First-Round Games

No. 8 Penn State (8-12, 2-8) vs.

No. 9 Minnesota (5-17, 2-8)

The Nittany Lions have made it to the quarterfinals the past two years, whereas Minnesota has not made it past the first round since clinching the regular season in 2003.

Daily Pick: Penn State

No. 7 Ohio State (13-12, 3-7) vs.

No. 10 Illinois (7-14, 2-8)

With their home court advantage, the Illini stand a good chance. Ohio State’s recent victory over the Illini at Illinois will prove to be the catalyst for Illinois’ extra boost.

Daily Pick: Illinois

No. 6 Michigan State (14-6, 8-2) vs.

No. 11 Wisconsin (5-17, 2-8)

Michigan State hosted the Big Ten championship last year, but it was Wisconsin that danced its way to the semifinals. This year, however, the Spartans are in a good position to make it to the quarterfinals.

Daily Pick: Michigan State

Quarterfinals

No. 1 NU (17-4, 10-0) vs. No. 8 Penn State

The Wildcats are out for their eighth-straight Big Ten title with a lineup that includes a freshman looking for her 27th consecutive singles win and a senior out for her fourth and final Big Ten title. Penn State is just not capable of shutting down that kind of momentum.

Daily Pick: NU

No. 4 Indiana ( 17-7, 7-3) vs.

No.5 Purdue (12-9, 6-4)

In their last matchup, the Hoosiers bested the Boilermakers 5-2 in Indiana, but this time the Hoosiers have more to lose while Purdue has everything to gain.

Daily Pick: Purdue

No. 2 Iowa (17-4, 9-1) vs. Illinois

Home court advantage or not, the Illini are no match for the Hawkeyes. Illinois managed to snag the fifth and sixth singles matches from Iowa in the regular season but were still ousted.

Daily Pick: Iowa

No. 3 Michigan ( 14-6, 8-2) vs. Michigan State

Last year the Wolverines beat their in-state rivals in the regular season and then again in the first round of the tournament. This year Michigan again defeated Michigan State in the regular season and if history is any indication of things to come, the green Spartan buck will stop here.

Daily Pick: Michigan

Semifinals

No. 1 NU vs. No. 5 Purdue

Purdue losing to NU has been a constant fact of collegiate tennis. The Boilermakers haven’t had a win against the Wildcats since before the turn of the century. In fact, the last time Purdue beat Northwestern was March 1, 1998, when the Boilermakers knocked off then-No. 22 NU for the first time in the schools’ 22 matches. Don’t look for history to repeat itself. Miracles are called miracles because they don’t happen all that often.

Daily Pick: NU

No. 2 Iowa v. No. 3 Michigan

Last year a third ranked Iowa left the Big Ten Championship early when it lost 4-3 to underdog Michigan in a semifinal upset. No motive is greater than revenge, and Iowa will be playing with last year’s semifinal match result fresh in its mind.

Daily Pick: Iowa

Final

No. 1 NU vs. No 2 Iowa

Fool me once, shame on me, fool me eight times in a row – That saying does not apply here. But it’s hard to make an argument for any team but NU in the Big Ten Championship. There isn’t much that can stand in their way, especially not a team like Iowa. The Hawkeyes might be a No. 2 seed in the Big Ten, but they are still ranked 30th while NU sits at 11th in the nation.

Daily Pick: NU