The women's basketball team wants to join the Big 10 and join it quick. With the Atlantic 10 still undecided about when it will oust Penn State and the Big 10 unsure about what it will do, Rene Portland doesn't want to be a coach without a conference.

She said other A-10 schools are being told not to schedule her team for future dates. Portland also wasn't sure if the Big 10 would be ready to take the program for the 1990-91 season.

"Right now I'm very frustrated," Portland said. "If the (athletic department) turns around and says, 'Guess what Rene, you've got to come up with 20-some games,' I personally can't do it. We're in trouble.

"So in the heat of my season, when I should be winning the Atlantic 10 title and getting ready for NCAAs, I'm going to be doing scheduling."

The main problem from both sides seems to involve scheduling. Currently, both the Big 10 and the Atlantic 10 conferences play 18-game league schedules, nine home and nine away.

The Big 10, however, uses a "travel partner" format. For example, when Iowa visits Minnesota, Indiana goes to Ohio State. Then the teams switch a few days later with Indiana playing at Minnesota and Iowa going to Ohio State. The presence of an 11th team could disrupt the format. Purdue Coach Lin Dunn is not pleased with that possibility.

"An odd number would not be able to continue the round robin," she said. "(Plus) it creates problems. We were thinking a Big 10 tournament with 10 teams, now it's confusing. I'm really kind of at a loss. I'm just not sure what (the conference is) going to do."

To remedy the situation, Portland thinks that adding an extra team would just mean a day of rest for one of the "travel partners." Each Big 10 school would add one road game and one home game to accommodate Penn State.

However, Dunn expressed further concern now that the NCAA has ruled the regular season will be reduced from 28 to 25 games. Under this new ruling, teams would have just five non-conference games instead of the seven they now play if Penn State had not entered the conference.

Big 10 Assistant Commissioner Phyllis L. Howlett said she was not sure what direction the conference would go or when the plans would be finalized.

Dunn and Michigan State coach Nancy Langeland also addressed the possible headaches of traveling into State College. Langeland said, however, that if the Lady Spartans' travel budget is increased, the problem is easily solved.

Yet at the Penn State-Ohio State game on Dec. 30 in Columbus, Ohio, many of the Lady Buckeyes' fans asked, "Where is Penn State located?" Even with the speculation and ribbing, Portland doesn't think it's a factor.

"Our attitude's always been, 'see America first, win later,' " she joked. "(But seriously) I just think it's unrealistic. Our football team has certainly put this school on the map. We do have an airport and we do have telephones.

"Try to get into Champaign, Illinois, that's no different than here. Try to get into Madison, Wisconsin. These people have nerve."

Portland also proposed that certain University athletic programs be allowed to participate in Big 10 competition as soon as possible, if they are ready. Associate Athletic Director Ellen Perry said this idea was unlikely to transpire.

"It's an institutional decision," Perry said. "One whole part going before the other is not totally realistic."

Perry also explained that the Big 10 will decide when Penn State can begin participating in the conference. Plus, the University must negotiate with the Atlantic 10 to decide when it must or will leave.

A-10 Commissioner Ron Bertovich could not be reached for comment, but other coaches were surprised at the move and accepted its reality.

"I did not expect it," St. Bonaventure coach Mary Jane Telford said. "They'll be faced with the challenges of a new conference. Penn State has lobbied for years to host the A-10 tournament and ironically now that they have it, they're not going to be a part of the A-10."

The A-10 Conference Championships will be held Mar. 9-10 at Rec Hall.

When Penn State does join the Big 10, it will raise the prestige of an already prestigious conference. Three Big 10 teams are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 20. Penn State ranks 22nd in this week's poll.

Jan Miller, the Big 10's assistant service bureau director, said the Lady Lions will enter the league and compete right away. She added, though, that the strength of the conference might prevent them from dominating early.

The Lady Lions are enthused about their new conference.

"I'm thrilled, it's like getting a new job without having to move," Portland said.

She also mentioned players who in the past said "no" to Penn State because it wasn't a Big 10 school may now have to reconsider their options. She hopes the move will open up the Illinois-Chicago area to recruiting.

"It's a great move," Dana Eikenberg, a native of Gates Mills, Ohio, said. "The Big 10 has a reputation; it's a privilege."

The team also has several other players with roots in "Big 10 country" -- Kathy Phillips (Michigan), Kim Lazor (Ohio) and Shelly Caplinger (Indiana).

Over the years, the Lady Lions have posted an 11-7 record against Big 10 opponents, including a 6-2 record with Ohio State and a 2-1 mark against Iowa. Penn State is 0-2 against Purdue.

"We're going to have to tighten our sneakers every weekend," Portland said. "That's going to be fun. We're fired up about the challenge. It's not a shot at (the A-10), it's the excitement of a new thing."

"There's a real good chance," Stefeni Thomas said, "that if we keep playing the way we've been playing, we could take the A-10s in style and go into the Big 10 a team to be reckoned with."