Big Ten basketball poll

Wisconsin (25-3, 13-2 Big Ten): The Badgers lost at Maryland on Tuesday, ending a 10-game winning steak. But hey, that's life on the road in the Big Ten.

Maryland (23-5, 11-4): Just a shame we only got to see one Terrapins-Badgers matchup.

Michigan State (19-9, 10-5): The Spartans were surging until the Gophers came to town, but they remain very much in the mix for second place.

Purdue (19-9, 11-4): The Boilermakers have won eight of nine but face a tough final stretch.

Iowa (18-10, 9-6): Might have the easiest finishing stretch of any team in the conference.

Ohio State (20-8, 9-6): It sounds as if star freshman D'Angelo Russell is under the weather.

Indiana (19-10, 9-7): The Hoosiers haven't won back-to-back games in five weeks.

Northwestern (14-14, 5-10): Three of the games were at home, but the Wildcats' four-game winning streak is nothing to scoff at.

Gophers (17-12, 6-10): Still not on the bubble, but coach Richard Pitino just directed the biggest victory of his tenure.

Michigan (14-13, 7-8): When everything comes together, the shorthanded Wolverines can still beat talented teams.

Penn State (15-13, 3-12): Just held to 39 points by Northwestern. These are the days when motivation doesn't come easily.

Nebraska (13-15, 5-11): Coach Tim Miles locked the Cornhuskers out of their luxurious locker room, but it doesn't seem to have helped.