And then there were two.

Tied for first-place in conference standings are No. 2 Penn State (19-1, 10-1) and No. 9 Purdue (19-3, 10-1). The teams have split victories in their meetings this season, both using home-court advantage for close decisions.

Last year, No. 11 Iowa (15-4, 8-3) and Ohio State (11-9, 4-6) were Big Ten co-champions and met in a rubber match in the Final Four. The Buckeyes prevailed, 73-72, in double overtime. This year, the possibility of two conference members returning to the finals lies with the Lady Lions and the Boilermakers.

Should such a matchup occur, the question of who would win on a neutral court pops up.

"I think it'd be a great game," said Purdue Coach Lin Dunn of a potential third contest between the two schools. "I would like to say we'd win, but I don't know. I think it'd be a close game, a real battle."

Talk about an up-and-down season. Northwestern (12-7, 4-6) is one of the most talented, yet inconsistent, teams in the conference.

The Wildcats defeated Northern Illinois (snapping its 14-game win streak), 76-62, which had beaten Iowa earlier in the season. They followed that with a 55-47 win over the Hawkeyes (their first home victory over Iowa in 10 years) and a 89-63 victory over Minnesota (12-7, 5-5).

"I guess the word probably this year for us is consistency or inconsistency," Northwestern Coach Don Perrelli said. "We really have not put together a good season as far as winning some games and then losing one. We either won a lot or lost a lot, and now we've put together a three-game win streak."

Opinions vary, but Northwestern all of a sudden got a burst of energy, Purdue's Dunn said.

"They're the type of team you never can count out," she added. "They could really have a factor on who wins the Big Ten with who they upset or who they beat."

And Perrelli is relaying that message to his players.

"We certainly can be the spoilers. And I hope we are," he said. "But the bottom line is, forget playing the spoiler, we're still battling for an NCAA bid."

Purdue at Iowa (7:30 p.m. Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena)

The Boilermakers are facing the thickest part of their schedule this season, coming off victories over top-ranked Penn State and Ohio State. Now they go on the road for their only matchup this season with the Hawkeyes.

"The key for Iowa is to have some outside shooting to complement their inside game. Their guards are going to have to step up and hit some outside shots," Dunn said. "We've got to deal with their athleticism and quickness and speed. Overall, they're maybe the quickest team in the Big Ten. But sometimes I don't think they use their quickness."

Iowa's matchup zone defense and the opportunity to knock its opponent from the top perch of the league's standings may create havoc for Purdue.