Big Ten Weekly Men’s Basketball Central – December 9-15

Big Ten. Big News.

• Entering Tuesday’s action, the Big Ten owns a nonconference record of 112-28, the best win percentage (.800) and third most wins of any conference in the country. Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of a 79-4 mark in nonconference action, winning games by more than 21 points per game. The league also owns nine victories over ranked opponents.
• Eight Big Ten teams have started the season 7-1 or better, tied with the ACC for most of any conference.
• The Big Ten was represented by 11 teams in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, released on Monday. Michigan leads the at No. 2 in this week’s AP poll, followed by No. 6 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 13 Illinois, No. 23 Nebraska, and No. 25 UCLA. According to the Coaches Poll, the Wolverines are the best team in the land, climbing to No. 1, with Purdue at No. 6, Michigan State at No. 9, Illinois at No. 13, Nebraska at No. 22, and Iowa at No. 23. Indiana, Ohio State, USC, and Washington also received votes in one or both polls. The Big Ten joins the Big 12 and SEC with six ranked teams each.
• The Big Ten will continue its short run of conference play this week with seven league games on this week’s slate. UCLA claimed wins in both of its Big Ten games last week, while Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin also look to improve to 2-0 in the league standings this week. A total of 18 conference games will be played between Dec. 2-13 before conference play breaks until January 2026.
• This week’s nonconference schedule includes a pair of contests against top 25 opposition. On Thursday, Iowa will head to Ames, Iowa to face No. 4 Iowa State in the annual Cy-Hawk Series (8 p.m./FS1). Saturday’s 11-game schedule culminates in Seattle, as No. 25 UCLA faces No. 8 Gonzaga in the Seattle Hoops Showdown (11:30 p.m./ESPN). Among this week’s Big Ten’s games, No. 23 Nebraska will look to stay unbeaten as the Huskers visit No. 13 Illinois on Saturday (4 p.m./Peacock).
• On Monday, the Big Ten announced its weekly award winners. Wisconsin’s John Blackwell was named Player of the Week after averaging 28.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in a pair of Badgers’ wins. The junior guard paired 26 points and a career-best 11 rebounds in an 85-73 win over Northwestern for his first double-double of the season. In a 96-76 win over Marquette, Blackwell posted 30 points, shooting 6-for-12 from three-point range, notching his third 30+ point game of the year.
• Washington’s Hannes Steinbach was named Freshman of the Week after returning from a three-game absence with 26.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, as the Huskies split a pair of games. For the week, Steinbach connected on 75 percent of his field goal attempts, converted 15-of-18 attempts from the free throw line, and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds over the two games. In an 82-80 loss to UCLA, the freshman shot 11-12 from the floor, posting 29 points and 10 rebounds. Steinbach then recorded 24 points and 16 boards, including 14 points and eight rebounds in the second half, as Washington scored an 84-76 win at No. 24 USC.
• Milestone Watch… Congratulations to Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad and Wisconsin’s Andrew Rohde, who recorded their 1,000th career points in games last week… 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.
• Through games on Monday, Dec. 8, the Big Ten boasts 13 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including five in the top 25, and 10 in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten contingent at No. 1, followed by No. 9 Purdue, No. 10 Michigan State, No. 13 Illinois, and No. 23 Nebraska. Iowa, Indiana, USC, Ohio State, and UCLA also claimed spots in the top 50. No other conference in the country has more teams in the top 75 (ACC-13) or the top 50 (ACC, Big 12 – 8 each).
• The Big Ten boasts the two best assist men in the country in Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. and Purdue’s Braden Smith. Fears currently leads the nation with 9.8 assists per game and 88 total assists, while Smith ranks second in both categories with 8.8 assists per game and 79 total assists. Three other players from the Big Ten also rank in the top five nationally in other statistical categories. Minnesota’s Cade Tyson ranks fourth in scoring at 21.8 points per game and third in free throws (70), while Maryland’s Pharrel Payne leads the country with 92 free throw attempts and fifth in free throw makes (66). Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz also sees 37:44 of action per game, third in Div. I.
• Eight Big Ten teams enter this week’s action ranked in the nation’s top 30 in total attendance. Indiana leads the league with 93,422 fans, good for sixth nationally. Michigan State (88,782), Wisconsin (87,806), Illinois (85,621) and Nebraska (84,567) hold spots 8-11, respectively, while Purdue (74,380), Iowa (61,411), and Ohio State (55,796) are included in the top 30. Eight teams also rank in the nation’s top 30 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.