This is where it gets interesting.

After being dubbed the Big Ten regular-season champions on Sunday, the No. 5 Lady Lions (23-4, 15-1 Big Ten) now have to get past the euphoria and regain their focus in order to prove themselves in the Big Ten tournament. It's something they have not been able to accomplish in the Mazzante era. With 11 teams, some of which are on a late-season surge (Ohio State), some on the decline (Minnesota), and some on a mission to re-establish their conference claim (Purdue), everything is up for grabs in Indianapolis beginning tomorrow after what has been one of the best years the Big Ten has ever had.

No. 25 Michigan State (20-7, 10-6 Big Ten)

This young Michigan State squad encountered trouble early, but it was only because it had to face back-to-back encounters with Penn State and Purdue to open the conference season. It then rebounded to go on a five-game conference winning streak before falling to Iowa on Feb. 1. The Spartans' saving grace could, however, be their ability to keep themselves in nailbiters with the conference's best on the road; they did it at both University Park and West Lafayette, Ind. The sophomore duo of Lindsay Bowen and Liz Shimek, the team's top scorers, will have to maintain composure and focus for this squad to go far.

Iowa (16-11, 10-6 Big Ten)

The Hawkeyes were able to win against teams lower than themselves on the conference totem pole, but were not able to stay with the Big Ten's best, Penn State and Purdue. A victory at Michigan State was the triumphant performance of the season, only because Iowa's trumping of Minnesota occurred only after the loss the Golden Gophers star guard Lindsay Whalen. Iowa senior forward Jennie Lillis, the team leader in rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals, has the ability to sway the game in her final Big Ten tournament appearance and could help her Hawkeyes prove themselves against the Spartans once again.

Our Take

Despite falling in their only meeting with Iowa this season, the Spartans ability to perform in big games will allow them to prevail Friday afternoon. If, however, the referees do not agree with Michigan State women's basketball coach Joanne McCallie, she will not hesitate to express her disappointment -- and will attribute the outcome of the game to those in black and white.

Wisconsin (10-16, 4-12 Big Ten)

While the Badgers don't have a legitimate No. 1 scorer, they do have two or three players who are all scoring around the 15-point mark. Unfortunately, its second-leading scorer, Steph Rich, fractured her right hand on Sunday and is done for the year. Another starter, Kjersten Bakke, is also out for the rest of the season after tearing her ACL last week during practice.

Indiana (11-16, 4-12 Big Ten)

Indiana, losers of nine of its last 10 games, will have an upset in mind when facing Wisconsin tomorrow. Jenny DeMuth leads Indiana in both scoring and rebounding, averaging close to 19 points and eight rebounds per game this season. However, the decisive battle may just come in the paint. 6-foot-3 sophomore Angela Hawkins plays bigger than her size suggests.

Our Take

In any tournament, the toughest game to pick is the No. 8-No. 9 game. Indiana and Wisconsin split the two-game series this season, both winning on their respective home courts. Now is not the best time to catch the injury bug and that will show tomorrow as the Badgers' depleted front court will have its hands full with DeMuth and Cyndi Valentine. This game could get ugly if Wisconsin's freshman point guard Kandace Evans gets rattled by the crowd, which will be mostly Hoosiers fans.