Cagers hope to end season with dignity

One more game and then the Penn State basketball team can forget. It can forget the 14 losses, the unfulfilled expectations and the disappointment that has become their Big Ten season.

But since that game the Lions' hope has disappeared, replaced by 14 losses and the grim reality of a losing season. But tonight they can at least salvage some pride. After their 56-55 defeat of Ohio State Saturday, a win against the Hawkeyes would mean the Lions (10-16, 3-14) first two-game winning streak of the league season and some momentum going into the off-season.

The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, need a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

"Every win can conceivably help you and every loss can definitely hurts at this time of the year when you are trying to make it to the tournament," Iowa coach Tom Davis said at his weekly news conference.

The fact the Hawkeyes are in contention for the tournament can be attributed to the play of senior point guard Andre Woolridge. Woolridge was expected to lead this year's team, and when forward Jess Settles went down with a back injury Woolridge stepped up.

Tonight he will have added incentive to do well, as it is senior night and will be his last game in Carver-Hawkeye. That, combined with Iowa's arena being one of the loudest in the Big Ten, leaves Penn State with its hands full.

"Iowa is very good and they are very tough, and its a loud place to play," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said. "They get juiced up to play at home, but we have to concentrate on the things we have to do on the floor not on how loud it is."

Woolridge is currently second in the Big Ten in scoring with 19.8 points per game and leads the Big Ten in assists. And while Woolridge's play has not been a surprise, his teammates have been. Woolridge is the Hawkeyes' lone senior starter, and at the beginning of the season many were unsure how his younger teammates would respond.

Woolridge's backcourt mate, sophomore Kent McCausland, leads the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage, and junior forward Ryan Bowen is third in the Big Ten in steals.

The Lions, on the other hand, are looking to end the season on a positive note. And while Penn State has struggled this year, Davis knows not to take it for granted.

"They are the only team to beat us in here (Carver-Hawkeye) last year," he said. "So we have a lot of respect for them, and we will have our hands full."

As has been the case all year, the Lions are led by Pete Lisicky's 16.1 points per game, but as of late point guard Ryan Bailey has started to assert himself. He has shown more confidence and shot more. That confidence has resulted in 9.8 points and 4.1 assists per game over the last eight.

And as Lions see their arduous season come to a close, Dunn readily admits it has been quite long.

"I think that it has been a long season," he said. "Anytime you have the things that have transpired this year, and with this particular team I think it makes for a long season."

But after tonight, no matter what, the long season will be over.

It's NCAA tournament selection time again. And in addition to all the talk of what teams might be in and what teams might not be in the tourney, there are the bubble teams.

Minnesota is already a lock by the virtue of its Big Ten title, but after that the picture gets a little fuzzier.

Currently, Purdue sits in second place at 11-6 in the league, and there is a logjam in third with Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois all owning 10-6 records. Iowa seems to have the best shot at making a late-season run by closing its season against Penn State and Northwestern.

"We would be happy to be (in the NCAA tournament), and we would just have to go from there," Iowa coach Tom Davis said.

As for the Boilermakers and Illini, they face each other Saturday, and that will make things even more interesting as selection time draws near.

And, of course, there is still Indiana, which even though it is currently sixth in the conference, still has 20 wins. So many already consider themselves on the bubble, and if they win their remaining two games, they might make it.

And what of the rest of the field?

And while all this talk of the bubble teams goes on, what of the teams at the bottom of the Big Ten? Michigan, who many thought would win the Big Ten this year, has fallen flat on its face, losing six in a row.

"We desperately need to get ourselves a victory," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "That doesn't come unless you maintain the energy, and with every loss that makes that a little more difficult."

As for Ohio State, it started the season strong but for the most part has gone nowhere fast. Then there are Penn State and Northwestern, which can look toward next year. The Nittany Lions will be bolstered by the return of Dan Earl and Titus Ivory, while the Wildcats will have a different coach to try and start anew.

Sizzling seniors

Past of the reason Minnesota and Illinois have been successful this year in large part because of the play of their senior point guards. The Gophers' Bobby Jackson and the Illini's Kiwane Garris were rewarded for their hard play this past week by being named the co-Big Ten Players of the Week. During the week, Garris averaged 28 points and seven assists per game and shot 60 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Jackson also had a stellar week, averaging 14 points, 6.5 rebounds, two assists and six steals per game to help his team beat both Michigan and Indiana. He almost single-handedly beat the Wolverines. His basket with 36 seconds left tied the game, and then he hit a free throw with 1.8 seconds left to pull out the win.