Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 19, 2016

Indiana and Iowa sit atop the conference standings with 5-0 Big Ten records, setting the pace as the lead rabbits. The Hoosiers have won 10 straight games, while Iowa has claimed seven consecutive wins. Also, Nebraska has won three Big Ten games in a row. The 5-0 league start for Indiana is its first since the 2007-08 campaign, while Iowa is perfect through five Big Ten games for the first time since 1996-97.

The week kicked off last night with Purdue winning at Rutgers in lopsided fashion. Here?s a look at the rest of the week?s action.

[ GAMES BY DAY: Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday (no games) | Saturday | Sunday ]

1. Maryland at Michigan State, Saturday. A monster matchup that will go a long way in determining the Big Ten race. The Spartans have been hurt by turnovers. How bad is it? MSU is last in the Big Ten in turnover margin (-2.7 pg). The good news: Michigan State's defensive field-goal percentage of 36.4 is sixth in the country.

2. Purdue at Iowa, Sunday. The Hawkeyes won the first meeting in West Lafayette in stunning fashion, roaring back from a 17-point halftime deficit to stun the Boilermakers on Rick Mount Night. How good is Jarrod Uthoff? He leads the Big Ten in scoring (18.6 ppg) and blocks (3.1 bpg). Purdue is limiting opponents to just 36.3 percent shooting, which ranks third in the nation. This'll be a great game to watch before the Sunday football games.

3. Northwestern at Maryland, Tuesday. This is big chance for Northwestern to earn a crown jewel NCAA resume-building win. To escape College Park with a ?W,? the Wildcats will need to shoot lights out from 3-point land. That didn?t happen the last time out in a home loss to Penn State. Maryland is shooting 51.3 percent, which is currently fifth in the country.

[ MORE: Power Rankings | Player Rankings | Best of week that was | Win trip for two to the Big Ten tourney | Polls | Standings | Stats | Scores ] 

4. Ohio State at Purdue, Thursday. The Buckeyes have been equal parts good (74-67 win vs. No. 1 Kentucky and 65-56 win at Northwestern) and bad (ugly losses at Indiana, 85-60, and at Maryland, 100-65). Unless OSU has its ?A? game, it figures to get overwhelmed by Purdue?s size. And it will help the Buckeyes if JaQuan Lyle picks up where he left off last week vs. Rutgers, when he scored 16 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and handed out 11 assists to record the Big Ten's fifth triple-double of the 2015-16 season.

5. Wisconsin at Penn State, Thursday. An intriguing matchup pitting teams that are looking for consistency. The Badgers closed last week with a big home win vs. Michigan State but are just 2-4 in the Big Ten and 10-9 overall. The Nittany Lions also are 2-4 in the league but 11-8 overall, coming off a nice win at Northwestern. The loser will be in a tough spot.

6. Northwestern at Indiana, Saturday. The Hoosiers are the hottest team in the Big Ten, holding a 10-game winning streak as the week dawned. The Wildcats have back big man Alex Olah, but they fell at home to Penn State last weekend. NU needs to regain its shooting touch ? and confidence.

7. Nebraska at Michigan State, Wednesday. The Huskers-yes, the Huskers-have won three games in a row. Stretching that streak to four will be a big challenge vs. a desperate Spartans squad that has lost two in a row.

8. Michigan at Nebraska, Saturday. The Wolverines are making a case as one of the Big Ten?s top four or five teams. They can overwhelm foes with their athletic ability on the wing and are excelling with Caris LeVert still out with injury. The Cornhuskers brought a three-game winning streak into the week. Check out Andrew White III. Kid is good.

9. Illinois at Indiana, Tuesday. The Hoosiers are one of just two unbeaten teams in Big Ten play. A big reason why: Firepower. IU is No. 1 in the Big Ten in scoring (85.0 ppg). Indiana is shooting 52.0 percent from the field, which ranks fourth in the nation.

10. Minnesota at Michigan, Wednesday. The Gophers are struggling mightily, losers of seven in a row and 10 of 11. This is the worst shooting team in the Big Ten (41.1 percent). And defense also is an issue, as Minnesota is No. 12 in scoring defense (74.1 ppg).

11. Illinois at Minnesota, Saturday. Two teams desperate for victory. Neither team plays good defense, as the Illini are No. 13 in the Big Ten (74.8 ppg) and the Gophers are No. 12 (74.1 ppg).

12. Iowa at Rutgers, Thursday. Two teams living in entirely different worlds. The Hawkeyes are one of the hottest teams in the nation, winners of seven in a row and sitting atop the Big Ten standings with a 5-0 mark. The Scarlet Knights are 0-6, last winning Dec. 28 vs. UMass Lowell. This is the second ranked for RU will play this week, as the Scarlet Knights were clobbered by 50 points at home last night by Purdue to give Rutgers its worst home loss ever.

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