Once again, the Penn State women's soccer team has dominated conference play and earned the No. 1 seed in the 2003 Big Ten Tournament that starts today in Madison, Wis.
But as last year's tournament proved, the seeding doesn't necessarily matter.
Ohio State entered last year as a No. 6 seed and beat Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin en route to its first conference tournament title.
"Last year everyone kind of took a fall at the tournament," Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins said. "Ohio State sneaked in as a No. 6 and won. Tournaments are different from league play."
While the Nittany Lions are certainly the odds-on favorites to capture their fourth Big Ten tournament title, the competition will be stiff.
"I think Purdue and Illinois are both good quality teams," Wilkins said.
Here is a look at the teams standing in the Lions' way.
No. 2 Illinois (13-3-2, 7-1-2)
The Fighting Illini carry a five-game unbeaten streak and a No. 11 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas poll into the tournament.
Illinois' last loss came against the Lions, a 2-0 loss in Champaign on Oct. 12.
The Illini are led by junior striker Tara Hurless, who ranks third in the Big Ten in goals with 12 and fourth in points with 26.
Last season, the Illini ended the Lions' run at the tournament title as a No. 8 seed, with a 4-3 upset. This year they will be the ones trying to avoid an upset, taking on Michigan State today at 11:30 a.m.
No. 3 Purdue (11-4-3, 6-2-2)
Though only finishing third in the conference, the Boilermakers fared well against the conference's elite. The single Big Ten loss the Lions suffered this season came in a 3-1 loss at Purdue.
The Boilermakers also earned points against Illinois and Purdue, tying both of them.
The Boilermakers rank second in the conference in scoring behind Penn State, with 42 goals.
No. 4 Michigan (7-6-6, 4-2-4)
One of the Lions' biggest rivals, the Wolverines are the only other team besides Penn State to win more than one Big Ten tournament championship, earning the title in 1997 and 1999.
The Wolverines have squared off against the Lions four times in the conference tournament, winning twice. The most recent match came in the 2000 finals, when the Lions won an epic match, 1-0 in triple overtime.
Michigan is coming off of a 3-2 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame, giving the squad a shot of confidence for the postseason.
The winner of today's Michigan-Ohio State match will play the Penn State-Wisconsin winner tomorrow night.
No. 5 Ohio State (11-3-3, 4-3-3)
The defending tournament champions have carried the momentum of last year's victory to one of the most successful seasons in school history. The Buckeyes have spent most of the season ranked in the national polls and enter this year's tournament with a national ranking of 20.
The Buckeyes most impressive win of the season came early against Virginia, the only team ranked ahead of Penn State in the Mid-Atlantic regional standings.
No. 6 Indiana (8-9-1, 4-5-1)
Not initially considered to be a conference contender because of their youth, the Hoosiers pulled some upsets in Big Ten play, being one of the first teams to knock off Ohio State.
The Hoosiers had to endure a rough start of the season, as they didn't have a single home game until their eighth match. They have quietly earned a sixth seed even though they do not have a player in the conference top 10 in points.
No. 7 Michigan State (12-7, 4-6)
The Spartans started off strong at 7-2-1, but faltered a bit in Big Ten play. Of their four regular season conference wins, three of them came against teams who did not qualify for the conference tournament.
The fourth of those wins came against No. 8 seeded Wisconsin.
Goalkeeper Stacy Heller remains one of the Spartans' strongest assets, finishing second in the Big Ten in saves and tied for third in shutouts.
No. 8 Wisconsin (10-8-1, 4-6)
Penn State's opening round opponent, the Badgers are also this year's host. Despite falling 5-0 to the Lions earlier in the season, Badgers feature forward Jenny Kundert, who scored seven goals -- five of them being game-winners.
If there's anyone who knows Penn State better outside of its own coaching staff, it may be Wisconsin assistant Zac Shaw.
She was an assistant for the Lions from 1998 to 2000, including the 1999 College Cup team.
