Updated Big Ten basketball standings entering February

The calendar is set to flip to February, marking a significant milestone in the 2024-25 Big Ten basketball season.

Several teams hold a clear top position through the season’s first few months. Michigan State currently paces the group with an 18-2 overall record and a 9-0 mark in conference play. However, the Spartans have yet to face any of the conference’s next five highest-ranked teams. Nearly all of their premier matchups have yet to be played, a dynamic that will make it difficult for the team to maintain its unblemished record.

Related: Prediction, betting odds, game preview for Wisconsin basketball vs Northwestern Wildcats

As always, February will be a month where the NCAA Tournament contenders emerge. A majority of the unplayed contests are Quad 1 games for both teams involved. That creates night-in, night-out opportunities for resume-defining victories. The stakes are also heightened across in the new 18-team Big Ten Conference landscape, as only 15 teams now make the conference tournament. That makes the final months of the season all the more intriguing as teams work to finalize their NCAA Tournament resumes.

As we move into February, here is an updated look at the Big Ten standings:

Big Ten basketball standings entering February

1. Michigan State Spartans: 9-0 (18-2 overall)

2. Purdue Boilermakers: 8-2 (16-5 overall), 1 1/2 games behind

3. Michigan Wolverines: 7-2 (15-5 overall), two games behind

4. (tie) Maryland Terrapins: 7-4 (17-5 overall), three games behind

5. UCLA Bruins: 7-4 (16-6 overall), three games behind

6. Wisconsin Badgers: 6-4 (16-5 overall), 3 1/2 games behind

7. Illinois Fighting Illini: 6-5 (14-7 overall), four games behind

8. (tie) Oregon Ducks: 5-5 (16-5 overall), 4 1/2 games behind

9. Indiana Hoosiers: 5-5 (14-7 overall), 4 1/2 games behind

10. Ohio State Buckeyes: 5-5 (13-8 overall), 4 1/2 games behind

11. USC Trojans: 4-5 (12-8 overall), five games behind

12. (tie) Iowa Hawkeyes: 4-6 (13-8 overall), 5 1/2 games behind

13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 4-6 (11-10 overall), 5 1/2 games behind

14. (tie) Nebraska Cornhuskers: 3-7 (13-8 overall), 6 1/2 games behind

15. Northwestern Wildcats: 3-7 (12-9 overall), 6 1/2 games behind

16. Minnesota Golden Gophers: 3-7 (11-10 overall), 6 1/2 games behind

17. Penn State Nittany Lions: 3-8 (13-9 overall), seven games behind

18. Washington Huskies: 1-8 (10-10 overall), eight games behind

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Big Ten basketball conference standings February schedule preview