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Welcome to the (almost) end of week one of the 2020-2021 Big Ten Basketball season! With a games having finally been played across the NCAA landscape we have far more advanced stats metrics to take a look at in this week’s check-in.
Big Ten Conference Standings
The preseason media poll ranks the Big Ten as thus:
1. Illinois
2. Iowa
3. Wisconsin
4. Michigan State
5. Rutgers
6. Michigan
7. Ohio State
8. Indiana
9. Purdue
10. Maryland
11. Minnesota
12. Penn State
13. Nebraska
14. Northwestern
As the actual conference season begins, these will adjust each week. Until then, it will be more of a power ranking by me once games start until the season begins and gives us firm results to use instead. For one more week I will leave it as preseason media given Northwestern’s delayed start.
KenPom Rankings
A week into the season now and KenPom rankings are still high on the Big Ten, with half of the conference inside the top-25, 11 inside the top-40, and 13 inside the top-70. Offensively, nine rank inside the top-25, and defensively seven are inside the top-40.
The Big XII is still the most top heavy at this point with five teams in the top-10, but after that they have just two more in the top-40 compared to the Big Ten’s 11. Nebraska brings up the rear for the Big Ten at 104, whereas Kansas State does for the Big XII all the way back at 141. Otherwise all the other teams for both conferences sit inside the top-70.
BPI Rankings
BPI is also relatively high on the Big Ten to this point, but far less so than KenPom. Just five Big Ten teams rank in the top-25, and just 12 of the teams are inside the top-60 with Northwestern back at 84 outside the top-70. Nebraska, however, gets a big jump to 93 in BPI verus its 104th ranking in KenPom.
RPI Rankings
RPI is extremely cool on the conference in comparison. Heavy-weights Michigan State and Wisconsin sit outside the top-100 in RPI and Penn State is way back at 209 while Northwestern is ranked 326th (mostly due to not having played a game thus far in the season). Just four teams sit in the top-25, with Maryland in the lead at No. 7.
That’s a wrap for this week’s advanced stats check-in. Be sure to follow along with all of BTPowerhouse’s basketball coverage this week and check back again on next week’s update.