Player of the Week:
Nolan Winter (Jr., Wisconsin)
Now in his third season with the Badgers, the 7-foot big has donned the red and white throughout his college career and has improved incrementally at every stage. He is mobile and fundamentally sound, plays with physicality, and owns a long wingspan, while also featuring a smooth, repeatable shooting stroke that translates cleanly to the professional level. Winter has seen an uptick across nearly every box score category this season, but especially stood out this week. After a lopsided loss to Nebraska, the Badgers needed a new source of reliable scoring. Winter responded with a career-high 23 points, adding 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and four made threes in a tough overtime loss to Villanova. He followed that with an efficient 18-point, eight-rebound outing in just 26 minutes against Central Michigan. A year after leading the Big Ten in defensive rebounding rate as a sophomore, Winter continues to check every box of the modern NBA big-man skill set and remains firmly on an upward trajectory toward the 2026 draft.
Who’s Hot:
Nate Bittle (Sr., Oregon)
In what has been an extremely rough year for the Oregon Ducks, the lone bright spot has been longtime Oregon native Nate Bittle, a skilled 7-foot senior who propelled the Ducks to an impressive week. While Bittle’s outstanding mobility for his size has long caught the eye of professional scouts, his continued development as a stretch big has become a driving force behind both Oregon’s recent success and his trending draft stock. The Ducks picked up two bounce-back wins against UC Davis and Portland to open the week, but most notably hung around against seventh-ranked Gonzaga on Sunday. Bittle delivered one of the best performances of the season, posting 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks against a talented Bulldogs frontcourt featuring Braden Huff and Graham Ike. His growing perimeter ability continues to show, knocking down three triples in each of his last two games. While he still has room to grow into his frame, Bittle’s steady development, even at an older age for a prospect, is increasingly worth monitoring.
Purdue Boilermakers
I’ll admit it: I may have panicked a bit too much about Matt Painter’s team earlier in the season. Purdue has emphatically proven me wrong over its recent stretch, rolling Minnesota, Marquette, and Auburn by a combined 76 points across its last three games. The most impressive showing came Saturday against a ranked Auburn squad, where the Boilermakers looked like the Purdue teams of old. Braden Smith dished out 14 assists, Trey Kaufman-Renn dominated the glass while leading the team with 18 points, and Purdue cruised to a 28-point home victory. The addition of South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff has made a significant impact on the glass and in rim protection, and under his mentorship, 7-foot-4 sophomore Daniel Jacobsen is beginning to look like the next name in a long line of successful Purdue big men. While questions may linger, one thing is clear: Purdue is not broken, and this team can outshoot just about anyone in college basketball.
Who’s Not:
Maryland Terrapins
Buzz Williams’ squad has unfortunately become a frequent visitor in this column, and the slide continues. Maryland has now lost five of its last six games, with the lone exception being a December 2 win over Wagner. The absence of their best player, Pharrel Payne, due to injury has certainly hurt, but the early stages of a new culture in College Park have been rocky at best. Senior guard David Coit has delivered several big scoring performances in the absence of other offensive options, yet his defensive limitations as an undersized guard have also held the team back. Injuries have at least opened the door for untapped depth to gain meaningful opportunities, and those players will have chances to establish themselves as rotation pieces in the coming weeks. For now, though, the road remains steep. On the positive side, Maryland’s 2026 recruiting class ranks third nationally according to 247Sports, offering a glimpse of optimism for the future.
John Mobley Jr. (So., Ohio State)
John Mobley Jr. has hit a rough patch, and his recent performances have fallen well short of what Ohio State needs from its young guard. Known primarily for high-level shot-making, Mobley Jr. has struggled to provide consistent offensive punch. In theory, his shooting ability should open up his dribble-drive game, but he has yet to diversify his offensive approach. Prior to a bounce-back outing against Grambling State, Mobley Jr. shot a combined 6-for-22 from the field in tight matchups against North Carolina and West Virginia. Undersized by NBA standards at 6’1”, 175 pounds, and lacking elite athleticism, Mobley Jr. must refine his outside shooting if he hopes to draw professional attention. That said, Ohio State has been a pleasant surprise in the Big Ten this season, and there will be more opportunities for Mobley Jr. to find his footing and alleviate pressure from his backcourt partner, Bruce Thornton.
Top 5 Players in the Big Ten
Cade Tyson (Sr., Minnesota) – The Big Ten’s leading scorer, carrying Minnesota on his shoulders while carving out his own conference takeover and following the blueprint set by his NBA older brother, Hunter.
Bruce Thornton (Sr., Ohio State) – The bumper car of the conference, a relentlessly physical guard who wins possessions by force rather than finesse and has elevated Ohio State into legitimate contention.
Yaxel Lendeborg (Sr., Michigan) – The ignition switch behind Michigan’s wildly improbable run, seamlessly translating his game as a Big Ten newcomer who looks almost certainly NBA bound.
Chad Baker-Mazara (Sr., USC) – Running an intimidation campaign at the rim, now poised for a breakout moment with a massive opportunity in the absence of star teammate Rodney Rice.
Nick Martinelli (Sr., Northwestern) – A permanent fixture on this list, a do-it-all forward who impacts the box score and the soul of the game in equal measure.