Michigan State rose to No. 4 and Iowa rose to No. 16 when the latest AP poll was released on Monday.
The Spartans, thanks to two blowout wins over Illinois and Penn State and two losses by previous No. 4 Virginia, moved ahead one spot, up from No. 5.
The Hawkeyes, still undefeated in Big Ten play after beating Nebraska in their only game of the week, climbed three spots from No. 19.
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Michigan State and Iowa will play for the second time this season on Thursday in East Lansing.
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Elsewhere, Maryland remained the No. 3 team in the country, not gaining any ground after Kansas and Oklahoma stayed in the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. The Jayhawks handed the Sooners their first loss of the season in last week's triple-overtime classic. The Terps got a thrilling win of their own Saturday, when Melo Trimble hit a buzzer-beating game-winning triple to lift Maryland over Wisconsin. The Terps get Michigan and Ohio State this week.
Purdue, after losing to Illinois on Sunday night, dropped from No. 20 to No. 25. The Boilermakers are now 2-2 in conference play and face off with Penn State and Rutgers this week.
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Indiana also received votes in this week's poll. The Hoosiers, on a nine-game winning streak, were close to cracking the top 25, the de facto No. 27 team in the country.