Burnley Defeats Sunderland Again to Advance to FA Cup 4th Round; Maryland Tied With Wisconsin Atop Big Ten Hoop Standings, Terps Back in Top 25 in Both Polls

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Wednesday, January 18, 2017 - Burnley advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup Tournament in England on Tuesday, beating Sunderland again - it was the third time in less than three weeks that the Claret have confronted the relegation-threatened team - and the second time they have won.  In the other match, at Sunderland, the two teams played to a scoreless draw.  In fact, it was the draw that forced them to replay the match on Tuesday at Turf Moor.  Sam Vokes and Andre Gray were the scorers today; Vokes scored in the first half and Gray scored late to seal the deal.

The win earns Burnley a 4th round match at Turf Moor against Bristol City, which beat back Fleetwood on Tuesday.  For the remainder of January, the Burnley fixture list looks like this:
     *  Burnley at Arsenal, Sunday, January 22, 2:15 pm Lancashire time (Premier League);
     *  Bristol City at Burnley, Saturday, January 28, 3 pm Lancashire time (FA Cup, 4th Round); and
     *  Leicester City at Burnley, Tuesday, January 31, 7:45 pm Lancashire time (Premier League).

The Claret are currently in 10th place in the Premier League with 26 points.  They trail league leading Chelsea by 26 points, 4th place Arsenal by 18 points, 9th place Stoke City by 1 point, and are currently 10 points clear of relegation.

Maryland and Wisconsin Tied for League Lead in Frantic Big Ten Race; Terps Invade Iowa on Thursday Night (7pm); Maryland Cracks Top 25 in Both Polls
Maryland and Wisconsin are tied atop the Big Ten Basketball Standings, each with 4-1 conference marks.  Purdue, Michigan State and surprising Northwestern are next at 4-2.  Nebraska is hosting Ohio State as I post this piece, and if the 'Huskers prevail, they, too, will be at 4-2.

The Terps returned to both the AP and Coach's Top 25 Rankings this week, where they are No. 25 in both polls.  Weeks of frustration preceded the return for the 16-2 Terrapins, who have been kept out of both polls despite having a better record and stronger schedule than many of the ranked teams.  For weeks, Kansas State was ranked and Maryland was not even though Maryland had defeated the Wildcats on a neutral floor.

Maryland is at Iowa (3-3,11-8) on Thursday evening at 7 pm, before returning home to host Rutgers on January 24.