tiger hawkThe 9th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes won their ninth straight game and improved to 7-0 in the Big Ten with an 83-71 victory over #22 Purdue in Iowa City Sunday. Iowa broke open a close game at halftime with a 23-6 run to start the second half. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery:

“I don’t know that we can play any better than that. I mean, our defensive activity, our attention to detail, pushing the ball, great ball movement, intelligent shot selection — everything that a coach wants,” McCaffery said. “The crowd was just electric in that stretch and that helps a lot too.”

Jarrod Uthoff led Iowa with 22 points. Adam Woodbury added 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes (16-3, 7-0) have beaten four ranked teams since late December and will face #7 Maryland on the road Thursday. “They’ve got multiple scorers, size, depth, and one of the best point guards in the country. It’ll be a great challenge for us,” McCaffery said of the Terrapins. Maryland (17-3, 6-2) lost at Michigan State on Saturday, 73-65.