Big Ten Wednesday Preview and Open Thread: Can the Nebraska Cornhuskers upset the fourth ranked Maryland Terrapins?

It's Wednesday and we have three Big Ten conference games on tap. The Illinois Fighting Illini go on the road to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Iowa Hawkeyes host the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Maryland Terrapins go on the road to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Maryland and Iowa will look to keep pace at the top of the conference, while Illinois, Penn State and Rutgers all look to improve their standing in conference play as well.

But first, let's get to the game of the night.

Game of the Night: #4 Maryland Terrapins vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8:30PM ET| BTN)

At 19-3 overall on the season, the Maryland Terrapins are trying to keep pace with Iowa and Indiana at the top of the conference. At 8-2 overall in conference play, Maryland can't afford to look past the Cornhuskers. Nebraska has already proven how dangerous they can be as they went on the road to beat the Michigan State Spartans in January.

Despite Nebraska's 12-10 record, they play with heart and they are a very young team. So if Maryland's offense can't get going early, they could be in a battle for a good portion of the night. But if Maryland can take advantage of the size they have, they should be able to frustrate the Cornhuskers.

This is the time of the year where conferences around the country start to separate themselves even more from top to bottom. Maryland certainly needs to keep pace with the Indiana Hoosiers as they are 10-1 in conference play.

The Rest:

-Penn State Nittany Lions vs. #5 Iowa Hawkeyes (7:00 PM ET| ESPN U)

The Iowa Hawkeyes, despite their loss to the Maryland Terrapins last week, are still the most consistent team in the Big Ten so far this season. At 17-4, Iowa has made a statement early in conference play by sweeping Michigan State and Purdue on the season. That's a 4-0 record against the number 10th ranked team in the country and the 18th ranked team in the country as well.

Iowa, like Maryland, can't afford to have any slip ups right now as Indiana is holding serve at the top of Big Ten with a 10-1 conference record. As they get ready to host Penn State, the Iowa needs to take advantage of Nittany Lions team that has lost six out of their last eight games.

-Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6:30 PM ET| BTN)

With a 10-12 record on the season, Illinois' chances at a NCAA tournament appearance are all but done. Illinois has nine games remaining in the regular season and they are currently scheduled to face three ranked teams. Even if they were to run the table with 19-12 record, they would still have to do some damage during the Big Ten tournament to go get some serious consideration.

For Rutgers, the team is looking secure its first win on the season conference play and they have lost nine games in a row. Since entering the Big Ten last season, this Rutgers can is 2-25 overall in conference play. At some point, Rutgers is going to have to rebound in a big way. With Illinois struggling in their own right, this could be Rutgers' night.