See where the Iowa men's basketball team ends up after its bad loss to Penn State.
After months of waiting, everyone's favorite college basketball month has arrived.
That's right. The calendar has now flipped to March, so you can now blast CBS' March Madness theme song without your friend raising an eyebrow.
While we're all immersing ourselves with any college basketball statistic we can find on the Internet, the coach of your favorite team is busy crunching the analytics and even taking a look at Joe Lunardi's bracketology to see if they are in position to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have likely done enough work to secure their spot in the Big Dance for the first time in three years, but the mood was dampened when Iowa suffered an inexplicable road loss to last place Penn State on Saturday.
Where does that leave Iowa in our first Big Ten power rankings of March? Keep reading to find out.
1. Michigan (27-2, 17-1)
The Wolverines are a machine. Michigan wrapped up the outright Big Ten title with a dominant 84-70 win at Illinois on Friday, a remarkable accomplishment considering there's one week remaining in the regular season.
The Big Ten hasn't won a national championship since 2000, but it feels like this Wolverine team is the league's best shot to break the drought.
2. Michigan State (23-5, 14-4)
Michigan State's upcoming showdown with Michigan next Sunday won't have any Big Ten title implications, but it will be the Spartans' chance to prove it is the second-best team in the league. Winning at Purdue and Indiana was impressive, and you can never count out Tom Izzo in March.
3. Illinois (22-7, 13-5)
The Fighting Illini laid an egg at home to Michigan and really haven't looked the same over the last few weeks, but games against Oregon and Maryland should help Illinois recapture its form before postseason play.
4. Nebraska (25-4, 14-4)
Winning games on the West Coast isn't easy, but give credit to Nebraska for pulling away from a desperate USC team in the second half to reach the 25-win plateau - the most regular season wins the program has ever had. The Cornhuskers definitely have revenge on their mind when Iowa pays a visit to Lincoln on Sunday.
5. Wisconsin (20-9, 12-6)
That was a horrific loss to Oregon, but the Badgers bounced back in a major way at Washington. Wisconsin has struggled to string together consistent performances, but as long as Nick Boyd and John Blackwell are on the roster, this team has a chance to make noise in March.
6. Purdue (22-7, 12-6)
Purdue was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but the current iteration of the Boilermakers looks like a first round exit. The losses haven't been bad - Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State - but this senior-laden team is struggling to find chemistry at the worst time.
7. Iowa (20-9, 10-8)
I almost dropped Iowa to No. 8 after its horrendous loss to Penn State, but I kept the Hawkeyes at No. 7 because of their head-to-head win over Ohio State. Ben McCollum's team is suddenly in danger of dropping to the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and finding a win in one of its last two games - vs No. 3 Michigan and at No. 12 Nebraska - will be a challenge.
8. Ohio State (18-11, 10-8)
The Buckeyes had a major letdown in Iowa City on Wednesday, but secured a massive win over No. 8 Purdue on Sunday. Ohio State still has a lot of work to do to clinch an NCAA tournament spot, but it should find itself on the right side of the bubble for now.
9. UCLA (19-10, 11-7)
This is where things get interesting when it comes to ranking this conference. UCLA's NCAA tournament hopes are hanging for dear life, but the Bruins will have a major opportunity to boost their resume when Nebraska comes to town on Tuesday.
10. Indiana (17-11, 8-9)
The Hoosiers are still in the NCAA tournament picture, but this has been a disappointing first season in Bloomington for Iowa native Darian DeVries. Indiana will need to win both of its games this week to have a chance to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
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