IU has chance to clinch top seed

IU has a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed of the Big Ten Tournament outright with a win or tie Sunday. But it won't be easy against a hungry Ohio State team that is coming off a 1-0 heartbreaking loss to Penn State and a 3-0 drubbing of Oakland.\nThe Hoosiers (11-1-2, 5-0-0 in Big Ten) are riding a ten-game winning streak, but the Buckeyes (9-4-0, 2-1-0 in Big Ten) are going to try to get back on track after Penn State ended their six-game winning streak.\nOhio State had been the only undefeated team left in conference play besides IU until last Sunday, and the only hope for the Buckeyes is to win their remaining games against IU, Michigan and Northwestern.\n"This is it for the Big Ten," coach Jerry Yeagley said. "It means a lot if we get the top seed because then we won't have to play two days in a row. They (OSU) still have games at Michigan and at Northwestern, but those would be upsets if they lost those matches, so a lot is riding on this week."\nThe Hoosiers have been on a tear since dropping a game against St. Johns 3-0 Sept 7. The Hoosiers will be without back Danny O'Rourke after he sustained a broken bone in his face prior to the Northwestern game last Sunday.\n"It's one of our deepest teams since I've been here," junior David Prall said. "(Drew) Shinabarger and (Michael) Bowditch are really good players, and could probably start almost anywhere in the country. We won't have a problem with them coming off the bench."\nIU's offense has helped the team's success in the conference. The Hoosiers average three goals per game in the Big Ten, and the top three scorers in the conference are sophomore Ned Grabavoy and seniors Pat Noonan and Ryan Mack.\nEven with a solid edge in scoring, IU cannot overlook the Buckeyes because the defenses have been almost equally overpowering. The Hoosiers enter the game with a .60 goals against average, while the Buckeyes follow in a close second with a .67 against conference foes. \nOf their 28 matches versus Ohio State, IU has only lost once, but Prall still remembers that 1-0 loss, which came in the 2000 Big Ten Tournament.\n"I really want to beat them," Prall said. "It's always been a good match-up because they're one of the better teams in the Big Ten."\nAlthough the game is technically not a must-win for the Hoosiers, it nonetheless is a crucial match. Junior midfielder Vijay Dias said the team looks forward to the opportunity to clinch the top seed for the Big Ten tournament.\n"We obviously want to go out and win every game," Dias said. "In terms of the Big Ten, this game gives us a chance to clinch"