaining 6 unbeaten teams in the nation. It marked the best start for the Wolverines since 2020-21, when they began 11-0 en-route to a B1G title and Elite Eight run. Meanwhile for Nebraska, it had set a record for the best start in program history.
• 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.
• Through games on Monday, Dec. 29, the Big Ten boasts 13 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including six in the top 13, and 10 in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten contingent at No. 1, followed by No. 7 Purdue, No. 1 Illinois, No. 12 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 10 (Big 12 – 3), top 25 (Big 12, SEC – 6), top 50 (ACC, SEC – 9), or top 75 (Big 12, SEC -12).
• The Big Ten currently ranks second in today’s Kenpom conference rankings (+18.13), behind only the SEC (+19.00). 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. 14 Michigan State, No. 18 Iowa, and No. 23 Nebraska. No other conference has more teams in the top 10, top 25, top 50, or top 75.
• While an AP poll was not released on Monday, Dec. 29, nine Big Ten teams were included in the weekly USA Today Coaches Poll. Michigan continues to top the poll, sitting at No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week. Purdue sits at No. 6, followed by No. 9 Michigan State, No. 13 Nebraska, No. 19 Illinois, No. 23 Iowa. USC, UCLA, and Indiana also received votes in the coaches poll. The Big Ten joins the Big 12 and SEC with six ranked teams each.
• After tonight’s three games, the Big Ten will return its focus to conference play. Following a two-day break, league play will restart on Friday with a quartet of games, including a pair of contests involving ranked teams: USC visits No. 2 Michigan (7 p.m./Peacock), Oregon travels Maryland (7:30 p.m./Peacock), Rutgers welcomes Ohio State (8 p.m./Peacock), and No. 13 Nebraska hosts No. 9 Michigan State (9 p.m./Peacock). Each Big Ten has now played two conference games, with Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, and UCLA sporting 2-0 marks.
• On Monday, Dec. 22, 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 Oregon’s Takai Simpson, who recorded his 1,000th career point in Monday’s win over Nebraska-Omaha… Congratulations to Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz who recently became the eighth player in the country with 500 career assists…. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo stands one win shy of becoming the 10th active coach with 750 career wins… Purdue’s Braden Smith is 10 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…
• 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.