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MEN'S BASKETBALL THE LAST DANCE Penn State hopes to cap a frustrating season with an unlikely Big Ten tournament run WHEN March 14-17 WHERE United Center, Chicago AT STAKE The national praise surrounding the Big Ten this season has been unparalleled. Some of the best players in the country are playing for some of the best teams in the country – all in the Big Ten. With a realistic chance of sending at least six teams to the NCAA tournament, and five teams sitting comfortably in the Top 25, the winner of this tournament will gain serious bragging rights. As unnecessary an automatic trip might be for this conference, the winner receives the Big Ten's automatic invitation to the NCAA tournament. LAST SEASON The last-place Nittany Lions got trounced early Thursday afternoon against No. 5 seed Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, 75-58. Point guard Tim Frazier led the way with 26 points, but aside from a final 11-point effort from Trey Lewis, Penn State had no answer for an Indiana team that had three players score in double-figures. ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD 9-15 BEST FINISH In need of a strong performance to secure a spot in the 2011 NCAA tournament, the Nittany Lions reeled off three wins in Indianapolis against Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan State before falling to No. 1 seed Ohio State in the championship game, 71-60. It was the program's first appearance in the final round and ultimately propelled the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA tournament appearance in a decade. WORST FINISH Penn State has lost in the first round nine times in 14 Big Ten tournaments. FAVORITES As the No. 2 team in the country, Indiana has to be considered the pre-tournament favorite. Already regular-season champions, for the 21st time in program history, the Hoosiers are poised to be not only the conference tournament favorites, but also the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament a week later. Of course, there are plenty of worthy competitors, including No. 4 ranked Michigan, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 16 Ohio State. Certainly, the BIG TEN TOURNAMENT PREVIEW M A R C H STANDING STRONG D.J. Newbill (left) and Ross Travis (right) helped lift PSU to a 84-78 upset over Michigan on Feb. 27. Penn State will need a similar effort to make a run in the conference tournament. Tim Owen Trey Burke-led Wolverines are considered the top challenger to the Hoosiers, especially coming off their weekend win in East Lansing. DARK HORSE Bo Ryan's No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers rarely enter the Big Ten tournament as a favorite, but somehow they find themselves in the mix for a title year after year, anyway. With two titles and two runner-up finishes, the Badgers' suffocating brand of defense could be enough to propel them back into another championship round. With wins this season against Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio State, they've already shown they can play with the conference's best. For a team that has been frustratingly inconsistent this year, the Badgers would simply need a little hot streak in March to win the tournament. MVP CANDIDATES To get a feel for Big Ten tournament MVP favorites, let's look at the 2013 Naismith Award candidate Top 30. Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller are among the odds-on favorites for the national award, but Michigan's 6 , 2 0 1 3 7 Burke, Illinois guard Brandon Paul, and Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas are all capable of show-stopping performances. That's what it will take to launch their teams into the late rounds of the tournaments and into the minds of the MVP voters in Chicago. PENN STATE'S OUTLOOK To say that even one win in the Big Ten tournament for this Penn State team is impossible would be unfair. Certainly, after earning their first win in the conference season against then-No. 4 Michigan, 84-78, on Feb. 27, the Nittany Lions have shown that they're capable of playing with and beating the best the conference has to offer, when all the stars align. Unfortunately for secondyear head coach Patrick Chambers, the 14 consecutive losses prior to the Nittany Lions' win against the Wolverines suggest another miracle performance at Big Tens would be necessary to make any sort of dent in the tournament. With Frazier still sidelined, a gratifying Big Ten tournament would simply mean playing hard and not getting embarrassed before an inevitably long off-season. – NATE BAUER B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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