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Fighting Illini Head to Big Ten Tournament
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Jolette Law and the Illini hope to make a run at the Big Ten Tournament's automatic NCAA Tournament bid this weekend.
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March 4, 2008
Complete Illinois Big Ten Tournament Notes (PDF)
2008 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket (PDF)
2008 Big Ten Tournament Presented by XBox 360 Live
March 6-9, 2008 // Conseco Fieldhouse // Indianapolis, Ind.Illinois' Tournament Road
First Round: Game 3 // March 6 // approx. 4:30 p.m. ET // No. 9 Illinois (16-13, 8-10) vs. No. 8 Wisconsin (16-12, 9-9)
Quarterfinals: Game 6 // March 7 // 6 p.m. ET // ILL/WIS winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State (22-7, 13-5)
Semifinals: Game 9 // March 8 // approx. 8:15 p.m. ET // Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Championship: Game 10 // March 9 // 5:30 p.m. ET // Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
On The Air
Television: First round, Quarterfinals and Semifinals on Big Ten Network // Championship on ESPN2
(BTN - Mark Neely PBP for all games, Mary Murphy analyst for games 1-5, Vera Jones analyst for games 6-9)
Radio: Illini Sports Network - LIVE - (Dave Loane, play-by-play, and Mike Koon, expert analysis)
Internet: Fightingillini.com live streaming audio and Gametracker
Head Coach
Jolette Law, 16-13 overall and at Illinois (first season)
Probable Illinois Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. GP-GS PPG RPG APG Quick Hits G 20 Lori Bjork 5-11 Jr. 29-29 9.8 2.6 2.8 UI career 3FG record holder named third team All-Big Ten G 30 Rebecca Harris 5-8 Sr. 29-19 9.2 3.1 2.2 Scored 21 points vs. Michigan on Feb. 24 F 22 Lacey Simpson 6-0 So. 29-18 6.4 4.4 3.1 Leads Big Ten in Assist/TO ratio and Illini in assists and steals F 33 Chelsea Gordon 6-0 Jr. 29-28 7.4 3.6 1.4 Eight points and eight rebounds vs. Indiana C 13 Jenna Smith 6-3 So. 29-29 18.9 9.7 2.1 All-America candidate is unanimous first team All-Big Ten (m)Off the Bench C 00 Erin McCarthy 6-5 Jr. 12-0 0.2 0.2 0.2 Scored first two points of season vs. Penn State G 12 Lydia McCully 5-9 Fr. - - - - No. 46 senior in class of 2007 sitting out this season C 15 Audrey Tabon 6-2 Sr. 25-11 1.2 1.6 0.2 Ranks 18th on Illinois career blocks list (48) G 25 Chelsea Buher 5-11 Fr. 25-0 1.6 0.3 0.2 Played career-high 22 minutes at Minnesota F 50 Stephanie Chelleen 6-2 Sr. 15-1 3.5 1.8 0.1 Hit four 3s for CH 14 points in 13 mins. Sunday vs. Purdue
 The Big Ten Tournament runs March 6-9 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis |
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Setting the Scene
• The Game: Illinois (16-13, 8-10) closed the regular season with a 63-55 victory over third-place Purdue on Sunday. Even with the win, the Illini finished alone in ninth place in the final Big Ten standings. Accordingly, Illinois earned the No. 9 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament and will face eighth-seeded Wisconsin in the first round on Thursday, March 6, at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 CT. The game, which will be the third of the day at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse, is set to be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
• Looking Ahead: The winner of the Illinois-Wisconsin contest will advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed Ohio State at 6 p.m. ET on Friday. The winner of that game will take on either No. 4 Minnesota or No. 5 Michigan State in the semifinals on Saturday, March 8, at approximately 8:15 p.m. ET.
Smith and Bjork Named to All-Big Ten Teams
The Big Ten Conference announced its 2007-08 women's basketball award winners Monday evening, with the Illini duo of Jenna Smith and Lori Bjork collecting league honors. Smith was a first team selection by the league's coaches and a unanimous first team pick by the media, while Bjork was named to the third team by the coaches and was an honorable mention selection by the media. Bjork was also chosen as Illinois' honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season.
