BIG TEN GOES FOR SWEEP TONIGHT

Michigan State will carry the Big Ten banner into its national championship game tonight against North Carolina, just four days after Penn State represented the conference in the NIT finals. Should Sparty pull off the upset against the Heels, it would be the third time in the last seven years that two teams from the same conference would claim both the NIT Championship and the National Title.

The win would also mark the first major sport championship for the Big Ten since Ohio State's double-overtime victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in January of 2003. Here's a breakdown of championships in both basketball and football by conference during this decade:

CONFERENCE	BASKETBALL	FOOTBALL	TOTAL
ACC	3	1	4
BIG EAST	2	1	3
BIG TEN	1	1	2
BIG TWELVE	1	1	2
PAC 10	0	1	1
SEC	2	4	6

A championship for the conference tonight would certainly help to elevate the profile of Big Ten, which has suffered in both major sports in the last few seasons. Additionally, it would be pretty nice to be able to say that Penn State beat the national champion in its own gym this season.