The Iowa men’s basketball team fell further down the rankings, to number 17, in the latest AP Top 25 poll after another midweek loss to a Big Ten rival.

Despite a bounce-back 81-74 victory over Illinois this past weekend, Iowa’s 71-69 overtime loss to then No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 28 dropped the Hawks to 1-5 against the AP Top 25 and 6-3 in the Big Ten.

Fran McCaffery’s squad will have more opportunities to bolster its résumé in the coming week, with both Ohio State and Michigan making trips to Iowa City.

In addition to Iowa, two Big Ten schools appear in this week’s rankings: Michigan State (9) and Michigan (10).

— by Joshua Bolander