Dust yourself off, Iowa: The No. 25 Hawkeyes were obliterated by No. 6 Wisconsin on Tuesday. Yes, they were in Madison, but a 32-point beatdown? That's not indicative of a team vying for an NCAA tournament spot — especially since Wisconsin is without point guard Traevon Jackson. Also, the Hawkeyes' sweep of Ohio State is looking less meaningful. A victory at Purdue (11 a.m. Saturday, BTN) is necessary.
Hoosiers running: Indiana has seemingly come out of nowhere to charge into the national rankings (No. 23) and tie the Badgers atop the Big Ten with an 89-70 upset of No. 13 Maryland in Bloomington. That win, along with Ohio State's slide-by at Northwestern, took a little luster off Sunday's trip to Columbus (12:30, Ch. 4), but the backcourt matchups — Yogi Ferrell vs. Shannon Scott; James Blackmon Jr. vs. D'Angelo Russell — still make it must-see television.
Time to stake the claim: OK, Wisconsin, you're being challenged again, and it's not just the turtles now, it's Indiana, too. A thrashing of Iowa was big, but the Badgers need to keep it up at struggling Michigan (6 p.m. Saturday, ESPN) for just their second road win of the season if they want to maintain their Big Ten chokehold.
