With the Big Ten basketball season just past the halfway point, we can safely say co-leaders Wisconsin and Ohio State, plus third-place Indiana, will be playing in the NCAA tournament.
Will the Big Three have company? Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis doesn't seem to think so. Under the heading, "Just how bad is the Big Ten?" Davis recently suggested this season could match 2004 with a conference-low three bids.
Iowa (13-10, 5-4), Michigan (16-7, 4-4), Illinois (17-8, 5-5), Michigan State (17-7, 4-5) and Purdue (15-8, 4-5) still have hopes during the final weeks of the season. Some hopes are more realistic than others.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo doesn't know how many teams should get in, but he thinks it should be more than three. He thinks the country's No. 4 RPI conference has a perception problem.
"When I hear of anything less than five teams, it almost makes me laugh," he said. "Here we have two of the most dominant teams in the whole country in our conference, which means a lot of teams are going to have losses just playing Wisconsin and Ohio State. Indiana is having a super year. I think ourselves, Michigan and Iowa, Illinois and Purdue are all teams worthy of some things.
"I'm a little ticked off that our league in general--I don't know if it's the [Big Ten-]ACC Challenge and what we do there--I just don't think our league in general gets the respect it deserves. I've watched Duke and [North] Carolina carry the ACC, and Syracuse and UConn (Big East) over the years. Here we have two top-4 teams, but very worthy of it, in Wisconsin and Ohio State. I don't see the same reflection on our conference."
None of the Big Ten coaches could come up with a magic number of victories, overall or in conference, to guarantee one of the 65 spots in next month's NCAA tournament. At one time, a non-losing conference record and 18-20 wins would be a lock. That's not always the case.
"If it looks like a big group of teams in the middle of the pack, it might be a win in the Big Ten tournament that gets you over the hump," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber, who thinks a 9-7 conference record should be good enough.
Wisconsin (22-2, 8-1)--The Badgers are at Penn State on Wednesday, and coach Bo Ryan, a Keystone State native, will have a homecoming of sorts.
"We've played Temple, Rutgers and Pitt, but this is as close as we get," said Ryan, who was born in Chester, Pa., and went to Wilkes University. "Relatives, friends, high school and college acquaintances [will be there]."
Ohio State (20-3, 8-1)--The Buckeyes are the best shooting team in the conference, making .484 of their shots. Freshmen Greg Oden (.529), Daequan Cook (.505) and Mike Conley Jr. (.515) are a big part of the reason.
Indiana (16-6, 6-3)--Hoosiers junior A.J. Ratliff scored 18 points in the second half of IU's victory over Wisconsin. Ratliff has been playing with an injured left wrist, but has fought through it.
"Actually, A.J. has played better after his injury than before," coach Kelvin Sampson said. "It just shows you how important attitude is. A.J. has a no-fear attitude."
Iowa (13-10, 5-4)--A 111 RPI won't help the Hawkeyes get into the NCAA tournament. Iowa, led by Big Ten player of the week Adam Haluska, has four remaining road games and three at home.
Michigan (16-7, 4-4)--The Wolverines have lost three straight but have five home games in their last eight. Games at Michigan State, Illinois and at Ohio State on Tuesday will be key.
Illinois (17-8, 5-5)--This week's trips to Northwestern and Indiana loom large.
Michigan State (17-7, 4-5)--Izzo can't be happy with a schedule that had two Ohio State games sandwiched around a trip to Illinois --all MSU losses. The Spartans are at Purdue on Wednesday and then have four straight home games. The Spartans' RPI is 28.
Purdue (15-8, 4-5)--The Boilermakers have won two of their last three and have four home games remaining. Saturday's game at Ohio State won't be fun.
Minnesota (9-14, 3-6)--The Gophers, who have won two of their last three, expect to get center Spencer Tollackson (broken left hand) back for limited minutes this week.
Penn State (10-11, 1-7)--The losing streak is at seven with Wisconsin visiting on Wednesday.
Northwestern (11-11, 1-8)--The Wildcats are getting good play from freshmen Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan. Ryan, a 6-foot-7-inch swingman from Glenbrook South, is becoming a factor in the offense.