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Big Ten men’s basketball standings, Feb. 28: Michigan surviving Rutgers is pretty big

ByEthan Lee|
Michigan Wolverines center Danny Wolf (1) lays it up against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Michigan Wolverines center Danny Wolf (1) lays it up against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Look, there’s absolutely no way that Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Husky men’s basketball team are going to make a push for the Big Ten crown this season. That just isn’t happening. For a multitude of reasons. 

But, there is a team in the conference title race that just got a monumental sort of win to keep its championship hopes alive. The Michigan Wolverines, currently deadlockes with their rival the Michigan State Spartans, absolutely needed their nail-biting win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. 

Without that win, their win streak would have been snapped and they would have fallen behind the Spartans as the 2024-2025 college season starts to wind down. Huge kudos to the Wolverines for getting that win. 

Let’s take a quick look at how it impacted the Big Ten standings.

Big Ten men’s basketball standings, Feb. 28: Michigan and Michigan State still cling to the top spots in the conference championship race

Here’s how things look after the 84-82 Michigan win over Rutgers in Ann Arbor last night:

  • Michigan Wolverines: 22-6 overall, 14-3 Big Ten
  • Michigan State Spartans: 23-5 overall, 14-3 Big Ten
  • Wisconsin Badgers: 22-6 overall, 12-5 Big Ten
  • Maryland Terrapins: 21-7 overall, 11-6 Big Ten
  • Purdue Boilermakers: 19-9 overall, 11-6 Big Ten
  • UCLA Bruins: 20-8 overall, 11-6 Big Ten
  • Illinois Fighting Illini: 18-11 overall, 10-8 Big Ten
  • Oregon Ducks: 20-8 overall, 9-8 Big Ten
  • Indiana Hoosiers: 17-11 overall, 8-9 Big Ten
  • Ohio State Buckeyes: 16-13 overall, 8-10 Big Ten
  • Nebraska Cornhuskers: 17-11 overall, 7-10 Big Ten
  • Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 14-15 overall, 7-11 Big Ten
  • Iowa Hawkeyes: 15-13 overall, 6-11 Big Ten
  • Minnesota Golden Gophers: 14-14 overall, 6-11 Big Ten
  • Northwestern Wildcats: 15-13 overall, 6-11 Big Ten
  • USC Trojans: 14-14 overall, 6-11 Big Ten
  • Penn State Nittany Lions: 15-14 overall, 5-13 Big Ten
  • Washington Huskies: 13-15 overall, 4-13 Big Ten

Yep, there’s the Huskies, at the very bottom of the standings. The Big Ten has been absolutely brutal for UW in its first season with Sprinkle.

But that’s not what we’re focused on here. It was incredible to see a Rutgers team that is sub-.500 on the season challenge a team like Michigan. The Spartans have to be pretty upset that that unlikely upset didn’t actually come to fruition.

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