The great philosopher Nelly once posed the question, "What does it take to be No. 1?"

Big Ten women's basketball will find the answer to that question when conference leading Purdue hosts champion hopeful Penn State tonight at 7 p.m. in Mackey Arena. The game will be televised locally on WPSX.

Purdue vs. Penn State is always a special game. The two have arguably been the best teams in the conference through the years and each knows that to win the Big Ten title it will have to upend the other. That is the case tonight in a game that has conference championship implications. If the Boilermakers win the game they will taste the sweetness of an outright title. If the Lions come off Purdue's court as victors and vanquish always tough Michigan on Sunday, they will share the regular season championship with Purdue.

How these teams come out of their last games could determine who wins this one. Sunday the Boilermakers avenged a Thursday loss to Minnesota by stomping on Michigan 84-73.

"We went from a very low point to a very high point at the end of the week," Purdue women's basketball coach Kristy Curry said. "In this business there are high highs and low lows and very few in-betweens."

Riding the high could be enough for them to get the win and the championship. However, the Lions are also on cloud nine after coming from behind to defeat an Illinois squad that was superior inside.

Another key to who wins this game will be a pair of Big Ten Player of the Year candidates. Penn State's Kelly Mazzante was the spark that ignited the Lions' win over the Illini. She had 37 points and some phenomenal steals.

Shereka Wright's game was just as impressive.

She poured in a team-record 40 points in the Michigan win. That win guaranteed the Boilermakers at least a share of the Big Ten title for the second year in a row.

With the constant success the Boilermakers have, teams tend to see a match-up with Purdue as the biggest of the season. Wright said that is how she likes it.

"You can't have any let downs against any team because they are going to give you their best shot," Wright said. "I think it gives you a chance to play your big game every game."

In Penn State's case most of the players are not too familiar with the Purdue mystique. Ten out of 12 players have never been to Purdue and five have never even played against the Boilermakers.

The debate has raged this week over who has more pressure on them to win this game. Earlier in the week Purdue senior Kelly Komara said in a Purdue paper that the pressure is on Penn State's shoulders because the Boilermakers have already clinched a share of the title.

Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland disagrees.

"They had the title in hand and they lost at Minnesota and we won at Minnesota," Portland said.

"They have to defend their house, no one has won there since Penn State did it two years ago." The answer that matters more than which team has more pressure is which one knows what it takes to be No. 1.