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Illini in good shape

Life in college basketball’s most storied conference isn’t always easy.

The Big Ten standings were shaken up this weekend after losses by No. 9 Illinois, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 21 Indiana and No. 22 Michigan. Three of those powerhouses were the victims of upsets, including a rare conference loss by the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall. They fell 70-67 as 4 ½-point favorites to the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes; it was Indiana’s first Big Ten defeat in Bloomington in two years, capping off a 1-10 slide against the spread.

The four losing teams are now staring up the conference standings at Iowa, No. 17 Ohio State and Wisconsin. With March Madness just around the corner, how will this weekend’s results impact their NCAA Tournament hopes? Here’s a look at what lies ahead as Selection Sunday approaches.

Illinois (20-4 SU, 11-9 ATS): The Fighting Illini are still in good shape after winning their first 15 games, but things are starting to unravel. It started with a shocking 66-65 loss at home to Penn State as 19 ½-point favorites, then continued with Sunday’s 69-53 pasting at Ohio State. The Hawkeyes cashed in as 2 ½-point faves to leave the Illini 3-6 ATS since their winning streak was snapped.

Illinois should have little problem getting an invite to the big dance. However, any thought of a No. 1 seed has flown out the window. The Illini have road games against Michigan and Michigan State left on the schedule – those could prove to be land mines.

Michigan State (18-6 SU, 10-12 ATS): MSU was being played up as a Final Four candidate before dropping a 69-55 decision to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Now the Spartans are due for a slide down the rankings. They had a cupcake-filled non-conference sked (No. 128 SOS), which they’ve followed up with a 2-4 SU and ATS record in away games versus the Big Ten.

The good news for MSU: Four of the last six games are at home, where the team is undefeated this year. The bad news: The Spartans went 1-5 SU and ATS against those opponents last month, and their next game is at Iowa.

Indiana (13-8 SU, 5-13 ATS): Hoo boy. This team is in serious danger of falling right out of the Tournament picture. The Hoosiers are just 5-5 in conference play, they’ve cashed in a grand total of once in 2006, and they’ve slipped to No. 35 in the RPI. The loss of D.J. White for the season has taken the air out of Assembly Hall, allowing opponents to focus on Marco Killingsworth and keep Indiana in check.

Hoosier fans can take solace in the fact that their club has gotten through the toughest part of the schedule (No. 6 SOS thus far). Although four of the last six games are on the road, a pair of matchups against Penn State should help the Hoosiers right the ship. If they don’t, coach Mike Davis might have to wear a paper bag over his head to make it out of Bloomington alive.

Michigan (16-6 SU, 10-7-1 ATS): The Wolverines had an amazing run to get back into the rankings, but now it looks like they could be on their way to yet another NIT appearance. Michigan has lost three games in a row, with Purdue dropping a surprise 84-70 beating on them Saturday as 6 ½-point home underdogs.

It’s a very tough row to hoe for the Blue and Maize if they want to lock down their first trip to the big dance since 1998. They have road games against the Spartans and Buckeyes, plus matchups in Ann Arbor versus the Gophers, Illini and Hoosiers. Michigan will probably have to win all their home games to make the Tournament. It’s within the realm of possibility. Minnesota is vulnerable despite beating MSU, and Indiana is in freefall. The Feb. 21 meeting with Illinois should determine the Wolverines’ fate this March.

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