Women’s basketball Big Ten Homeroom, Feb. 22

1. Penn State (22-5 overall, 12-3 Big Ten)

The Nitanny Lions claimed the top spot in the Big Ten in dominating fashion with a win over Ohio State Monday to clinch at least a share of the conference title. The win was Penn State's sixth in a row and its 11th in 12 games. All that PSU needs to do now is win its regular season finale at home against Minnesota to be outright Big Ten regular season champions.

2. Ohio State (23-4, 10-4)

The Buckeyes looked like they were rolling again after a surprising loss to lowly Illinois. OSU won two games in a row, including a big win against Purdue. All of that changed when it was humiliated at Penn State with an 18-point loss. Ohio State's hopes to win the Big Ten title are now slim.

3. Iowa (17-10, 9-5)

No team is hotter than the Hawkeyes right now. Iowa has won six straight, including wins over Michigan State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes now have a legitimate shot at making the NCAA Tournament. They will have to do it without star guard Jaime Printy, though, as she suffered a season-ending knee injury.

4. Nebraska (20-6, 9-5)

With Ohio State's loss on Monday, the Huskers now control their own destiny to a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska travels to Michigan State on Thursday and will host Ohio State on Sunday. Win both of those games, and the Huskers will be a top-four seed in Indianapolis for the conference tourney.

5. Purdue (19-8, 9-5)

After it seemed like Purdue was the favorite to win the conference, it lost three straight games against the Big Ten's elite. The Boilermakers dropped games to Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State to fall to the middle of the pack in the conference. Purdue now has to hope either Nebraska loses a few games or Iowa cools down for them to get a bye in the Big Ten Tournament.

6. Michigan State (17-10, 9-5)

The Spartans are the fourth team with a 9-5 conference record, and thus they are one of the many teams with a shot for a bye in the Big Ten tournament. MSU is an inconsistent team, but has won two straight. The Spartans host Nebraska on Thursday for a big time conference showdown with NCAA Tournament bids on the line.

7. Michigan (19-8, 8-6)

Michigan looked impressive in a win against Nebraska, but then squandered a big lead to red-hot Iowa. The Wolverines are one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten and they still have an outside shot of being a top-four seed in the conference tournament. They will need to win their next games against Purdue and Iowa this week to keep their hopes alive.

8. Minnesota (14-14, 6-8)

The phrase "Home Sweet Home" can be taken literally for the Gophers. Five of their six wins are at home and a lot of those wins were against good competition. No team in the upper tier of the Big Ten wants to play Minnesota at Williams Arena right now as the Gophers have three wins against teams in the upper half of the conference at home.

9. Illinois (11-17, 5-10)

After struggling at the beginning of the year, Illinois has won three of its last four games. The Illini are playing better, especially after a win over Ohio State earlier this month. They continue to raise their stock for the Big Ten tournament and would be the ninth seed in the tourney if the season ended today. Illinois plays Wisconsin this week to end the season.

10. Northwestern (14-13, 4-10)

The Wildcats surprised everyone and came out of their three-game losing skid to beat Nebraska. They turned around and lost to an improving Illinois squad in their next game, though, to stub that momentum. Things don't get any easier for Northwestern as it will play Iowa and Michigan State to finish out the conference season.

11. Wisconsin (8-18, 4-10)

There is no inside game in Madison. The Badgers are great on the outside with Morgan Paige and Taylor Wurtz leading the way. Wisconsin ranks fourth in the conference shooting 34 percent from behind the arc. It is tough to win games, though, in the rugged Big Ten without a big post player in the middle. The Badgers found that out the hard way.

12. Indiana (5-22, 0-14)

Will the Hoosiers get a win in conference play? That's the question in Indiana this week. Their best chance comes at home against Wisconsin this week against a struggling Badger squad. After that though, the Hoosiers travel to Purdue and then will most likely end their season early after an exit in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

— Compiled by Andrew Ward