Another Top 10 Battle On Deck For Michigan When No. 9 Iowa Comes To Town
In a season where the Big Ten is perhaps as tough as it has ever been at the top, there is, as they say, 'no rest for the weary.' The Michigan Wolverines basketball team's next matchup will be against yet another top 10 opponent following yesterday's win at No. 4 Ohio State, with No. 9 Iowa next coming to Crisler Center Thursday night.
The Hawkeyes had previously been ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press top 25, but ascended two spots to No. 9 following a Thursday night win at Wisconsin and a triumph over Penn State yesterday, which pushed their winning streak to four games.
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Michigan, meanwhile, remained at No. 3 in the rankings, despite yesterday's massive road win at OSU. The idleness did not come as a surprise though, seeing as how Gonzaga and Baylor stayed at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while still possessing unblemished records.
The voters didn't fault the Buckeyes for their loss to Michigan, keeping them at No. 4 in the country. Illinois remained at No. 5 nationally as well after it beat Northwestern Tuesday night and destroyed Minnesota in Minneapolis Saturday, extending its winning streak to seven games in the process.
Iowa's inclusion in the top 10 means the Big Ten has four of the top nine rated teams in the country, and three of the top five. The only other ranked conference member is Wisconsin at No. 23, with the Badgers still being rated despite having eight losses (the most of any top 25 team).
It's also worth noting Purdue is on the edge of the top 25, checking in today at No. 28.
U-M holds a 16-1 record and an 11-1 mark in Big Ten play, and is in the driver's seat in the race for the conference championship. The rest of the Wolverines' slate is a gauntlet though, with matchups against two top 10 clubs still looming — the aforementioned battle with No. 9 Iowa this Thursday at Crisler Center and a showdown with No. 5 Illinois March 2 in Ann Arbor.
Consecutive games against hated rival Michigan State to close the year could also be a bit trickier than some think, especially with the Spartans having looked much better in their win at Indiana over the weekend.
MSU's record nevertheless still sits at 11-9 overall and 5-9 in league play, with most prognosticators expecting it to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since Tom Izzo's second year on the job of 1997.
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