Smith is the first Illini to earn first team All-Big Ten honors since Angelina Williams in 2005 (media) and is the first named to both the media and coaches first teams since Iveta Marcauskaite in 2002. She is also Illinois' first unanimous first team selection by one of the voting parties since Tauja Catchings was a unanimous choice by the coaches in 1999-00.
UI Success in the Big Ten Tournament
Illinois reached the semifinals of the tournament in 1997, '99, '00, and '01, and have advanced to the title game twice, in '97 and '99. After three straight first round losses from 2002-04, Illinois has now advanced to at least the quarterfinals in three straight seasons. The Illini have not only won as a higher seed, but in '01 the sixth-seeded Illini downed #3 Wisconsin and gave #2 Iowa a good run before falling, 86-79.
Illinois tournament advancement...
First Round: 1995, '96, 2002, '03, '04
Quarterfinals: 1998, 2005, '06, '07
Semifinals: 2000, '01
Championship game: 1997, '99
Illinois Tournament Record
Illinois is 10-13 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament having faced every league team at least once. Here is a breakdown of how the Illini have fared:
vs. Indiana 1-0 vs. Iowa 0-3 vs. Michigan 1-3 vs. Michigan St 2-2 vs. Minnesota 1-0 vs. Northwestern 3-0 vs. Ohio State 0-1 vs. Penn State 1-3 vs. Purdue 0-1 vs. Wisconsin 1-0 TOTAL 10-13
Quick Hits
• Best of the Best: All-America candidate Jenna Smith has outperformed the other top posts in the Big Ten in head-to-head meetings this season, namely Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Michigan State's Allyssa DeHaan, despite the fact that both have gotten much more national recognition than Smith.
In two games against Ohio State, Smith is averaging 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds compared to Lavender's 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds And in two games against Michigan State, Smith is averaging 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while holding DeHaan to 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.
• Double Trouble: Smith has recorded double-doubles in 14 of 29 games this season, which is the most in the Big Ten, and has 20 double-doubles in her career, which is third in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson (25) and Indiana's Whitney Thomas (21). Only a sophomore, Smith has scored double figures in 28 of 29 games this season.
• Making Her Case: During the Big Ten Tournament, Jenna Smith will have a chance to show the Big Ten Player of the Year voters she may have been overlooked. In the first round, Illinois will match-up against media Player of the Year Jolene Anderson. Then, if the Illini should happen to get past the Badgers, Smith will match-up with the coaches pick for POY in Ohio State's Jantel Lavender.
• Taking Care of the Rock: Despite equaling a season-high with 22 turnovers in the win over Purdue on Sunday, Illinois still leads the league in fewest turnovers per game for both all games (15.2) and Big Ten games (13.3). Prior to that game the Illini were averaging just 10.6 turnovers per game in the last eight, including a season-low of five in the Feb. 21 win over Penn State. That total is the lowest ever by an Illini team in a Big Ten game.
• Senior Send-off: Sunday's finale vs. Purdue was the last regular season home game for Illini seniors Stephanie Chelleen, Rebecca Harris and Audrey Tabon. Chelleen made the most of it, nailing four second-half three pointers for a career-high 14 points to lead the Illini to victory. In addition to Chelleen's heroics, Harris finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 36 minutes, while Tabon played 15 minutes and chipped in two points, two boards and a steal.
• Bjork Gets Record, Stays Hot: Junior Lori Bjork broke Krista Reinking's 10-year old school record for career three-point field goals (194) with a trey 30 seconds into the win over Penn State on Feb. 21. Bjork now has 203 career threes with the post season still ahead, plus another season to add to the total. She has been especially hot as of late, hitting 47 percent from behind the arc (24-of-51) in the last nine games.
