NFL
By: Melo Williams
Michigan captured the 2025-26 Big Ten Men’s Basketball title last week, the 16th in program history, improving to 17-1 in conference play after wins over Minnesota and Illinois. The Wolverines have also secured the number one seed in the upcoming TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament and one of four triple byes. Michigan will open tournament play in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
Entering the final week of the regular season, Michigan State and Nebraska are tied for second in the Big Ten standings at 14-4, followed by Illinois at 13-5, with Purdue and Wisconsin tied for fourth at 12-6. UCLA stand in seventh at 11-7, with Iowa and Ohio State tied for eighth at 10-8.
The Big Ten closed its nonconference schedule with a record of 157-41, the second-best win percentage (.793) of any conference, behind only the Big 12 (.806). Big Ten teams have defended home court to the tune of an 118-4 (.967) record in non-conference home games, the highest non-conference home winning percentage of any D-I conference.
Entering Tuesday’s games, Big Ten teams combined to win 73 Quad 1 games, with 17 teams scoring at least one Quad 1 win, and 85 Quad 2 victories.
At 11-1, Michigan joins Arizona (14-2), Duke (13-2), and Florida (11-1) as the only teams with 10 Quad 1 wins, while the Wolverines join Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Purdue in a group of 12 teams with at least eight Quad 1 wins.
The Big Ten also boasts seven teams in a group of 33 nationally with at least 10 Quad 1 and 2 wins: Michigan (21-2), Michigan State (15-5), Illinois (14-7), Nebraska (12-4), Purdue (12-7), Wisconsin (12-9), and Iowa (10-8).
Through games on Monday, March 2, the Big Ten boasts 12 teams in the top 75 spots in the NET Rankings, including three in the top 10 and 10 in the top 50. Michigan leads the Big Ten at No. 2, followed by No. 5 Illinois, No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State, and No. 12 Nebraska. Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State, UCLA, and Indiana also claimed spots in the top 50.
Seven Big Ten teams were ranked or received votes in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls released on Monday, March 2, including five ranked in the top 15.
Michigan leads the way at No. 3 in both polls, followed by Michigan State at No. 8, Nebraska at No. 9, and Illinois at No. 11. The AP listed Purdue at No. 15, while the coaches included the Boilermakers at No. 14.
Wisconsin and Ohio State also received votes.
On Monday, Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort and Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli were named Big Ten Co-Players of the Week.
Sandfort averaged 24 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.0 assists, while shooting 50 percent from the field in a 2-0 week for Nebraska. The junior earned his second Player of the Week nod after pairing 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a 74-61 win over Maryland.
Sandfort closed the week with 32 points, including 20 in the second half, and six rebounds in an 82-67 win at USC.
Martinelli earned his third Player of the Week honor after averaging 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the week as Northwestern claimed a pair of wins.
The senior forward posted 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and hit the game-winning bucket in a 63-62 win over Oregon.
He closed the week scoring 21 of his 28 points in the second half of a 72-68 victory at Indiana.
Washington freshman Hannes Steinbach recorded back-to-back 20-point double-doubles and shot north of 70 percent from the field to lead Washington to a 1-1 week.
A three-time Freshman of the Week, Steinbach paired 24 points and a career-best 16 rebounds in the Huskies’ 79-72 win at Rutgers.
In a 90-73 loss to Wisconsin, Steinbach tallied 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 boards.
Milestones
Purdue’s Braden Smith recently recorded his 1,000th career assist. Smith enters this week ranked fourth on the NCAA Div. I all-time assists list, 65 assists behind NCAA record holder Bobby Hurley (1,076).
UCLA’s Skyy Clark and Minnesota’s Bobby Durkin, recently scored their 1,000th career points.
Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, recently became the fifth active Div. I player with 1,000 career rebounds.
Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson is 61 points shy of recording his 2,000th career point.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood owns 296 career victories.
______________
Follow @_melowilliams on X/IG for complete coverage of Wisconsin and Big Ten men’s basketball.
