2016-’17 Week 14 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Power Rankings

Minor changes were made this week in the women’s basketball power rankings, and there is some potential for changes in the last couple weeks of the season as schedules are full of “trap games”. Be on the lookout for some noise!

Here are the power rankings after week 14 of play.

Big Ten Women’s Basketball Week 13 Power Rankings

#1 – Maryland Terrapins (24-1, 12-0)

It is beginning to get repetitive, but the Terrapins are truly the dominant team in the Big Ten. With two wins in the last week, they push their win streak to 12 games.

#2 – Ohio State Buckeyes (21-5, 11-1)

No. 13 Ohio State toppled Penn State and Wisconsin and will prepare to host Iowa on Monday. Following the Hawkeyes, OSU will travel to Nebraska to face the Huskers.

#3 – Michigan Wolverines (20-5, 9-2)

The Wolverines moved into the top 25, which only means good things for the conference. They are now ranked No. 21 and have Wisconsin and Indiana on their slate next week.

#4 – Indiana Hoosiers (16-8, 6-5)

Losing two in a row put some salt in the Hoosiers’ mouths and they were able to come out and take care of business at Rutgers, defeating the Scarlet Knights 63-52. Indiana also has a tough next couple games as it has to worry about Northwestern on Sunday and the Michigan Wolverines next Thursday.

#5 – Michigan State Spartans (16-8, 6-5)

The Spartans had an upsetting loss to Iowa and will now have to face Maryland for their next contest. It is not an easy road for the Spartans as they move back down to No. 5.

#6 – Iowa Hawkeyes (15-9, 6-5)

The Hawkeyes have shown true grit these past two games pulling out a win over Michigan State and only losing to Michigan by two in Ann Arbor. Are the Hawkeyes for real? We will see on Monday when they travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the No. 13 Buckeyes.

#7 – Purdue Boilermakers (15-10, 6-5)

The Lady Boilermakers stay the same this week despite the loss to Michigan. Keeping it close with a top 25 team in the nation is always key coming down the stretch of the season when trying to make a case for the NCAA tournament.

#8 – Northwestern Wildcats (17-6, 6-4)

Northwestern moves down again after losing to Penn State, 74-58. Although the record seems like they deserve better, the Wildcats have lost critical games this year to prevent them from being a top five team in the conference.

#9 – Penn State Nittany Lions (16-8, 6-6)

Penn State is on a bit of a roll now with its convincing wins over Northwestern and Minnesota, however, we are going to wait until the game between Purdue before moving the Nittany Lions up a slot.

#10 – Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-12, 3-8)

Minnesota is slowly creeping down the power rankings but will have the opportunity to make it up with the game with Rutgers tomorrow and Northwestern on Monday.

#11 – Illinois Fighting Illini (8-17, 3-9)

The Fighting Illini has not gotten a break. They have lost seven straight and will now face Penn State on Tuesday at home.

#12 – Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-18, 3-8)

It’s hard to move the Scarlet Knights up in the power rankings if they continue to lose. Although they play hard fought games with some talented teams, they are unable to execute down the stretch.

#13 – Wisconsin Badgers (6-19, 1-11)

The large margin victory over Nebraska pushed the Badgers out of the last place. However, they now have to face Michigan and Maryland on the road for their next two games. This is not necessarily the easiest situation.

#14 – Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-19, 1-11)

The Huskers are now in the last place of the power rankings and are getting ready to play Ohio State next Thursday as they have a long break from competition. They have an opportunity for a huge upset if they get the win at home.