After the Illini dropped three of four to last place Indiana, they need to make up ground if they want to participate in the Big Ten tournament next week.
As I understand it correctly, the top six teams make the tourney. Here’s how it stands right now:
| Teams | W | L | T | Pct. | W | L | T | Pct. |
| Northwestern | 19 | 9 | 0 | .679 | 22 | 29 | 0 | .431 |
| Michigan | 19 | 9 | 0 | .679 | 33 | 18 | 0 | .647 |
| Ohio State | 16 | 11 | 0 | .593 | 32 | 17 | 0 | .653 |
| Minnesota | 13 | 14 | 0 | .481 | 26 | 24 | 0 | .520 |
| Purdue | 13 | 15 | 0 | .464 | 27 | 22 | 0 | .551 |
| Illinois | 13 | 15 | 0 | .464 | 27 | 24 | 0 | .529 |
| Iowa | 12 | 16 | 0 | .429 | 23 | 28 | 0 | .451 |
| Penn State | 12 | 16 | 0 | .429 | 19 | 32 | 0 | .373 |
| Michigan State | 11 | 17 | 0 | .393 | 24 | 27 | 0 | .471 |
| Indiana | 11 | 17 | 0 | .393 | 22 | 29 | 0 | .431 |
Hmm.. doesn’t leave much room for error, does it? The good news is that the Illini are playing four games against Michigan State to end the regular season. While Michigan St may have a good basketball team and hold their own in football, they just don’t cut it in baseball, I guess. Here’s hoping the Illini can capitalize on that.
Oh, I’m rooting for the Wildcats of Northwestern. Why? So they will end up in first place and host the tournament. If that’s the case, I’m heading up there to watch the tournament. So Go Wildcats!
Speaking of the Wildcats, they have the largest difference between conference (.679) and non-conference winning percentage (.130). That’s right, they gone 3-20 against non-Big Ten teams. They had an eleven game losing streak at the beginning of the season. Now they find themselves tied for first place in the Big Ten. What a comeback story for the Wildcats!