Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Iowa opens B1G Basketball at Ohio State; while Maryland vs. Stanford in Foster Farms Bowl tonight

Columbus, OH - - Iowa (9-4, 0-0) opens conference basketball play at No. 18/21 Ohio State (11-2, 0-0) with a Tuesday Noon tipoff on ESPN2 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Iowa won last year's contest in Columbus.

Tuesday will mark the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Hawkeyes will open league play on the road.  Coincidentally, Iowa opened Big Ten play that season also at Ohio State. The Buckeyes edged the Hawkeyes, 68-65, on Dec. 31, 2008. 

Ohio State is 28-3 at home since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Hawkeyes were one of the three teams to beat the Buckeyes during that span at Value City Arena. Iowa won 84-74 on Jan. 12, 2014. 

Big Ten basketball tips off conference play with four games today, and three more games on Wednesday opposite the Big East Conference, who open with five games on FS1, also on Wednesday.

On the B1G Football side, the conference takes a 2-2 record into the conference's fifth bowl game, as Maryland (7-5) faces Stanford (7-5) at Levi Field in San Francisco with a 9 p.m. kickoff on ESPN in the Foster Farms Bowl.

"This has been a great week that we've been out here,” said Maryland head coach Randy Edsall. “Our guys got a chance to go to Alcatraz and go to St. Anthony's. It is very rewarding to do those things and it's great that the bowl is able to provide this. I don't know how many of our guys would be able to get there and do these types of things if it wasn't for what has taken place this week. They have worked hard this week and I am sure they've played hard when they have had the free time to do that. We are very, very grateful for the opportunity."

Maryland vs. Stanford Bowl Game Preview

Back to basketball, Ohio State has played 11 of its first 13 games at home in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0 at home, winning their last game, 100-55, over Wright State on Dec. 27. 

Both Iowa and Ohio State have played North Carolina. The Tar Heels beat the Buckeyes (82-74) on Dec. 20 in Chicago, while the Hawkeyes won in Chapel Hill (60-55) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 3. 

Three Buckeyes average double figures in scoring: D'Angelo Russell (17.7 ppg), Marc Loving (12.4 ppg), and Sam Thompson (10.2 ppg). 

Iowa will have five days to prepare for its next conference opponent when it hosts Nebraska on Monday, Jan. 5, in the Hawkeyes' conference home opener. Iowa will play Michigan State at home next week on Thursday, Jan. 8.

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