Michigan picked up its first road win of the season in a hard fought two-point victory over Purdue. This was a mild upset, as Vegas had the homestanding Boilermakers favored by five points and KenPom had Purdue by four. This outcome certainly changes the season outlook for both squads.

(AP) Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points to help No. 20 Michigan defeat Purdue 66-64 on Tuesday night. Jordan Morgan had 12 points and seven rebounds, Stu Douglass scored 12 points and Evan Smotrycz added 10 points for the Wolverines (16-5, 6-2), who entered the game in a tie for first place in the Big Ten. Michigan shot 54 percent from the field and outrebounded the Boilermakers 30-23. Lewis Jackson scored 17 points and Robbie Hummel added 16 for the Boilermakers (14-7, 4-4). Read the full AP recap and see the box score.

The great debate of 2011-12 has only heated up: Who is the best men’s basketball player in the Big Ten? It looks like a case can be made by and for several players. Is it Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger? Michigan State’s Draymond Green? Penn State’s Tim Frazier? Here’s a look at my latest weekly ranking of the Big Ten’s top 20 players. It’s my way of gauging the talent (see my previous rankings), and there’s a poll at the bottom of this post with my top 10 and an open invitation for you to vote your No. 1 guy.

It’s time to release my latest Big Ten men’s hoops power rankings. The rankings are not meant to mimic the Big Ten standings. What fun would that be? They aren’t scientific, either. They’re simply my thoughts on where each Big Ten team stands right now and who would win on a neutral court. Agree? Disagree? Tweet @BTNBrentYarina or leave your comments below. See Brent’s rankings in this post.

Not all games are created equally. Here’s a ranking of this week’s nine Big Ten games, from 1 to 9. Plan accordingly.