Marcus Fuller's Big Ten basketball power rankings

Marcus Fuller's power rankings, with five teams to watch:

1. Michigan State (13-4, 5-1): The Spartans were rolling with an eight-game winning streak before Cassius Winston (nine turnovers) looked awful in a 71-42 loss at Purdue, but Winston's struggles seemed like an aberration.

2. Maryland (13-4, 3-3)

3. Wisconsin (11-6, 4-2): The Badgers have proved to be road warriors (victories at Ohio State and Penn State), but can they give the conference-leading Spartans their first Big Ten home loss Friday?

4. Illinois (12-5, 4-2)

5. Iowa (12-5, 3-3)

6. Rutgers (13-4, 4-2) The Scarlett Knights are definitely the surprise team of the Big Ten so far, sitting in a three-way tie for second place with Illinois and Wisconsin.

7. Minnesota (10-7, 4-3): Richard Pitino scheduling tougher in nonconference appears to be paying off with six victories in the past eight games, but the Gophers' schedule is about to get rough.

8. Michigan (11-5, 2-3)

9. Purdue (10-7, 3-3)

10. Indiana (13-4, 3-3)

11. Ohio State (12-5, 2-4)

12. Penn State (12-5, 2-4): The Nittany Lions were ranked 20th only a week ago, but they have been free-falling with three losses in a row, including road losses at Rutgers and Minnesota.

13. Nebraska (7-10, 2-4)

14. Northwestern (6-10, 1-5)