COLUMBUS, Ohio – As the Big Ten continues its conference-wide slugfest, the remaining games are beginning to dwindle.

While many teams continue to struggle to string together wins, Maryland and Penn State have each rattled off six wins in a row. On the other hand, Indiana, Michigan State and Illinois have each lost multiple games in a row to damage their chances at contending for the Big Ten crown.

Let’s take a look back at how the action unfolded this past week in order to get an understanding of the state of the conference and what’s to come.

Both teams entered the game with conference winning streaks and Big Ten positioning at stake. Also factor in the rivalry aspect of the game, and the two familiar foes were locked in a tight battle from start to finish.

For Ohio State, it was the exceptional play of Kaleb Wesson that inspired the game to go Ohio State's way. Wesson was able to contribute 23 points, his second highest scoring output of the season, to go along with 12 rebounds and three assists. The impressive element of his game was the efficiency at which he was able to operate. The junior would score his points on 64.3 percent shooting and finish the game turnover free.

While Michigan struggled to shoot, the Wolverines were able to make it up on the glass. Led my Franz Wagner's 14 rebounds, Michigan was able to win the rebound battle 42-31 and the offensive rebound battle 12-5.

When it came down to the wire, however, it was a crucial Duane Washington Jr. 3-pointer that put the Buckeyes ahead 57-56 with 56 seconds remaining. Zavier Simpson was able to hit a pair of free throws to put the Wolverines back on top, but Kyle Young and CJ Walker would combine for four free throws to secure the 61-58 victory for the Buckeyes.

The game marked Ohio State's second road victory in the Big Ten conference. The two teams will square off again March 1 in Columbus.

In order to understand the ever changing landscape of the Big Ten, one needs to look no further than Michigan State and Illinois. A week ago, these two teams sat atop the conference, each donning 8-3 conference records.

Illinois had been at 8-2 at the end of January, but a road loss to Iowa followed by a home loss to Maryland has pushed Illinois down to third in the conference. While the Illini only trail Maryland by one game in the loss column, the head-to-head loss will give Maryland the tie break if the two teams end in a tie at the end of the regular season.

Michigan State's fall has been even more dramatic, after securing an 8-2 conference record with a win over Northwestern, the Spartans began a losing streak that was kicked off with a heartbreaking loss in Madison, Wisconsin. Michigan State's other two games in the month of February have also been losses. Losing to both Penn State at home and Michigan on the road, the Spartans now find themselves near the middle of the pack.

While they trail Maryland by two games in the loss column, Michigan State will get to play the Terrapins two times in February.

The hottest team in the Big Ten may be the Nittany Lions. Tied for the longest active winning streak of six games with Maryland, Penn State has dominated the end of January and beginning of February.

The streak has included road victories over Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State. At home, the Nittany Lions have been able to down Ohio State, Indiana and Minnesota.

Led by senior forward Lamar Stevens, who is averaging 17.6 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game, Penn State will have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament if they can keep up their scorching pace.

The Nittany Lions sit at 8-4 in the conference while Maryland leads with a 9-3 record. Penn State holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Terrapins, however, with their 76-69 victory back on Dec. 10.

Penn State will have to survive a trip to Purdue on Tuesday in order to keep the winning streak alive.

This coming week of Big Ten basketball will be telling for a few teams. A struggling Michigan State team will have to go on the road to face off against Illinois before playing host to Maryland on Saturday.

Iowa will hit the road to take on Indiana, and Illinois will have to play at Rutgers following their tough bout with Sparty.