Fight for NCAA berth starts with Big Ten tournament

Much hullabaloo has been made about the strength -- or maybe weakness -- of Big Ten men's basketball. \nBut the women's conference could have nearly as much trouble qualifying more than three teams for the NCAA tournament, depending on which Big Ten coach you ask.\nIU coach Kathi Bennett said she thinks her fifth-place Hoosiers (14-13, 8-8 Big Ten) have a shot -- if they reach, but more likely if they win, the Big Ten tournament final at Conseco Fieldhouse Monday.\n"I'm hoping that if we would get to the championship game that would be enough, but with our overall record I do understand that," said Bennett, whose Hoosiers have won five of their last seven games. "I think we're playing really good basketball, and we're doing it at the right time."\nPenn State coach Rene Portland said only the top three teams -- Purdue (22-4, 13-3), the Nittany Lions (19-10, 11-5) and Minnesota (21-6, 11-5) -- are the certain NCAA dandies. \n"When you have your 18 wins, you have done a good job in the last 10 games, that's what they look at," Portland said. "They look at your RPI and strength of schedule."\nPortland said Iowa (17-9, 10-6), IU's foe Friday, also has a legit chance. Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder agrees to some extent. \n"I personally think we've done enough," said Bluder, whose Hawkeyes have won four of their last five games. "We finished as the fourth best team in the third best conference in America. Our RPI is in the top 30. I think that is good enough, but I never want to put anything in the hands of the NCAA selection committee totally. I think we need to win this first game."\nThat first game is against the Hoosiers at noon Friday, establishing the tournament's importance in determining post-season fates. The tournament starts today when eighth-seed Illinois meets ninth-seed Michigan at 3 p.m.\nLast year, the Big Ten, considered the fourth-toughest conference according to collegerpi.com, sent five teams to the NCAAs. Wednesday, the conference ranked third, behind the SEC and Big 12. Bluder said that improved strength is reason enough to send five or six schools.\nBut others think the Big Ten might not receive as many invitations as last year.\n"I struggle to see five to be very honest," Portland said.\nWhy no love for the Big Ten? Consider that only three teams have more than 17 victories and only one team has fewer than five conference losses -- No. 7 Purdue.\nAlso, four teams boast RPIs higher than 35 -- the Boilermakers (five), No. 17 Minnesota (15), Penn State (25), Wisconsin (26) and Iowa (32). All of those teams have strength of schedules higher than 30 as well. IU owns an RPI of 75, and its strength of schedule ranks 37.\nFinally, only three teams have fewer than 10 losses for the entire season. The women's standings look similar to the men's multiple ties and multiple losses, except the women have a dominant winner -- the Boilermakers, who have won the conference seven times in 12 tries.\nBesides the top three teams and Iowa, Wisconsin could have burst its worthy NCAA bubble. A little more than a month ago, the No. 5 Badgers were 16-1 overall. But their misfortune in their past 10 games -- a 1-9 record, with the only victory against 4-23 Northwestern -- could put a damper on post-season hopes. The Hoosiers are included among those last nine losses.\n"If it comes down to us and, say, Wisconsin, I sure hope our record down the stretch will make a difference," IU associate head coach Trish Betthauser said. She added that she thinks the Big Ten is deserving of at least five NCAA qualifiers based on the conference's strength of schedule, which has switched from second to third.\nAlthough NCAA fantasies dance in the IU players' heads, the Women's NIT looks more probable. Betthauser said the WNIT has contacted the IU administration and paperwork has been filled out. \nLast year, the Hoosiers (20-11, 9-7) reached the second round of the WNIT before falling to Western Kentucky. Two other Big Ten teams -- Illinois and eventual champion Ohio State -- qualified.\n"We have hopes to host if that is the post-season that we are invited to," Betthauser said. "When we talked to our team (Tuesday) before we came out on the practice floor, we talked about running the table. And if we can do that, we'll be in the NCAAs"