Rene Portland is encouraged.

With just 27 days until the first game, the women's basketball coach is looking forward to starting the team's second year in the Big Ten.

Last year, preseason polls pegged the Lady Lions with a sixth-place finish in the conference. Portland was more than happy to prove the critics wrong by leading her team to third place behind Ohio State and Iowa, two teams that made it to the NCAA Final Four.

"If we had any worry about them having a hard time getting into the Big Ten, I think they jumped into it with two feet --they loved every game they played last year," Portland said. "There was a real pride on the kids' part, knowing that we belonged in that kind of conference."

This year, Portland picks Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern as the big challengers in the Big Ten. Portland promised that this is the last year independent games need to be paid off.

"We're still struggling coming out of that independent year, to be honest," she said. "This will be the last year that we have to pay back some of the games like Niagara."

But Portland knows she can't overlook the tough teams on the schedule outside the conference.

Like Rutgers, for instance. The Lady Lions have never defeated the Scarlet Knights in New Brunswick -- they'll try again in December.

Like Vanderbilt, which will be just as much a threat this year. The Lady Commodores are already picked as the No. 1 team.

"That is being billed as the No. 1 (match)," Portland said. "Last year, the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game was their big-built game. There, they see the Penn State game as the big one down in Vanderbilt."

Portland also looks forward to playing Clemson because securing ACC teams on the Lady Lions' schedule is not an easy task.

"It's definitely going to be a real fun year," senior forward Helen Holloway said. "With the variety of people on the team, anything could happen."

But despite her confidence about being in the conference, Portland insists she'll never settle for present-best.

"I hope I never feel comfortable," she said. "I hope before every game I still get butterflys, I still want to work, and I still want to be prepared. We want to win every game before we step on the court."