• TV Time: All 10 Big Ten Tournament games this week will be televised live - the first nine by the Big Ten Network and the championship game by ESPN2. Mark Neely will have play-by-play duties for the first nine games and will be joined by analysts Mary Murphy (games 1-5) and Vera Jones (games 6-9). In addition, the Big Ten Network will be hosting a studio show live at Conseco Fieldhouse with Mike Hall serving as host and Stephanie White serving as studio analyst.
Close Calls
The Illini have had 10 games decided by five points or less this season, which is the most in the Big Ten, with nine of those games coming in conference play. The Illini are 3-7 overall in those games, and 2-7 in the conference games. Of those seven close Big Ten defeats, six have come by three points or less, and each of those six came down to a final possession by the Illini. Here is a breakdown of the Illinois games decided by three points or less in Big Ten play:
Jan. 2: Illinois thought it had a last-second win at Penn State, but fell 49-48 when Rebecca Harris was called for a charge on a would-be game-winning lay-up as time expired.
Jan. 17: Illinois led by seven with less than five minutes left, but didn't score the rest of the way and fell victim to an OSU three with 14.5 seconds left for a 43-42 defeat. The Illini didn't get a shot off on their final possession.
Jan. 21: The Illini had two late chances to pull out a win over Iowa, but lost, 60-58, on a bucket by Hawkeyes guard Kristi Smith with 6.7 seconds left.
Jan. 24: With the score tied at 62-62 in the final seconds, Michigan State's Allyssa DeHaan scored on a putback bucket with 9.2 seconds left. Then Illinois turned it over on the ensuing possession.
Feb. 14: The Illini had a chance to win or tie it in the final seconds, but Rebecca Harris was called for traveling at the buzzer after colliding with Wisconsin's Janese Banks on a final shot. Wisconsin won 66-64.
Feb. 21: Lori Bjork's game-tying three-point attempt rattled in and out at the buzzer in a 55-52 loss to Michigan at Assembly Hall.
First Round Foe: Wisconsin
• Breaking Down the Badgers: Wisconsin started out 1-6 in conference play, but finished with a flurry, going 8-3 down the stretch to tie for seventh place at 9-9. The Badgers had won five in a row before dropping their season finale to regular season co-champion Iowa, 87-78, on Sunday. They returned their entire team from last season after going 23-12 and finishing second in the WNIT.
Wisconsin is led by senior guard Jolene Anderson, who was chosen as the Big Ten Player of the Year by the media after leading the league in scoring (19.8 ppg). Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer with 2,267 points, Anderson is also active on the glass, pulling down a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. Senior guard Janese Banks (13.4 ppg) provides a potent 1-2 punch in the backcourt, while senior Danielle Ward (7.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) holds things down inside. As a team, the Badgers lead the league in rebounding (40.3 rpg), offensive rebounds (16.6 orpg) and rebounding margin (+5.9), while ranking second in scoring (71.5 ppg).
• The Illinois-Wisconsin Series: Illinois leads the all-time series 29-25 after the two teams split the regular season series this year with each team winning at home. Illinois has split the last six meeting against the Badgers. The two teams have met three times on a neutral floor with the Illini winning all three of those match-ups. The first and only time the two teams met in the Big Ten Tournament was in the 2001 quarterfinals, when the Illini emerged with an 80-68 victory in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• This Year Against the Badgers: In the first meeting on Dec. 30, Illinois won its fourth straight game with a 64-54 victory over the Badgers at Assembly Hall. Despite limited minutes due to foul trouble, Jenna Smith led a balanced Illini attack with 16 points, and junior Chelsea Gordon led a UI defense that limited Badgers star Jolene Anderson to just 10 points on 4-of-20 shooting. Illinois never trailed in the game and led comfortably most of the way. After trailing by eight at the half, the Badgers could get no closer than six the rest of the way as the Illini thwarted any momentum the guests could muster up.
In the rematch Feb. 14 in Madison, Illinois suffered a controversial, heartbreaking 66-64 defeat at the Kohl Center. Down two with 4.9 seconds left, Illini senior Rebecca Harris drove into the lane as the clock wound down and collided with Wisconsin's Janese Banks, appearing to draw a foul, but was instead called for traveling as the clock expired. Sophomore Jenna Smith was dominant in the paint with 24 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, but it wasn't enough. Lori Bjork hit her first and only three-pointer of the game just before halftime to tie the UI career three-point field goal record.
