#8 Maryland tops #3 Iowa for Terrapins’ First Win Over a Top 25 Team

The University of Maryland’s men’s basketball team had played some pretty basketball on the way to a 17-3 record and a #8 national ranking. But the Terrapins had not beaten a team in the Top 25 as of January 28th, and had lost their only two games to Top 25 opponents. They lost to then #9 North Carolina 89-81 on December 2nd in Chapel Hill, and just lost to #11 Michigan State 74-68 in East Lansing on January 23rd. So when Maryland hosted #3 Iowa on January 28th, it was a chance to see if the Terrapins were a team that was capable of beating a top tier team and potentially go deep in the tournament in March.

In an exciting back and forth game, Maryland made a strong case to be Final Four contender. Behind 17 points each from Robert Carter Jr. and Rasheed Sulaimon, the Terrapins played strong down the stretch and beat the Hawkeyes 74-68. The loss ended Iowa’s (16-4) nine game winning streak.

It’s crowded at the top in the Big Ten race, with Iowa and Indiana both 7-1 in conference play, and Maryland right behind at 7-2. Michigan (6-2), Ohio State (6-3) and Purdue (6-3) are right there too.