The No. 23 Penn State women's basketball team got a small pick-me-up this morning when the All-Big Ten Team was announced.

Not only was senior guard Tanisha Wright given a first-team nod to complement a third-straight Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honor, but Wright's partner-in-crime -- senior point guard Jess Strom -- was also awarded first-team billing.

The news only semi-sweetens the bad taste still in the mouths of the Lady Lions (18-9, 13-3 Big Ten) after their regular season finale bust against No. 3 Ohio State on Sunday.

"Well, we got home awful late," Penn State coach Rene Portland said.

"They were really down in the locker room, and we really had to put it behind us quick. I had to start talking tournament to them immediately."

With the mini-dance coming up this weekend, the Lady Lions enter the Big Ten tournament as the No. 3 seed in the conference after the end of the regular season, and the gracious recipients of a first-round bye for extra time to prepare for the winner of the Iowa-Michigan matchup.

"You don't get to March and ask for a second chance, it's one and done," Portland said.

After the Big Tens, the big-dance looms large for the Lady Lions.

Penn State is in a position to pick up either a decent seed, or a not so decent seed, all dependent upon its performance over the break.

"This tournament is going to be a slugfest," Portland said.

"We have too many teams that are trying to get into the NCAA tournament by this tournament, so it's going to be a slugfest."

Possible bubble-babies right now are the Hawkeyes, who have been talking the talk -- talking about a rematch with the Lady Lions before they take care of business with the Wolverines.

A few quality wins in the little dance are all it would take for the Hawkeyes to be NCAA bound. Still, the Wolverines haven't lost a tourney opener since 1997.

Portland spoke in her weekly press conference yesterday about the need for the "and others" on her Lady Lions team to step up, referring to players not named Wright or Strom.

"It's the week of the 'and others,' " Portland said.

"We want to get to 20 wins. I don't think they want to be a team that doesn't have 20 wins. That's one of the things that are on the list of 'Why?' "

Sophomore guard Jen Harris one of the "and others" in Portland's existential crisis of 'Why,' turning in career performances earlier in the season but fizzling out down the stretch.

"She went 1-for-7, 1-for-8," Portland said, referring to Harris' shooting performance in the last two games.

"You have to understand your role and your team, and it's about your team. It's not about when you get in, or how you get in, or how long you get in, it's about your team. And there are lesson of maturity that all of us need to learn about, what you have to for your team."

Rules and Regs

The NCAA announced new policies for rating student-athlete performance in the classroom Monday, and women's basketball clocked-in ahead of the curve when compared to averages of other intercollegiate athletics.

"This is just another way that they're trying to help the student athletes get their priorities in order and get coaches' priorities in order," Portland said.

"So, I'm happy to say women's basketball was above the numbers that we're supposed to be at. The only thing that concerns me is the transfer piece, you never know what a kid wants when they come here. Sometimes they're different people when you recruit them and you can say the same thing about coaches and schools too, so I think when someone leaves in good academic standing that you shouldn't be punished for that when they are a transfer from your school."