Teams separated by only one game in Big Ten standings

THE SETTING

The Iowa Hawkeyes (17-7, 10-3) will gun for their ninth-consecutive victory Thursday night when they travel to West Lafayette, IN, to face the Purdue Boilermakers (13-11, 9-4) for a pivotal showdown. Tip-off is slated for 6:05 p.m. (CST) at Mackey Arena. Iowa is alone in first place in the Big Ten standings, while Purdue is tied with Ohio State in second place.

Both Iowa and Purdue conclude their seasons with three of five games on the road.

STREAKIN'

Iowa has won eight-straight games, the longest active streak in the Big Ten. In fact, the streak is the longest by any Big Ten team this season, besting six-game winning streaks by Ohio State and Minnesota earlier this season. The eight-game winning streak is the longest under Coach Lisa Bluder, during Big Ten play. Iowa's 2000-01 squad strung together six-straight in Bluder's first season on the sidelines.