Come on down! See what you've won

Congratulations IU!\nYou have claimed your first Big Ten Championship since 1993. You have defied the oddsmakers and become the conference dark horse. You're 6-3 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time you played them. You're ranked in the top 25 in each of the major polls, and you have undoubtedly earned yourself a spot in the Big Dance.\nYour reward? The fifth-seeded, Michigan State.\nThat's right IU, you've won the coveted fourth seed in the Big Ten tournament and the right to play arguably the hottest team in the conference which has won five straight games including two on the road. \nBut that's not all IU, there is more!\nThat's right, the nation's hottest player, MSU's Marcus Taylor, just trashed you for a game high 16 points and eight assists Feb. 24, before dropping 32 at Ohio State two days later and 34 against Iowa Saturday.\nMeanwhile, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois can sit back Thursday evening and wait for their opponent, which are a combined 34-62 in conference play this year. \nWhat IU faces in the Big Ten conference tournament is unfortunate, but not devastating. What they could have had with a home victory over Wisconsin, a win at Minnesota or a triumph at MSU would have been ideal, but at this point in the season, all the "could of's" and "should of's" are in the past. The disappointments and celebration's are irrelevant. \nKeep in mind that, as crazy as it sounds, finishing first in the conference and still receiving a fourth seed might be the best possible scenario. Since the inception of the Big Ten Tournament in 1998, the fourth seed is a perfect 4-0 in the quarterfinal round, hence the fifth seed is yet to win a game. \nIllinois should be most concerned -- the third-seeded team is 1-3 in the quarterfinal round and has never won the tournament. The second seed (Ohio State) is 3-1 in the quarterfinal round and the top-seeded team (Wisconsin) is 2-2.\nShould IU beat Michigan State in Indianapolis Friday, they could find themselves in either the perfect or possibly the worst situation. A meeting with Wisconsin in the semifinal would be an ideal chance for the Hoosiers to take revenge on the team that upended them last month and stole their chance at an outright crown, in front of their own fans. \nBut a possible meeting with Iowa means the Hoosiers have to defeat the Hawkeyes for the third time this season -- this time at a neutral site after embarrassing, dominating and taunting Iowa in Bloomington.\nWhatever the case, Friday afternoon represents a rebirth for an IU team. A team that wants to forget their late season slide win their first conference tournament championship.\nTheir reward? \nA trophy -- all to themselves.