Community Picks: Penn State 0% vs Iowa 0%

Iowa got back on track after a loss to a fellow Big Ten contender by easily handling one of the weaker teams in the conference. The No. 5 Hawkeyes have won 14 in a row at home and 10 straight there over Penn State, and they'll be looking for a bit of revenge Wednesday night against a struggling Nittany Lions squad that beat them in last year's league tournament. Iowa (17-4, 8-1) rebounded nicely from a 74-68 loss at then-No. 8 Maryland on Thursday by routing visiting Northwestern 85-71 on Sunday. Continue to Article

February 02, 2016 5:46:pm EST

Robert Carter and Rasheed Sulaimon have enjoyed plenty of success in their brief time at Maryland, but never more than they experienced two weeks ago against Ohio State. The pair of transfers hope for a similar result from the eighth-ranked Terrapins' largest blowout victory of the Big Ten season when they travel to Columbus for a rematch against the Buckeyes on Sunday. Carter and Sulaimon are playing their first seasons for Maryland since transferring from Georgia Tech and Duke, respectively, and they are part of a balanced attack that has the Terrapins (18-3, 7-2) in the thick of the conference race. Continue to Article

January 30, 2016 6:42:pm EST

The positive aspect from Iowa's first conference loss is that any pressure it felt to live up to its lofty ranking and continue the school's best start in Big Ten play in 46 years fades a bit. The third-ranked Hawkeyes look to extend their home winning streak to 14 Sunday by dealing Northwestern a fifth consecutive defeat. Iowa (16-4, 7-1) responded to a heartbreaking 83-82 loss at then-No. 4 Iowa State on Dec. 10 by winning its next nine, including a pair of victories over Purdue and Michigan State, the latter of which held the top ranking in their Dec. 29 meeting. Continue to Article

January 30, 2016 3:40:pm EST

Vince Edwards has been able to elevate his play of late, which Purdue will likely need to continue if talented freshman Caleb Swanigan remains sidelined. Regardless of the lineup, the No. 21 Boilermakers must be sharp Saturday against a Nebraska squad looking to win four straight conference road games for the first time in 40 years. Averaging 10.1 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds, Swanigan watched for the first time Wednesday with a sore ankle as Purdue (18-4, 6-3 Big Ten) pulled out a 68-64 win at Minnesota. Continue to Article

January 29, 2016 1:08:pm EST

After a trio of narrow road losses against the three best teams its faces this season, Maryland finally nabbed the marquee win it had been lacking. Forward Robert Carter and wing Rasheed Sulaimon both scored 17 points as the eighth-ranked Terps edged third-ranked Iowa 74-68 on Thursday night in College Park. Defeating a top 10 opponent is a big step toward fixing the major hole in Maryland's resume so far this year. The Terps had not beaten a KenPom top 50 team prior to Thursday night, falling at North Carolina, Michigan and Michigan State by a total of 20 points. Maryland also remains in striking distance in the Big Ten title chase with the victory. Instead of falling an insurmountable three games behind first-place Iowa in the loss column, the Terps are now just a single game behind both the Hawkeyes and Indiana. Ice-cold 3-point shooting prevented Maryland (18-3, 7-2) from ever opening up a double-digit lead, but the Terps maintained a slim advantage most of the game as a result of their defense. They held national player of the year candidate Jarrod Uthoff to nine points on 2-for-13 shooting and consistently contested every look the Hawkeyes got from behind the arc.  How bad did it get for Uthoff? This video tells the story. It's not clear if that's a shot or a pass, but it's certainly ugly. Iowa has fought back to tie Maryland, even though star Jarrod Uthoff has had better evenings. pic.twitter.com/UnE7bnrKnF — SB Nation CBB (@SBNationCBB) January 29, 2016 The key stretch of the game came in the final 90 seconds after Iowa closed the gap to two points. First Mark Turgeon called timeout and designed an effective play in which Jake Layman fed Diamond Stone for a dunk. Then Melo Trimble poked the ball away from a driving Mike Gesell, a turnover that resulted in a fast-break layup for Jared Nickens and a sudden six-point lead for Maryland with only 69 seconds to go. Iowa never made it a one-possession game again. As a result, the Hawkeyes fell to 16-4 and had their nine-game win streak snapped. While Maryland's win elevates its perception and its hopes of a top-two NCAA tournament seeding, Iowa should not come away too discouraged. The Hawkeyes shot poorly from the perimeter, got minimal contributions from their star player yet they still were within a bucket in the final two minutes on the road against a top 10 team. What that suggests is that Iowa should be fine, especially with games against Northwestern, Penn State and Illinois upcoming. Maryland got the big win it needed, but Iowa likely gained more confidence even in defeat. - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

January 28, 2016 9:36:pm EST