Dec. 20, 2004

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More RPI Success: In the second edition of the RPI Report, the Big Ten remains ranked No. 2 with a .5968 rating and is the only conference to feature four teams among the top 16 in the school rankings. The League follows the ACC (.6125), while the Pac-10 (.5861), SEC (.5747) and Big East (.5668) round out the top five. The Big Ten is also one of only three conferences with two top-10 teams in the RPI ratings. Illinois is ranked No. 6 in the nation, while Iowa follows in ninth. Wisconsin (12th) and Ohio State (16th) round out the top 16.

Tough Schedules: For the second consecutive week, the Big Ten's strength of schedule is the toughest in the country according to the latest RPI Report. The Big Ten has three of the top 30 toughest schedules in the nation, including two ranked in the top 15. Wisconsin is rated 11th, while Indiana follows at No. 15 and Purdue is 27th. After six weeks of non-conference action, Big Ten squads have competed against 33 teams among the ACC, Big East, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10. The ACC follows behind the Big Ten, facing 28 teams among those six conferences, while the SEC has competed against 23. The Conference has also faced 14 top-25 ranked teams, more than the SEC (13), Pac-10 (12), ACC (11), Big East (7) and Big 12 (5).

Big Ten's Fast Starts: In the second month of non-conference play, Illinois (10-0) is one of only 14 Division I squads with unblemished records. The Illini are off to their best start since the 1989-90 season when Illinois won its first 11 games. It also marks the best start by a Big Ten squad since Michigan State began the 2000-01 season with a 12-0 record. The Spartans concluded that year with their third consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance. After suffering its only loss of the season against No. 9/11 North Carolina at the EA Sports Maui Invitational, Iowa has posted six straight victories to claim a 9-1 record this season. It marks the Hawkeyes' best start since the 2000-01 season when they sprinted out to a 10-1 start.

The Nation's Best Fans: The Big Ten, which has led the nation in attendance in each of the last 28 seasons, is just ahead of last year's pace as the 11 League schools are averaging 11,773 fans through 55 games with 14 sellouts. At this time last year, the Conference was averaging 11,644 fans through 53 games with 12 sellouts. The League went on to lead the nation in total attendance for 2003-04 after welcoming 2,122,586 total fans through the turnstiles and breaking the two-million mark in total attendance for the 12th straight season. The only other conference to draw more than two million rans last season were the 12-member SEC and the 14-member Big East.

Hawkeyes Head to the Windy City: Iowa will face Texas Tech on Tueday, December 21 in non-conference action at the United Center, home of the 2005 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. For the second consecutive year, head coach Steve Alford will face his former Indiana mentor Bobby Knight. Last year, Iowa fell, 65-59, to the Red Raiders in Dallas, Texas. Earlier this season, Illinois also competed at the United Center, defeating Oregon, 83-66, on December 11. After a one-year hiatus, the Conference returns to Chicago this season to crown the 2005 Tournament Champion from March 10-13.

The 1,000 Point Milestone: Several Big Ten standouts are setting their sights on reaching the 1,000 point plateau this season. Michigan State's Kelvin Torbert is 27 points away from becoming the fifth active Big Ten player to score 1,000 points. Illinois' Dee Brown (967), Michigan's Daniel Horton (954) and Wisconsin's Sharif Chambliss (929) are also within 100 points of that scoring plateau. Four Conference players entered the 2004-05 campaign with more than 1,000 career points in Indiana's Bracey Wright (1,141), Michigan State's Chris Hill (1,355), Ohio State's Tony Stockman (1,263) and Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson (1,137).

On the Boards: Illinois junior James Augustine is only one rebound away from becoming the second active Big Ten player to nab 500 caroms in a career. The 6-10 forward will look to join Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson who currently is the League's active leader with 661 rebounds. Only three other League players have more than 400 career rebounds, as Ohio State's Terence Dials (439), Michigan State's Paul Davis (406) and Penn State's Aaron Johnson (400) will look to break the 500-board barrier later this year.

Badgers Streaking at Home: With Wisconsin defeating UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 15, the Badgers tied a school record, while also leading the nation with a 33-game home winning streak. UW was also victorious in 33 consecutive contests from March 8, 1911 to January 23, 1918. The Badgers can break the school record when they host UNC-Greensboro on Thursday, December 23. Wisconsin's last defeat at the Kohl Center occurred on December 4, 2002, against Wake Forest. 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.

Big Ten Coaching Milestones: With a 98-72 record in his six seasons at the Hawkeye helm, Iowa head coach Steve Alford is only two wins away from becoming the fifth coach in school history to earn 100 victories. Earlier this season, he captured his 250th all-time victory and now has a record of 254-149 in 14 years of coaching. Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody stands only one win away from claiming his 150th career victory with a 149-93 all-time record that includes a four-year stint at Princeton before joining the Wildcat staff in 2000.

Close Calls: Purdue posted back-to-back one-point victories, defeating Colorado State, 69-68 on Dec. 11 and then nabbing a 62-61 victory over Evansville last Saturday. Big Ten squads are 14-9 in games decided by six points or less. Iowa leads the League with a 3-0 record after defeating No. 12/11 Louisville, 76-71 on Nov. 22, No. 15/13 Texas, 82-80 on Nov. 23 and Northern Iowa, 76-73 on Dec. 7. The Boilermakers follow with a 2-0 mark.

Home Dominance: Big Ten squads continue to defend their homecourts this season with five teams undefeated at home. Illinois, Iowa and Ohio State lead the Conference with identical 6-0 marks while Wisconsin (5-0) and Michigan State (4-0) are also unbeaten on their own floors. The League is 47-8 (.840) at home this season. Last season, the Big Ten boasted a record of 135-40 (.771) at home.

Big Ten Basketball: 100 Years, 100 Moments, 100 Days: During the 2004-05 year, the Big Ten will commemorate the 100th season of men's basketball. The League is celebrating this milestone with a website tribute highlighting the past 100 years of men's basketball history and tradition. Over a 100-day span, the Conference office will post a daily centennial moment in men's basketball history, ending on the final day of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament on March 13, 2005.