Jan. 17, 2005

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Two Perfect Starts: Illinois (4-0) and Michigan (3-0) currently lead the Big Ten with perfect records in Conference play this season. The Illini are off to their best start in League play since the 1994-95 season when Illinois also opened with four wins. The last time the Illini went 5-0 was during the 1969-70 season. The Wolverines are 3-0 for the second time under head coach Tommy Amaker, while also posting a six-game winning streak. Michigan opened with a 6-0 Conference record during the 2002-03 season.

Illinois' Unblemished Record: The Fighting Illini have racked up 18 victories this season to boast the best start in school history, breaking the previous record of 17-0 set by the 1988-89 squad. Illinois' run also marks the best start by a Big Ten squad since Iowa began the 1986-87 season with an 18-0 mark and ties for fifth all-time in League history. Indiana holds the Conference record after winning the national title and becoming the last squad in the nation to go undefeated, 32-0, during the 1975-76 season.

RPI Success: In the latest RPI Report, the Big Ten leads the nation with five teams ranked in the top 25 in the school rankings as the ACC and Pac-10 rank second with four teams each. Illinois is eighth, followed by No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 20 Ohio State, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 23 Iowa. In the League standings, the Big Ten is first overall in non-conference RPI rankings (fifth in all games), while facing the nation's second-toughest schedule in both non-conference and all games.

Close Calls in Big Ten Action: It is never easy to win in the Big Ten and this year is no diffferent as four contests were won by six or less points last weekend. Indiana defeated Purdue, 75-73, in double-overtime at Mackey Arena on Saturday. No. 24/23 Iowa held off Minnesota, 66-60, at home, while Michigan posted its second road win with a 66-62 victory over Penn State. Wisconsin came back from an eight-point deficit in the last two minutes to defeat Michigan State, 62-59, to close out League play on Sunday. Overall, Wisconsin is undefeated in contests decided by six or less points with a 2-0 mark, while Iowa has lost only one game, as the Hawkeyes have posted a 4-1 record in close-call contests.

The 1,000 Point Milestone: The Big Ten 1,000-point club added another member last weekend, as Iowa's Pierre Pierce poured in 18 points against Minnesota to increase his total to 1,002 points. The Conference currently boasts eight active members of the 1,000-point club, as Pierce joined Michigan's Daniel Horton (1,006), Illinois' Dee Brown (1,064) and Michigan State's Kelvin Torbert (1,025). Several other Big Ten standouts are on pace to crack the 1,000-point plateau this season in Illinois' Luther Head (967) and Roger Powell (944), Michigan State's Paul Davis (925) and Wisconsin's Sharif Chambliss (989). Four Conference players entered the 2004-05 campaign with more than 1,000 career points in Indiana's Bracey Wright (1,289), Michigan State's Chris Hill (1,382), Ohio State's Tony Stockman (1,354) and Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson (1,246).

Badgers Streaking at Home: On Sunday, Wisconsin extended its nation-leading and school record winning streak to 38 games with a 62-59 victory over Michigan State. The Badgers had previously won 33 straight at home from March 8, 1911 to Jan. 23, 1915. Wisconsin's last defeat at the Kohl Center occurred on Dec. 4, 2002, against Wake Forest. Senior Mike Wilkinson is the only Badger who has appeared in all 38 games of the winning streak. The Badgers still trail the Big Ten record of 53 straight home triumphs set by Michigan State from 1998 to 2002 -- a winning streak that was ended by Wisconsin.

Tournament Tickets Now on Sale: Both all-session and single-session tickets for the 2005 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament are now on sale to the general public at the United Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212. The eighth annual event will be held from March 10-13, 2005, at the United Center in Chicago. All-session tickets, which include 10 games over four days, will be available for either $125 or $225 depending on seat location. Single-session tickets range from $20 to $75 based on seat location and session. Orders will be limited to 10 all-session tickets or 10 single-session tickets for each session.

Big Ten Basketball: 100 Years, 100 Moments, 100 Days: Celebrating its 100th season of men's basketball, the Big Ten continues to celebrate this milestone with a website tribute highlighting the past 100 years. Check out the latest centennial moment on the League's official website, www.bigten.org. Over a 100-day span, the Conference office is posting a daily historical moment in men's basketball history, ending on the final day of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament on March 13, 2005.

The Injury Report: With several Big Ten standouts slowly returning after missing part of the non-conference season due to injuries, Penn State received the unfortunate news last week that sophomore Marlon Smith will not be back this season. It was announced that Smith had a small, transient, partial blockage of an artery in his brain related to a small blood clot. He was averaging 11.8 points per game and a team-best .737 free throw percentage, while adding 36 assists and 14 steals this season. Several key players for Michigan have returned to the lineup during Conference play. Daniel Horton returned after missing the month of December with a left knee sprain and has posted an average of 14.3 points and 4.3 assists per game this month as the Wolverines have not lost since his return. Graham Brown came off the bench on Jan. 12 against Northwestern after missing four weeks due to a reoccurring hernia. Brown posted a career-best 10 rebounds against Penn State last week. Wisconsin's Alando Tucker returned to the starting lineup after missing the Ohio State contest on Jan. 11 due to a foot injury. Against the Spartans, he posted eight points and six rebounds.