Big Ten College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 3

An opening game loss to George Washington was a tough one for the Scarlet Knights, but they rebounded in week two to reclaim a winning record. However, they have a lot to prove in order to jump from the last spot in our power rankings in their first season as a Big Ten squad.

This week: vs. Saint Peter's, vs. Vanderbilt

Through the first two weeks of the season, Purdue was 3-0 against lesser opponents. Facing Kansas State and former Illinois head coach Bruce Weber in the first round of the Maui Invitational was the first true test, and the Boilermakers failed it.

This week: vs. Missouri

Penn State is normally a bottom-dweller in the Big Ten, but it is looking to make the 2014-15 season different. Penn State would be higher on the list if it wasn't for an overtime loss to Charlotte. However, a win against USC made up for it a bit.

This week: vs. Akron, at Bucknell

Indiana has a real shot at being solid this season in the Big Ten, but a tough loss against Eastern Washington at home on Monday is the reason why the Hoosiers are just 11th in this week's power rankings despite an early win against No. 22 SMU a week ago.

This week: vs. UNC-Greensboro

This may finally be the year Northwestern makes their first NCAA Tournament appearance -- crazy to think they haven't yet in school history. The Wildcats are one of six unbeaten teams in the Big Ten, but are just 10th in the power rankings because of the lack of dominance in any of their wins against lesser opponents.

This week: vs. Miami(OH)

Fran McCaffery's squad was extremely competitive a season ago and don't be surprised if they are the same way this season despite being the only team in the Big Ten with two losses. I have them at No. 9 because the two losses were against ranked opponents and the Hawkeyes have looked solid otherwise.

This week: vs. Northern Illinois, vs. Longwood

Nebraska was expected to be one of the best teams in the Big Ten this season, even finding its way into the Top 25 to begin the year. However, an early loss to Rhode Island hurt the Cornhuskers' stock a bit and they are now just 2-1 with a bad road loss.

This week: vs. Omaha, vs. Tennessee-Martin

Maryland is in its first season in the Big Ten and the Terrapins are playing well, starting the year 4-0 with a nice win over Arizona State in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. They play No. 13 Iowa State on Tuesday, surely marking their first true test of the season.

This week: vs. No. 13 Iowa State, vs. Monmouth, vs. VMI

Richard Pitino is in his second season as the Gophers' head coach and he has done great things with this team already. Having just one loss in their first four games might not sound great, but when that one loss was to No. 8 Louisville in the first game of the season, you have to give them credit.

This week: vs. St. John's

Illinois is undefeated, but the Illini have a tough handful of games coming up. The Fighting Illini are one of five 4-0 teams in the conference to begin week three and they will likely remain unbeaten heading into week four, barring a major upset.

This week: vs. Indiana State

Michigan State's opening game win against Navy was ugly, followed by a tough loss against No. 4 Duke, but the Spartans have been resilient, dominating their last two games by an average of 31 points. Tom Izzo's squads seem to get stronger throughout the year and this one will be no different.

This week: vs. Rider

Michigan may be down two stars from last season (Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas), but the Wolverines have still found a way to win. It's hard to put a 4-0 Michigan squad any lower than No. 3 in the power rankings, so I won't. Tougher games are ahead for the Wolverines, however.

This week: vs. No. 12 Villanova, vs. Nicholls St.

Freshman guard D'Angelo Russell has been living up to the hype and then some for the Buckeyes this season, leading the team in scoring with 18.0 points per game. If he keeps that up, the Buckeyes will be hard to beat this year and for many years to come.

This week: vs. Campbell, vs. James Madison

As the No. 2 team in the nation, it shouldn't be any surprise that the Badgers top our power rankings this week. Watching them play is nothing short of fantastic and with a game against No. 4 Duke next week for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Badgers have the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament to tune up and get ready.

This week: vs. UAB, vs. Florida/Georgetown, *Battle 4 Atlantic Championship

*Pending outcome of first two games