College basketball rankings: Big Ten teams clog Top 25 And 1 as league eyes ending national title drought
The Big Ten is well-represented in our daily rankings, headlined by undefeated Purdue at No. 2
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Twenty-six days into this season, I'd argue no conference is performing better, in the ways that matter most, than the Big Ten. As evidence, consider that It has eight teams in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
No other league has more than six.
Purdue, which has won two of the past three Big Ten regular-season championships, is second in the Top 25 And 1 with a 7-0 record featuring an 86-56 win over Texas Tech in the title game of the Baha Mar Championship. Michigan is third in the Top 25 And 1 with a 7-0 record featuring a 101-61 win over Gonzaga in the title game of the Players Era Festival. Those two are clear national championship contenders with obvious CBS Sports National Player of the Year candidates in Braden Smith (Purdue) and Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan).
Iowa won the Acrisure Championship, is 7-0 and 22nd in the Top 25 And 1. USC won the Maui Invitational, is 7-0 and 26th in the Top 25 And 1. Michigan State is also 7-0 (with wins over Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina) and ninth in the Top 25 And 1. Nebraska is also 7-0 (with wins over Kansas State and Oklahoma) and 20th in the Top 25 and 1. Indiana is 6-0 (with wins over Kansas State and Marquette) and 21st in the Top 25 And 1. And then there's Illinois, which is a not-as-great 6-2 on the season. But both losses are away-from-home losses to teams in the top 11 of the Top 25 And 1 (Alabama/UConn). And the Illini have a win over Texas Tech, which is enough to keep Brad Underwood's team in the Top 25 And 1 at No. 16.
So is this gonna be the season?
If that's not a question already making the rounds, it will be soon because, as you likely know, the Big Ten has not won a national championship since Michigan State won the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Incredibly, UConn, all by itself, has won five national titles since the last time any Big Ten member won one. There's no way to spin that good. But the good news for the Big Ten is that there are some early signs suggesting that streak could end come April.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
1
North Carolina
4
Illinois
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 103-73 win over Denver. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Norfolk State. | -- | 7-0 |
| 2 |  | Daniel Jacobsen finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 109-62 win over Eastern Illinois. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday at Rutgers. | -- | 7-0 |
| 3 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 101-61 win over Gonzaga. The Wolverines' next game is Dec. 6 against Rutgers. | -- | 7-0 |
| 4 |  | Solo Ball finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Friday's 74-61 win over Illinois. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday at Kansas. | -- | 6-1 |
| 5 |  | Richie Saunders finished with 29 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 83-79 win over Dayton. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Cal Baptist. | -- | 6-1 |
| 6 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 35 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 80-71 win over Arkansas. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Florida. | -- | 8-0 |
| 7 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 32 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 104-47 win over NJIT. The Cardinals' next game is Wednesday at Arkansas. | -- | 7-0 |
| 8 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 95-64 win over Syracuse. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Alcorn State. | -- | 7-0 |
| 9 |  | Carson Cooper finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 74-58 win over North Carolina. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Iowa. | -- | 7-0 |
| 10 |  | Graham Ike missed all nine of the shots he attempted in Wednesday's 101-61 loss to Michigan. The Zags' next game is Dec. 5 against Kentucky. | -- | 7-1 |
| 11 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 20 points and six assists in Wednesday's 105-72 win over Maryland. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Clemson. | -- | 5-2 |
| 12 |  | Kyan Evans missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Thursday's 74-58 loss to Michigan State. The Tar Heels' next game is Tuesday at Kentucky. | 1 | 6-1 |
| 13 |  | Elmarko Jackson finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 81-76 win over Tennessee. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against UConn. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 14 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed 14 of the 19 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 81-76 loss to Kansas. The Vols' next game is Tuesday at Syracuse. | 1 | 7-1 |
| 15 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 66-56 win over Notre Dame. The Cougars' next game is Dec. 6 against Florida State. | 1 | 7-1 |
| 16 |  | Andrej Stojakovic missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Friday's 74-61 loss to UConn. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | 4 | 6-2 |
| 17 |  | Christian Anderson finished with 23 points and five assists in Wednesday's 82-50 win over New Orleans. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday against Wyoming. | -- | 5-2 |
| 18 |  | Malachi Moreno finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 104-54 win over Tennessee Tech. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against North Carolina. | -- | 5-2 |
| 19 |  | Maleek Thomas missed 10 of the 15 shots he attempted in Thursday's 80-71 loss to Duke. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Louisville. | -- | 5-2 |
| 20 |  | Rienk Mast finished with 31 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 80-73 win over Winthrop. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday against USC Upstate. | -- | 8-0 |
| 21 |  | Reed Bailey finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 86-69 win over Kansas State. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against Bethune Cookman. | -- | 7-0 |
| 22 |  | Isaia Howard finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 59-46 win over Grand Canyon. The Hawkeyes' next game is Tuesday at Michigan State. | -- | 7-0 |
| 23 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 27 points and three steals in Wednesday's 85-74 win over St. John's. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against NC State. | -- | 6-2 |
| 24 |  | Duke Miles finished with 25 points and four assists in Friday's 96-71 win over Saint Mary's. The Commodores' next game is Wednesday against SMU. | -- | 8-0 |
| 25 |  | Oziyah Sellers missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Wednesday's 85-74 loss to Auburn. The Red Storm's next game is Dec. 6 against Ole Miss. | -- | 4-3 |
| 26 |  | Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 23 points and four assists in Wednesday's 88-75 win over Arizona State. The Trojans' next game is Tuesday against Oregon. | -- | 7-0 |