• Top Illini performers against the Badgers: Jenna Smith has fared well in the two meetings with the Badgers this season, averaging 20.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, including a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line. Rebecca Harris has also performed well, hitting 12-of-12 from the charity stripe to average 12.5 points per game. As a team, Illinois racked up 17 blocks and shot 91 percent (38-of-42) from the line against Wisconsin this year.
Smith Enjoying Sophomore Surge
Illini forward Jenna Smith has taken off in her sophomore season. Not only was she a unanimous first team All-Big Ten choice by the media, she also was named tournament MVP at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic and Big Ten Player of the Week three times. For the year, she is averaging 18.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 52.2 percent from the field, which all rank second in the league. She has scored at least 20 points 13 times this season, which is tied for the league lead, and has reached 30 points three times, which ranks second. She has led the Illini in scoring 21 times and in rebounding 19 times thus far.
• In Elite Company: Smith is one of just seven players nationally averaging at least 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The others on the short list are DeWanna Booner of Auburn, Natalie Doma of Idaho State, Traci Edwards of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky, Courtney Paris of Oklahoma and Tamera Young of James Madison.
• Smith Doing It All: Smith has been putting up big numbers at an amazingly consistent clip despite constantly seeing double and triple teams from opponents. She has scored double figures in 28 of 29 games this season and ranks in the top three in the Big Ten in seven different statistical categories. She has shown tremendous passing abilities out of the double teams (third on the team in assists) and can take her game out beyond the arc as well (six threes).
• Moving Outside: Smith hit her first three-pointer this season early in the game Jan. 27 at Purdue, and has knocked down five more since. One of the top inside players in the league, Smith has also shown a soft touch from 15-18 feet throughout her career, but has rarely stepped outside the arc until recently. Before going 6-of-16 in the last 10 games, she had hit one three-pointer in five attempts in her career.
• Raking in the Honors: Smith is the first Illini in over 20 years to pick up three Big Ten Player of the Week honors in the same season. Jonelle Polk was honored four times in 1985-86, which is the most for an Illini in a single season. Polk and Ashley Berggren share the career mark for Illinois, with five each.
• Smith Holds Her Own vs. NPOY: Smith faced her toughest competition of the season when last year's AP National Player of the Year Courtney Paris came to Assembly Hall Dec. 5. Smith more than held her own against the Sooners star, hitting 7-of-9 from the field for 15 points, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking two shots. Paris had her usual big numbers with 22 points and 14 rebounds, but Smith served notice that she will be a force to be reckoned with for the next two years.
• Career Day: Smith scored a career-high 32 points and had 10 boards against SIU on Nov. 18. She hit 13-of-19 from the field and scored 11 straight points for the Illini at one point in the second half.
Leading the Way
Jenna Smith ranks in the top three in the Big Ten in seven statistical categories. She leads the way in minutes played (37.3) and ranks second in scoring (18.9), rebounding (9.7), FG percentage (.522), offensive rebounds (3.10) and defensive rebounds (6.55). The sophomore also ranks third in blocks (1.76). Lacey Simpson is first in assist/turnover ratio (1.82) for all games, while Lori Bjork ranks second in FT percentage (.879) and third in threes made per game (2.28).
As a team, Illinois paces the league in scoring defense (57.6), FT percentage (.790), fewest turnovers (15.2) and rebounding defense (32.3) during all games, and ranks second in blocked shots (4.21).
In Big Ten play, Smith was just as dominant, ranking in the top three in six categories, including second in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (9.1). Additionally, Bjork led the league in three-point field goals per game (2.39) in conference play. Team-wise, Illinois led the league in FT percentage (.778), fewest turnovers (13.3) and scoring defense (57.8), while ranking second in FG percentage defense (.394) and blocked shots (4.17).
