Men’s college basketball rankings: Big Ten teams in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 on Feb. 24

With the start of March less than a week away, things are heating up in the Big Ten.

No. 13 Michigan State moved to the top of the league standings after knocking off rival No. 12 Michigan 75-62 in a highly anticipated showdown last Friday, a game in which Tom Izzo’s Spartans outscored the Wolverines 41-24 in the second half. 

A streaking No. 11 Wisconsin team was surprised at home in overtime by Oregon. No. 14 Purdue is suddenly reeling, with four consecutive losses, the most recent of which was a 15-point drubbing against rival Indiana. No. 20 Maryland is starting to look like it might be the best team in the conference, with eight wins in its past nine games.

REQUIRED READING:Michigan State basketball March Madness projections, bracketology with 4 games left

With the most recent results, there are five teams within 2.5 games of league-leading Michigan State in the conference standings, including Michigan, which is only a half-game behind the Spartans.

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As the race for a conference regular-season championship continues to wage, here are the latest updates on where Big Ten teams stand in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll:

College basketball rankings for Feb. 24

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Big Ten teams in bold. First-place votes in parentheses.

1. Auburn (28)
2. Duke (2)
3. Florida
4. Houston
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. St. John’s
8. Michigan State
9. Iowa State
10. Texas Tech
11. Texas A&M
12. Wisconsin
13. Michigan
14. Clemson
15. Maryland
16. Missouri
17. Louisville
18. Memphis
19. Purdue
20. Saint Mary’s
21. Arizona
22. Marquette
23. Kentucky
24. Mississippi State
25. Creighton

Others receiving votes:BYU 39; New Mexico 29; VCU 22; Ole Miss 15; UC San Diego 14; UCLA 13; Utah State 11; Kansas 11; Gonzaga 7; UConn 5; Drake 2; UC Davis 1; Oregon 1

REQUIRED READING:Michigan basketball March Madness projections, bracketology in last week of February

AP Top 25

Big Ten teams in bold. First-place votes in parentheses.

1. Auburn (60)
2. Duke
3. Florida
4. Houston
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. St. John’s
8. Michigan State
9. Iowa State
10. Texas Tech
11. Wisconsin
12. Texas A&M
13. Clemson
14. Missouri
15. Michigan
16. Maryland
17. Kentucky
18. Memphis
19. Louisville
20. Purdue
21. Marquette
22. Arizona
23. Saint Mary’s
24. Mississippi State
25. BYU

Others receiving votes:Creighton 53; Ole Miss 28; Kansas 25; New Mexico 23; VCU 20; Oregon 20; UCLA 14; Drake 12; UC San Diego 8; Gonzaga 3; High Point 3; Illinois 3; Vanderbilt 2; Utah State 1; Yale 1

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