Illini fighting to stay ahead of Big Ten pack

Are the Illini tough enough to stay on top?

After jumping out to a big lead in the Big Ten women's basketball standings, No. 9 Illinois (16-6, 10-2 Big Ten) has stumbled in its last five games. Recently, the team lost to Indiana and Iowa and struggled with doormats Northwestern and Minnesota.

If the mighty Illini are falling, Sunday's game at Minnesota was a good indication. The feared Gophers (4-19, 1-12), riding high on the crest of a seven-game losing streak, forced Illinois to rely on late free throws by Ashley Berggren to pull out a 75-67 win.

Despite being the worst shooting team in the conference, Minnesota shot 42 percent from the field, while the Illini shot just 34 percent.

Berggren once again led Illinois back from the brink of doom. With the Gophers trailing by four with a little more than two minutes left to play, she hit four of six clutch free throws to end Minnesota's Cinderella bid.

Berggren led all scorers with 22 points. Apparently, Illinois' future success rests on the All-Big Ten senior's shoulders. In each of the Illini's six losses, Berggren either got into foul trouble or was held to 14 points or less.

"Ashley Berggren is self-made," Grentz said. "She's worked extremely hard. What we have achieved at Illinois is a great credit to Ashley Berggren.

"It's Ashley Berggren's team."

If any Big Ten team is giving Grentz nightmares, it's Iowa.

After a rocky non-conference season plagued by injuries, sloppy play and their coach being arrested, the Hawkeyes are back on track. They moved up a half game on the conference leaders with two wins last weekend. With four regular season games to play, the Hawkeyes are now one game behind Illinois.

Iowa won both of its games last weekend on the road. Friday, the Hawkeyes became the first team to knock off Purdue at home this season. Iowa then pulled out a 79-72 win over Northwestern on Sunday.

Grentz has plenty of reasons to fear the Hawkeyes. Two weeks ago, Iowa rolled past Illinois 82-71 in the only meeting between the two teams this year. Last season, the Hawkeyes upset the Illini in the Big Ten Tournament Finals.

Michigan State is surging at the right time.

The Spartans have won four of their last five games, including an upset of Iowa two weeks ago. They now stand at 11-11, 5-7 in the Big Ten.

Although it won a share of the conference title last season, the rebuilding Spartans were picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten coaches' preseason poll. Until recently, it seemed as if they would end up worse than that.

However, sparked by the play of senior Bella Engen and sophomore Maxann Reese, Michigan State has bounced back. After its upset of Iowa, Karen Langeland's squad isn't being overlooked anymore.

"Michigan State got off to one of their worst starts ever, but they've turned things around," Grentz said. "Things are starting to click. They're a different team than the one we played the first time."

Friday's Wisconsin-Iowa matchup in Iowa City gets the nod this week.

When the two teams met Jan. 20 in Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes pulled out a 66-63 nail-biter at The Kohl Center. With Iowa attempting to move into first place in the conference, and No. 19 Wisconsin (17-7, 6-6) seeking to stay in the national rankings, there will be more on the line this time.

Notes:

Northwestern's Kristina Divjak still leads the Big Ten in scoring with 21.3 points per game . . . . Indiana's Kristi Green leads the nation with her 94.4 free throw percentage . . . Grentz will coach her 700th career game Sunday against Michigan State.