When the season began, #6 Maryland and #12 Michigan State were seen as the Big Ten favorites. While it is still possible for those squads to take home the conference title, those are not the two teams who sit at 7-0 and atop the current Big Ten standings. #3 Iowa moved its league record to 7-0 this past week with wins over Rutgers and #22 Purdue. The win over the Boilermakers was especially impressive as it clinched a season sweep for the Hawkeyes. It is only late January, yet Iowa already owns season sweeps over both Michigan State and Purdue. #18 Indiana was seen as an afterthought after a tough start to the season, but the Hoosiers haven’t lost since Dec. 2. Tom Crean’s squad moved to 7-0 in the Big Ten this past week with dominating home victories over Illinois and Northwestern. Indiana has a good chance to move its league record to 9-0 this week, as it figures to be solid favorites in a visit to Wisconsin on Tuesday and when Minnesota comes to Bloomington on Saturday. While the hot starts by Iowa and Indiana are certainly noteworthy, we know by now that league titles are not won in January. This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump.
- Oklahoma remains #1. Despite its loss at #11 Iowa State last Monday, the Sooners remain in the top spot in this week’s RTC25. Following Monday’s defeat, Lon Kruger’s group rebounded nicely with a comfortable road win at #20 Baylor on Saturday. Oklahoma will look to remain at the top this week when it hosts Texas Tech on Tuesday before venturing out-of-conference to travel to LSU on Saturday. Saturday’s game should be incredibly intriguing, as National Player of the Year candidates Buddy Hield and Ben Simmons take to the same court.
- Duke continues to fall. Duke’s losing streak hit three last Monday when it fell again on its homecourt – this time at the hands of unranked Syracuse. The reeling Blue Devils did score a very important win Saturday at NC State, but with losses in three of their last four, Mike Krzyzewski’s squad is still scuffling. Without the services of injured big man Amile Jefferson, the team remains quite vulnerable inside on the defensive end of the court. Things will not get easier for Duke this week, as it travels to #14 Miami (FL) on Monday night.
- There are no more undefeated teams. #13 SMU began last week as the nation’s lone undefeated team. While the Mustangs were able to move their record to 18-0 last Tuesday with a win over Houston, they were not as fortunate at Temple on Sunday, falling 89-80. SMU’s banishment from this postseason is well-documented, so it will be interesting to see how motivated the Mustangs are for the rest of the season with seemingly nothing to play for.
Game of the Week. #3 Iowa vs. #6 Maryland. The game of the year thus far in the Big Ten will take place Thursday when Iowa travels to Maryland. The Terrapins are 11-0 at home and will likely be a slight favorite in this matchup. The Hawkeyes currently hold a two-game lead on Mark Turgeon’s unit in the Big Ten standings, so a win here would be vital to their pursuit of a Big Ten regular season title. The battle of the backcourts will be the item to watch in this game. Iowa guards Mike Gesell and Peter Jok have been incredibly steady in helping their squad get off to its 7-0 start. On the other side, Maryland guards Melo Trimble and Rasheed Sulaimon are unquestionably talented. It will be interesting – and important – to see which backcourt is able to control the game.
Keep Tabs On. #14 Miami (FL) vs. #23 Duke; #4 Kansas vs. #11 Iowa State; #8 Xavier vs. #15 Providence; #17 Arizona vs. #23 Oregon; #10 Virginia vs. #15 Louisville; #6 Texas A&M vs. #11 Iowa State; #1 Oklahoma vs. LSU; #4 Kansas vs. #19 Kentucky.
Conference Call: ACC (5), Big 12 (5), Big Ten (5), Big East (3), SEC (2), Pac-12 (2), AAC (1), WCC (1), Missouri Valley (1).