Maryland, Iowa and Indiana locked in 3-Way Tie for First in Big Ten; 3 Conference Teams in Top 8 in AP Poll, 2 Big Ten Schools Receive Significant Number of First Place Votes

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 13, 2016 - With the Big Ten Basketball Race currently seeing a three-way tie for first place between No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 Iowa and unranked Indiana, the final weeks of the campaign promise to produce of the most exciting finishes in conference history.  Maryland had spent weeks looking up at Iowa and Indiana, both unbeaten in conference play, until both schools fell back to the Terps in recent games.  First, Indiana lost at Wisconsin on January 26 by a score of 82-79.  Then, Maryland defeated Iowa in College Park on January 28.  The score in that game was Maryland 74, Iowa 68.  In a huge upset, Indiana lost to Penn State, 68 to 63.  But Indiana pulled itself back together and cut down Iowa, 85-78.

Each of the three leaders share records of 10 wins and 2 losses in the Big Ten.  Maryland is so highly ranked because it has only three total losses (22-3) in all of its games.  Maryland entertains Wisconsin tonight, 6:30 pm, in College Park.  Earlier, Maryland defeated the Badgers in Madison when All American Melo Trimble buried a long three-point shot at the buzzer.

On Sunday, February 14, Minnesota visits Iowa at 7:30 pm and Indiana goes to Michigan State at 1:00 pm.  CBS will televise the Indiana at Michigan State affair, while BTN will broadcast the Minnesota v. Iowa game.

No fewer than 4 Big Ten schools are in the AP Top 25, and two of them, No. 2 Maryland and No. 4 Iowa, have at least ten first place votes.  Villanova leads the poll and has 32 first place votes to go along with its 21-3 record (when the votes for the poll were cast).  Maryland is now 22-3 in the No. 2 hole, and it received 13 first place votes.  Iowa has a record of 19-5, but was 19-4 when the votes were cast.  It took 11 first place votes, four more than third-ranked Oklahoma.  Michigan State is now 20-5 after losing this week to Purdue.  It is ranked 8th.  The Boilermakers are now 20-5 after its win over the Spartans.  It is ranked 18th.  Were the poll extended, a fifth Big Ten school, Indiana, would be ranked 27th.