NCAA Basketball wisconsin Badgers

In 2008, the Big Ten sent only four teams to the NCAA tournament. None reached the Elite Eight The Big Ten toiled down with mid-majors in conference RPI and were nationally maligned as the "Average 11." This past season, however, the league enjoyed a resurgence. It ranked only behind the ACC in conference RPI. Seven schools earned a berth into the NCAA tournament, and Penn State won the NIT. Michigan State toppled the defending national champions and two number one seeds en route to a national runner-up finish.

First of all, allow us a moment to give Penn State some credit. They had never won 10 Big Ten games in one season until they garnered their tenth of 2009 Thursday night. They apparently have a flair for the dramatic, as they trailed by six with under two minutes left. A Stanley Pringle three, a huge offensive board -- followed by two free throws -- from David Jackson, some good defense, and a clutch runner from Talor Battle propelled them to an unbelievable victory over a very solid Illinois team for the second time this season.

For one half, the Michigan Wolverines were all but trying on their dancing shoes. One half later, they were all but watching Wisconsin waltz into the NCAA tournament.

Michigan's DeShawn Sims-Manny Harris combo did all it could to build on the Wolverines' win over Purdue Thursday, but Wisconsin turned the Wolverines away with their trademark physical defense in the second half. The pressure went up, and the Wolverines' offense went down, managing just 21 points in the second half.

So, can Wisconsin sleepwalk into March Madness and are the Wolverines done, just days after they were all but called a shoo-in?

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A few weeks ago I did a halfway point roundup for the Big Ten, in which I buried Wisconsin and hailed Penn State to no end. Boy, do I look like an idiot now. Since then, Penn State crumbled, while Wisconsin has done a 180.

The Nittany Lions were embarrassed by Michigan, lost at home to Wisconsin, and handily lost at Purdue. They now sit just 6-6 in conference play, and their RPI has plunged into the 80s. With road trips to Illinois and Ohio State -- not to mention hosting Illinois and Minnesota -- it would appear they are fading back into obscurity.

A losing streak which was unheard of in Wisconsin during the past decade has now ended. Six losses ago, the Badgers were 3-0 in Big Ten play. Thursday night they moved to 4-6, with a quality win over a very strong Illinois team.

Marcus Landry and Jason Bohannon worked the inside-outside game, to the tune of 36 combined points, to lead the Badgers. Bohannon was money from outside, hitting six of his seven three-point attempts, while Landry worked the paint for most of his 16 points.

With just over a month in the books and most teams having played about half their conference schedule, let's check out the big boys of the Midwest. We're seeing a slight upheaval when it comes to traditional powers, as Indiana and Wisconsin sit in the bottom third of the standings, Northwestern is respectable, and Penn State is in the mix toward the top.

At this point, the conference is very balanced, and much stronger than it has been in recent years. They have a shot at seven bids for the Big Dance, but six is the more likely number.

It has not been easy for Wisconsin to lose six straight games. They have two losses in overtime and the past three games by a total of 11 points. This latest to Northwestern, 66-63.

Northwestern lost by 29 to Wisconsin at the beginning of January, but since then the Badgers have forgotten to play defense. Oh, they are defending and their style makes the pace of the game slow, but that does not mean they are playing good defense. Just because the games are being played in the 60s does not make make for defensive struggles.

The disappointing 2009 Big Ten campaign for the Wisconsin Badgers continues, as they dropped their fifth straight game Tuesday night. This time, Purdue was the culprit. The Badgers now fall to 12-8 overall, and a terrible -- by Badgers' standards under Bo Ryan -- 3-5 mark in conference play.

Most disturbing to Wisconsin has to be the fact that they've lost two of these games at home. Followers of the Big Ten will remember that, heading into this season, you just don't go into the Kohl Center and win. It's now happened in two consecutive games.

Remember 1998? Mark McGwire was a national inspiration instead of a pariah. No one had ever heard of American Idol. Bobby Knight was still the coach at Indiana. Bill Clinton was our President. Oh, and Wisconsin's basketball team lost four straight games in Big Ten play.

Today, for the first time since then, it happened again. No, not McGwire inspiring the masses. Illinois took down Wisconsin, 64-57, meaning the Badgers have now lost four straight Big Ten games. Obviously, this has never happened during the Bo Ryan administration, one chock full of triumphs and a presence toward the top of the Big Ten standings.

Yes, I was one of the doubters about Minnesota. I knew they were better than last year's team, and definitely would be a force next year. This year, however, I was not prepared to buy into Tubby Smith's squad. Sure they had a 15-1 record, but their non-con SOS was way below 250th. Their best win had been over an exhausted Louisville team at a neutral site.

They had only played two road games to date. A one-point win over Colorado State and a three-point escape over Iowa. They looked like a lot of young, decent teams that would end up on the NCAA Tournament bubble come March.

Then came Thursday night.