Bjork Heating Up For Stretch Run
Sharp-shooter Lori Bjork has been on fire as of late. In addition to recently reaching the 1,000-point milestone (Feb. 10) and breaking the UI career 3FG record (Feb. 21), the junior guard has been tearing it up over the last nine games. Bjork is averaging 12.0 per game and is shooting 47 percent from behind the arc (24-of-51) during that span, bringing up her season 3FG percentage from 34.7 to 38.4. She even pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in the win over Indiana on Feb 10.
• Grand Game: With 19 points against Indiana on Feb. 10, junior Lori Bjork became the 21st player in Illinois history to reach the 1,000 point milestone. Two free throws with 24.4 seconds left gave the guard her 999th and 1,000th career points.
• Bjork Earns Academic Honor: Bjork was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team for the second straight year on Feb. 7. Bjork is a political science major with a 3.93 GPA. She is now on the Academic All-America ballot, which is voted on by college sports information directors. Last season, she was one of two sophomores to earn Academic All-America status, as she was named to the third team.
Taking the Freebies
Illinois leads the league and ranks sixth in the nation (as of March 2) in FT percentage (.790), having knocked down 381-of-482 from the charity stripe. Illinois has shot 34 more FTs than its opponents have shot on the season.
• Knocking 'Em Down: Bjork leads Illinois from the line, shooting 87.9 percent (58-of-66), which leads the Big Ten, while Rebecca Harris (82.8 percent) and Jenna Smith (78.7 percent) are close behind. Bjork (83.4 percent) ranks first on the Illini career FT percentage list and Harris (81.9 percent) fourth on the list, but those places could still fluctuate until their careers are over at Illinois.
• Iced Kohl: Illinois set a new Kohl Center record by hitting 21-of-22 from the line (95.5 percent) on Feb. 14 against the Badgers. It equaled the sixth-best single-game FT percentage in Big Ten history and would have been the all-time Big Ten record if Lori Bjork, the team's best FT shooter, hadn't missed the only freebie of the game for the Illini.
Illini in the NCAA Rankings
In the March 2 NCAA statistical rankings, Illinois ranks in the top-50 in the nation in four different categories, and Illini individuals rank in the top-100 in eight different categories.
Team Category Rank Stat Free Throw Percentage 6 79.0 Personal Fouls (fewest) 8 13.5 Turnovers per game (fewest) 34 15.2 Scoring Defense 40 57.6Chelleen Shines on Senior DayIndiv. Category Player Rank Stat Points per game Jenna Smith 24 18.9 Rebounds per game Jenna Smith 27 9.7 Assist/TO Ratio Lacey Simpson 41 1.82 3FG Percentage Lori Bjork 50 38.4 FG Percentage Jenna Smith 53 52.2 Blocks per game Jenna Smith 55 1.8 3FG per game Lori Bjork 63 2.3 Steals per game Lacey Simpson 81 2.4
Senior Stephanie Chelleen saved the best performance of her career for her final regular season home game. The Des Moines, Iowa, native poured in a career-high 14 points as Illinois finished the regular season with a 63-55 victory over Purdue at Assembly Hall.
With Purdue trying to mount a charge down the stretch, Chelleen took over, hitting four three-pointers in the final 7:04 to put any hopes of a Boilermaker comeback to rest. The guests cut the UI lead to single digits on three different occasions, but each time Chelleen answered with a three to push it back into double figures. Chelleen, who was honored before the game on Senior Day along with fellow seniors Rebecca Harris and Audrey Tabon, hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points in 13 minutes, one better than her previous career-high of 13 points.
Versatile Simpson Does it All
Sophomore Lacey Simpson has played many different roles for Jolette Law's squad this season. The 6-0 sophomore has seen action at the four as of late and also spends time running the point and any spot in between. Simpson's versatility shows in her stats. She leads the team in assists (91) and steals (69) and ranks second in blocks (25) and rebounds (129). A nifty creator and passer, she leads the Big Ten in assist-turnover ration (1.82) and ranks fifth in the league in steals (2.38). Simpson does so much for the Illini that she doesn't need to score for victories to come, but when she does, it usually spells doom for the opposition. Illinois is 7-1 this season when Simpson scores in double figures.
