Big Ten flexing its muscle, ranks third on Dickie V's radar

I guess you get the picture that the Big Ten is heading for a big-time year and should get more teams this year in the NCAA tournament than last season, when only four were selected.

All the basketball prognosticators had Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin as the big three in their preseason evaluations.

However, no one gave much respect to Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. My feeling is that we could even find Penn State battling for a postseason berth based on some early performances.

Vitale