Three weeks remain until Big Ten basketball play starts.

In the meantime, there will be a bunch of cupcake matchups for most Big Ten teams. Occasionally - look at Michigan State playing Syracuse on Tuesday night - there will be marquee matchups.

But right now, save for an upset, most of the rankings will stay the same as teams get ready for the last week in December.

Reminder: These rankings reflect how a team is currently playing, not where it is expected to finish the season

1) Ohio State (6-0, 1): The Buckeyes haven’t played this week. They're still the top team in the Big Ten and, from the looks of things, it might not be close. The Buckeyes have five players averaging in double figures, led by David Lighty’s 14.7 points.

2) Illinois (8-1, 2): The Illini capped a strong win over UNC last week by knocking off Gonzaga. Illinois, like Ohio State, has five players averaging in double figures. They also have the best point guard in the Big Ten in Demetri McCamey, who is averaging 7.7 assists.

3) Minnesota (7-1, 4): The Gophers rebounded from their loss to Virginia with a tough win over a rebuilding Cornell team. Minnesota is led by Trevor Mbakwe, who is one of the more underrated players in the country, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10.1 rebounds a game.

4) Michigan State (6-3, 3): Is there reason to be concerned about Michigan State? Yes. And no. The Spartans are playing one of the top schedules in the country and have lost to three teams in the country’s top 10. But the way MSU lost to Syracuse - completely outclassed - is concerning. So, too, is the play of Kalin Lucas, who does not look totally healthy and that was a concern in this space before the season. Michigan State will rebound, but right now, this team looks nothing like a top 10 team in the country.

5) Purdue (8-1, 7): The Boilermakers are starting to find themselves without Robbie Hummel. They've won three straight games, including on the road at Virginia Tech and Valparaiso. Much of Purdue is a two-man show with E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. While that’ll hurt during Big Ten play, for now it means strong play.

6) Northwestern (5-0, 5): The Wildcats move down more because of the way Purdue is playing than anything else. Northwestern didn’t play last week and won’t be tested until Dec. 31 against Purdue.

7) Wisconsin (6-2, 5): The Badgers handled South Dakota, 76-61, but the concern for Wisconsin should be the same as it is for Purdue - after All-American forward Jon Leuer and emerging star Jordan Taylor, the Badgers just don’t have much. This can navigate the non-conference, but can the two-man game survive in the Big Ten.

8) Michigan (6-2, 8): The Wolverines’ unpredictability will both help them - never know where points will come from - and hurt them. The closer-than-expected 86-65 win over Concordia brought forth some concerns but sophomore guard Darius Morris is showing himself to be one of the best point guards in the Big Ten.

9) Indiana (7-1, 9): IU may have the best young wings in the league in Christian Watford and Maurice Creek and so far they have carried the Hoosiers to seven home wins. But IU was crushed by Boston College away from home. Playing at Kentucky on Sunday will be a litmus test for this young team.

10) Penn State (7-2, 10): Talor Battle is going to run into the same problem he had last year. The senior guard is going to be one of the league’s best players - and he’ll have no help. Playing at Virginia Tech on Sunday could go a long way to figuring out if the Nittany Lions have the strength to win on the road in the Big Ten.

11) Iowa (5-4, 11): The Hawkeyes are still learning under Fran McCaffery and 22 first-half points against Northern Iowa isn’t good. Iowa State will be a test Friday night and then the first six Big Ten games (home against Illinois and Ohio State, at Purdue, home against Northwestern and at Minnesota and Ohio State) will be a rough go.

Michael Rothstein covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.