Before the season began, I thought that Iowa-- with big, skilled soph post Megan Skouby-- and Wisconsin, with outside scorer Jolene Anderson, would do some damage in the Big Ten this year.

Apparently not. Sunday the Hawkeyes got hosed by Michigan State; the 6'8" DeHaan (20 points) contained the 6'6" Skouby (who scored 11) as the visiting Spartans pulled away. Iowa fell to 3-3 within the Big Ten.

And in Madison, the Badgers fell to Illinois despite 18 each from Anderson and Janese Banks. Post play remains a problem for Lisa Stone's team: Illinois blocked a school-record eleven shots.

Except for the flagging Penn State (2-4 in conference), the Big Ten standings look much like they have in years past. Charlie Creme projects five Big Ten bids to the Big Dance this year, one of them belonging to Wisconsin: is he being optimistic?