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The Big Ten just wrapped up a great week of conference action and fans are looking forward to another set of great games around the conference from top to the bottom. Wisconsin has jumped out to the top of the Big Ten standings, but they - along with other contenders like Indiana and Maryland - will be on the road this week and will have to try and score vital wins to stay in the race. With that, let's take a look at the games that made the cut this week.
Game Of The Week:
Wisconsin at Iowa: For the second time this season, a Iowa and Wisconsin matchup will be the Big Ten's Game of the Week. This might seem odd considering Wisconsin demolished Iowa when they played in Madison, but there are just too many storylines to like about this game. To start, the fact that these are two good teams makes this an exciting game on paper, especially considering that you have a Top 5 team on the road. After that, you have to assume there will be some fallout from the Frank Kaminsky and Adam Woodbury "eye incident." Plus, the Hawkeyes have to really want to beat Wisconsin considering that Iowa has not beat the Badgers since January of 2013 despite playing them very tough in a few meetings since then. The final aspect of this game that really looks enticing is the fact that a win here would be huge for Iowa. Yes, a win would be good for both teams, but it would be even bigger for the Hawkeyes as they could move up from fringe bubble discussion to potentially being a lock for the NCAA Tournament barring an epic late season collapse. In short, get your popcorn ready.
Honorable Mention:
Indiana at Purdue: Over the last few years, this rivalry had lost some of its national appeal due to blowouts on both sides and relatively underwhelming teams, but this is turning into the sneakingly good matchup of the week. Despite losing to Ohio State, the Hoosiers are playing really well and are looking to stay in NCAA Tournament and Big Ten title consideration when they play Purdue. The Boilermakers have their work cut out to get into NCAA Tournament discussion, but they have played very well at home so far and are coming off a big win against a ranked Iowa team. If this game was in Bloomington, it might not be that interesting, but with Purdue having the game at home, it adds a lot of intrigue to an already intense rivalry game.
Maryland at Ohio State: This may not have earned Game of the Week honors, but it really could be one of the most important game of the week for the Big Ten. Ohio State finally got its marquee resume win last weekend over Indiana, but a win over Maryland would really allow them to become a contender for a solid seed in March. On the other side, Maryland needs this win not only to stay with Wisconsin in the Big Ten title race, but also to show that they are one of the nation's top teams considering that Iowa already went into Columbus and grabbed a win. Another interesting matchup in this game should be Big Ten Freshman of the Year contenders D'Angelo Russell and Melo Trimble facing each other for the first time.
Season Stats
Game of the Week Appearances By Team:
- Michigan State - 4
- Wisconsin - 4
- Iowa - 3
- Maryland - 2
- Illinois - 1
- Indiana - 1
- Minnesota - 1
- Ohio State - 1
Game of the Week Honorable Mention Appearances By Team:
- Ohio State - 9
- Indiana - 6
- Maryland - 5
- Iowa - 4
- Michigan - 2
- Purdue - 2
- Illinois - 1
- Michigan State - 1
- Minnesota - 1
- Nebraska - 1
- Rutgers - 1
- Wisconsin - 1
Total Appearances By Team:
- Ohio State - 10
- Indiana - 7
- Iowa - 7
- Maryland - 7
- Michigan State - 5
- Wisconsin - 5
- Illinois - 2
- Michigan - 2
- Minnesota - 2
- Purdue - 2
- Nebraska - 1
- Rutgers - 1