IU drops several spots in AP, Coaches Polls

After a .500 week in the Big Ten, the IU men’s basketball team dropped in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls.

The Hoosiers fell to No. 23 in the AP Poll (down from No. 18) and to No. 24 in the Coaches (down from No. 20).

This week’s AP Poll includes five Big Ten teams with No. 6 Michigan State, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 11 Michigan, No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 23 Indiana representing the conference.

IU is 4-4 on the year against teams in the AP Top 25 with one game remaining against No. 6 Michigan State on Feb. 28.

The fall in the rankings comes after IU beat Northwestern 71-66 on Wednesday before losing on the road to Iowa on Sunday 78-66.

With three conference games remaining in the season, the Hoosiers (20-7, 8-7) hold a half-game lead against Purdue (17-10, 7-7) for the fifth spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

The top four teams in the conference get a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament with Wisconsin (20-7, 9-5) holding onto that final bye spot into Friday’s quarterfinal round.