Bec Blowing Up
Senior guard Rebecca Harris has stepped up big in her final season with the Illini, especially in Big Ten play. During conference games she is averaging 11.2 points per game, which is second on the team, and over 31 minutes per game, well above her pre-conference averages of 6.1 points and 19.5 minutes. She has put up career-highs in points (23 vs. Minnesota on Jan. 10) and rebounds (11 at Purdue on Jan. 27) during conference games, including her first career double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds on Jan. 27). She has also played a full 40 minutes four times.
• Hot From the Stripe: Harris had a streak of 24 consecutive made free throws snapped on Sunday against Purdue. Despite going 5-of-9 against the Boilermakers, Harris still ranks among the best free throw shooters in Illinois history. In fact, her career percentage of 81.9 (112-of-138) ranks as the fourth-best career FT percentage at Illinois.
• Perfect 10: In the Feb. 14 loss to Wisconsin, Harris kept the Illini in the game down the stretch by scoring the team's final 10 points, all in the last two minutes. In the game Harris hit 10-of-10 from the free throw line and finished with 18 points, 16 of which came in the second half.
• No TOs: In the Jan. 31 win over OSU, Harris was stellar, not only scoring 14 points, but playing all 40 minutes without a turnover.
Climbing the Charts
While Bjork recently broke the career 3FG record, she and her Illini teammates are climbing up several other Illinois season and career lists. Here's a look at some of the highlights (for a complete list see page 10):
Single Season
• Jenna Smith is tied for fourth on the blocks list with 51, just seven shy of breaking Kendra Gantt's record of 57.
• Smith is tied for third in single-season double-doubles with 14. The record is 20 by Lynette Robinson (1980-81).
• Smith ranks third on the rebounding list with 280 boards. The record is 335 by Lynnette Robinson.
• Smith has jumped up to fifth in free throws made with 133 and into the top-10 in scoring with 547 points. She is also in the top-15 FG made with 204.
• Lori Bjork is tied for third on the single season 3FG list with 66. She set the record last season by knocking down 84 treys.
• Bjork's free throw percentage of 87.9 is just off the school record of 88.8 set by Lisa Robinson in 1980-81.
Career
• Jenna Smith has cracked the top-20 of the career rebounding list. She sits in 18th place with 513 in less than two seasons. She is on pace to get the record of 1,014 by Cindy Dallas.
• Smith is already sixth on the career blocked shots list with 90, well ahead of the pace for Kendra Gantt's record of 156.
• Smith has 20 career double-doubles, which ranks ninth on the UI list and is exactly halfway to Jonelle Polk's record of 40.
• Sophomore Lacey Simpson is 16th on the steals list with 144, well ahead of the pace for Allison Curtin's record of 252.
• Lori Bjork currently ranks first on the career FT percentage list at 83.4 percent, just ahead of Lisa Robinson's record of 83.3. Rebecca Harris is fourth on that list at 81.9 percent and Jenna Smith is eighth at 78.2.
Team
• The team FT percentage record of 75.5 is in serious jeopardy with the Illini hitting 79.0 percent from the stripe this season.
• The Illini record for fewest turnovers per game is also at risk. Illinois is averaging 15.2 turnovers per game, which is below the record of 15.7.
• Illinois' scoring defense of 57.6 ranks second behind only the school record of 50.3 (1976-77).
• Illinois' 154 made threes ranks third on the UI list. The record of 171 was set in 2002-03.
• The Illini currently have 122 blocked shots, which ranks fifth on the team charts. The record of 151 was set by last year's Orange and Blue squad.
Big Ten Tournament Tickets On Sale Now
All-session and single-session tickets for the 2008 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament presented by Xbox 360 Live are on sale now. All-session tickets are $65 and single-session tickets range in price from $12-16. Tickets are available at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at (317) 239-5151.
The 14th annual women's event returns to Indianapolis and Conseco Fieldhouse March 6-9, 2008. The tournament features all 11 Big Ten teams, competing in 10 games over four days to crown the 2008 champion and earn the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
