Big Ten women open tourney play at Sears

Riding a 21-game winning streak, conference newcomer Maryland is favored to win the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, which features the first five-day format in conference history.

The tournament runs today through Sunday at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates.

With a perfect 18-0 record in conference play and 27-2 overall, the Terrapins earned the tournament's top seed and lead a strong field: Iowa (23-6), Ohio State (21-9) and Northwestern (22-7) round out the top four seeds.

The tournament opens today with a 5 p.m. matchup between Penn State and Indiana, followed by Purdue taking on Wisconsin at approximately 7:30 p.m. (See complete schedule attached).

Here are some fast facts on Big Ten teams and players to watch:

Final Four bound: Maryland is coming off a 2014 Final Four appearance. Last season, five Big Ten teams qualified for the NCAA tournament

Climbing the ranks: Maryland is ranked No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 poll and No 3 in the USA Today poll. Also in the rankings are Iowa (No. 14 AP / No. 15 USA Today), Rutgers (No. 23 AP / No 22 USA Today), Northwestern (No. 24 AP) and Nebraska (No. 25 USA Today)

Fast and furious: Three Big Ten teams are among the highest-scoring clubs in the country with average 80.9 ppg, Ohio State at 80.5 ppg, and Iowa at 79.8 ppg.

Big Ten's best: Minnesota sophomore center Amanda Zahui B. earned Big Ten Player of the Year from the media, and Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell, the top freshman in the conference, earned POY honor from conference coaches.

Putting up the numbers: Mitchell leads the Big Ten and is the nation's second-leading scorer at 24.5 points per game. Rutgers' Syessence Davis is Defensive Player of the Year and Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty scored Sixth Player of the Year honors (14.4 ppg).

In the paint: Zahui B. leads the Big Ten with 12.7 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game. She ranks fourth in scoring with 18.5 ppg. Michigan State's Aerial Powers leads with 22 double-doubles this season (21.9 ppg, 12.1 rpg).

Playmakers: Iowa guard Samantha Logic ranks third in the nation with 8.0 assists per game, and Minnesota's Shayne Mullaney is fifth with 7.3 assists per outing.