"I think they still need to win it (the Big Ten tournament)," CollegeRPI.com bracket expert Jerry Palm said Thursday.

"A loss, especially a lopsided one, would prove devastating to Illinois' at-large chances. A Chihuahua emerging unscathed in a scuffle with a Rottweiler would have better odds," Yahoo! Sports bracketologist Brad Evans said Thursday. "Win and the Illini can spit shine their dancing shoes. Five RPI wins - more than tourney locks Tennessee, Oklahoma St., BYU and Vanderbilt - would look very attractive in the eyes of the selection committee."

Illinois (18-13) traditionally has been exceptional at the Big Ten tournament. It owns the most tournament wins (22), the best winning percentage (.688) and Weber has guided everything from No. 1 seeds (2004-05) and No. 10 seeds (2007-08) to Sunday's championship game. No team has placed more players on the all-tournament team than the 10 from Illinois.

Klee

Michigan 59, Iowa 52

Northwestern 73, Indiana 58

Minnesota 76, Penn State 55

In Friday's quarterfinals, the spotlight will be on the Wisconsin-Illinois game. Barring a deep run by Minnesota, and maybe not even then, the Illini are the only Big Ten team on the bubble.

A year after receiving seven NCAA bids, with 11 of 15 All-Big Ten honorees heading up a great group of returnees, the Big Ten was anticipating another big Selection Sunday haul. Now the hope is for five bids.

"If we only get four teams in, it would be a shame," said Michigan State's Tom Izzo, attributing the drop to more ambitious scheduling. "The league is a lot better. But if we get fewer teams in, that looks backwards."

Gould

The Big Ten tournament had its share of surprises in the event's first 12 years.

Illinois reached the title game as a No. 11 seed in 1999 and a No. 10 in 2008, needing a win to advance to any kind of postseason. In 2001, Iowa became the first team to win the championship after starting the tournament run on Thursday. Indiana, still a traditional conference power when the tournament began at the United Center in Chicago in 1998, is one of four teams -- Northwestern, Penn State and Minnesota are the others -- without a conference tournament title.

The top four seeds are so superior, it's hard to bet against the chalk in this year's edition that begins Thursday at Conseco Fieldhouse and crowns a champion Sunday just minutes before the NCAA tournament field is announced. With such strong favorites to battle in the semifinals, let's take another look at the top four teams.

Supinie

A lackluster finish has the Illini teetering on the verge of a dreaded call from the NIT. Illinois lost five of its last six games, though its competition was fierce during that stretch. That's the only reason why Illinois is still in the conversation. Still, with a 6-6 finishing record and a 5-11 mark against the top 100 teams in RPI, at least one win in Indianapolis is a must. Illinois is led by All-Big Ten point guard Demetri McCamey, who had the second best assist rate of any player in the nation. Big Ten Freshman of the Year D.J. Richardson emerged as a home run threat out of the backcourt.

basketballprospectus.com

"A couple of people blew it out of proportion as me trying to disrespect coach Weber," McCamey said. "It was like father, like son. We both talked on the bench and cooled off. It was more for me to stop being frustrated and help my team win."

Supinie

Meyers Leonard's dunk (Facebook video)
Meyers Leonard's dunk (start at 1:30, herald-review.com)
Photos of the dunk (illinoishighschoolsports.com)
Photo of the dunk (herald-review.com)
Photos by IlliniAmy
A red hot night (herald-review.com)

Notre Dame wants to remain independent in football, but that might not matter if the Big Ten and Pac-10 decide to expand and create sweeping changes to major college sports.

"Our preference is clear," Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Tuesday. "I believe we're at a point right now where changes could be relatively small or they could be seismic."

Swarbrick said it will be up to him and university president Rev. John Jenkins to "evaluate the landscape" if realignment happens.

cbssports.com

studurando Weber says his confrontation with McCamey on Sunday was nothing compared to some he had with Dee Brown and Deron Williams

breitwieser Weber says the blowup between mccamey and him was maybe a good thing just to get it out of way #Illini

PKlee_IlliniHQ Weber says #Illini were going to have an off day yesterday - but didn't. BW: "A couple of the players said, 'We need to practice, Coach.'"

dailyillini.com

Maybe Illinois can do it, but I've pretty much concluded that if this team didn't feel the urgency for the home game against Minnesota more than a week ago, and if they didn't respond to the urgency of the Wisconsin game on Sunday, they probably won't be able to get the job done on Friday.

I'm looking at the Illini as NIT-bound. And that's too bad.

I've already heard from plenty of fans trying to rationalize a prolonged NIT run as a good thing. Really? Do any of you remember the last time Illinois played in the NIT?

Tupper

Jerry Palm
Joe Lunardi
The Bracket Matrix
Bracketology 101
DanceCard
Sports Illustrated
ESPN Bubble Watch

Things between Weber and McCamey became intense on the bench briefly after the guard bumped his coach while walking past. Weber grabbed McCamey's arm, pulled him back and gave him an earful.

"Love and kisses," Weber said. "Just trying to teach him how to make good decisions."

Durando

"It's not the end of the world," Illini center Mike Tisdale said. "It just feels like it."

While Illinois has another chance in the Big Ten tournament, a 15-point loss at home puts an exclamation point on losing five of its last six games in the regular season. The Illini left another bad impression with little time for the selection committee to forget.

From here, the Illini are on the outside looking in. Only a big run in Indianapolis will get the Illini into the NCAAs for the second straight year after missing the postseason in 2008.

Supinie

They've been a tough group to watch, a team that teases you one game then tortures you the next.

Sunday at the Assembly Hall was torture day.

In a must-win situation the Illini players deemed "Game 7" of the playoffs, the Illini could not match Wisconsin's play - not the Badgers' skill nor the Badgers' hustle, especially to loose balls and rebounds.

Tupper

"It's another situation where it's do-or-die, except for after this one there's not going to be another chance," Mike Tisdale added.

Illinois (18-13, 10-8 Big Ten) had opportunities - not just Sunday, but the entire season - and couldn't pull itself out of an early hole. Before another capacity crowd, which witnessed a third straight home loss, Illinois cut a 16-point deficit to five with 7:01 remaining.

Plus, Trevon Hughes and Leuer had four fouls. Weber shouted from the sideline, "This is your chance!" But only the Badgers (23-7, 13-5) took it to heart, closing on a 15-5 run to put an exclamation point on their ninth top-four Big Ten finish in Bo Ryan's nine seasons.

Klee