CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois baseball team is still alive in the hunt for the final spots in the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini have to win at least two games this weekend against Iowa and need help around the league.

Illinois (22-26, 8-13 Big Ten) is in 11th place but still has seventh place within reach, as the Illini are two games back of Purdue and Northwestern, which are tied for seventh. There is also the chance that a 3-0 weekend would not be enough to get Illinois in the tournament since the Illini have to leap Michigan State (ninth) and Rutgers (10th) in the standings.

Here's what Illini fans are rooting for this week…
» Illinois to win vs. Iowa (Thursday-Saturday)
» Purdue to lose at Minnesota (Thursday-Saturday)
» Northwestern to lose vs. Rutgers (Thursday-Saturday), if Rutgers loses at Minnesota (Tuesday)
» Michigan State to lose vs. Michigan (Thursday-Saturday)
» Rutgers to win fewer than three of its last five games

The top five in the conference -- Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland and Iowa -- have clinched spots in the tournament. Indiana cannot finish below Illinois, therefore the Illini are fighting for either seventh or eighth.

Purdue and Northwestern control their own destinies, sitting one game up in a tie for seventh and eighth.

If Illinois sweeps and gets to 11-13 in conference play, the Illini would need Purdue (at Minnesota) to get swept and Michigan State (vs. Michigan) to lose two of three to guarantee a spot in the tournament. There are other scenarios to make the tournament with a sweep depending on Rutgers and Northwestern's results.

There are also many tiebreakers that could come into play in the case of a tie at 11-13 or 10-14 in the conference. How crazy could it get? It's possible for Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State and Ohio State to all tie for eighth place.

We will continue to provide breakdowns as outcomes become more clear.

Below are a few tiebreaker examples…

» Please note Rutgers is not included in these tiebreaker scenarios because they are guaranteed to play one fewer game than the 24 scheduled Big Ten games (standings are determined based on winning percentage). If Rutgers wins four of its last five (at MINN, at NW), it is guaranteed to finish ahead of Illinois.

» Please note these tiebreakers have not been confirmed by the Big Ten Conference (complete tiebreaker procedure).

Illinois and Purdue
This scenario could happen at 11-13 (Illinois 3-0, Purdue 1-2, Northwestern 0-3, Michigan State 0-3 or 1-2) -- 1. Purdue (3-0), 2. Illinois (0-3) due to Purdue winning the series vs. Illinois

Note Illinois/Purdue could also happen in a tie for ninth or 10th. Rutgers, Michigan State and Northwestern could finish above.

Illinois and Northwestern
This scenario could happen at 11-13 (Illinois 3-0, Purdue 0-3, Northwestern 1-2, Michigan State 0-3) -- 1. Illinois (2-1), 2. Northwestern (1-2) due to Illinois winning the series

Note this scenario could also happen in a tie for ninth or 10th. Rutgers, Purdue and Michigan State could finish above.

Illinois and Michigan State
This scenario could happen at 11-13 (Illinois 3-0, Purdue 0-3, Northwestern 0-3, Michigan State 2-1) -- 1. Michigan State (3-0), 2. Illinois (0-3)

Note this scenario could also happen in a tie for ninth or 10th. Purdue, Northwestern and Rutgers could finish above.

Illinois, Purdue and Northwestern
This scenario could happen at 10-14 or 11-13 (Illinois +2 wins on Northwestern and Purdue, while Michigan State 0-3) -- 1. Purdue (4-2), 2. Northwestern (3-3), 3. Illinois (2-4) due to winning percentage against each other.

Note this scenario could also happen in a tie for ninth or 10th. Michigan State and Rutgers could finish above.

Illinois, Purdue and Michigan State
This scenario could happen at 10-14 or 11-13 (Illinois +2 wins on Purdue, while +1 on Michigan State) -- Because not all the teams played each other, the next tiebreaker is record against common Big Ten Conference opponents. The common opponents are Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan, Minnesota. This situation would favor Illinois (7-5 or 8-4) then Michigan State (5-7) and Purdue (3-9).

Note this scenario could also happen in a tie for ninth or 10th. Northwestern and Rutgers could finish above.

Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan State
This scenario could happen at 10-14 or 11-13 (Illinois +2 wins on Northwestern, while +1 on Michigan State) -- 1. Michigan State (5-1), 2. Illinois (2-4), 3. Northwestern (2-4) due to winning percentage against each other.

Note this scenario could also happen in a tie for ninth or 10th. Purdue and Rutgers could finish above.

Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan State
This scenario could happen at 10-14 or 11-13 (Illinois +2 wins this weekend on Purdue and Northwestern, while +1 win on Michigan State) -- Because not all the teams played each other, the next tiebreaker is record against common Big Ten Conference opponents. The only common opponent is Iowa, which Illinois plays this weekend. Records vs. Iowa: Northwestern 2-1, Purdue 1-2, Michigan State 1-2. For this situation to happen Illinois would have had to win at least twice vs. Iowa, therefore the tiebreaker would favor Illinois then Northwestern.

Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State and Ohio State
This scenario could happen at 10-14 (Illinois 2-1, Purdue 0-3, Northwestern 0-3, Michigan State 1-2, Ohio State 3-0) -- Because not all the teams played each other, the next tiebreaker is record against common Big Ten Conference opponents. The only common opponent is Iowa, which Illinois plays this weekend. Records vs. Iowa: Northwestern 2-1, Purdue 1-2, Michigan State 1-2, Ohio State 1-2. For this situation to happen Illinois would have had to win twice vs. Iowa, therefore the tiebreaker would favor Illinois then Northwestern.