The road to madness

In two months, the real season will begin.\nIt's been called "March Madness," tourney time, but no matter what it's called, it's where every college basketball team wants to be.\nThe NCAA tournament is the ultimate goal for all teams.\nBut will IU be among the 64 teams that make it?\nThe Hoosiers (12-8, 3-3 Big Ten) will need a strong push in their final 10 games to enter the tournament field.\nAs history shows, sometimes a low-seeded team can make a run for the championship once in the tournament.\nSixth-seeded Florida reached the title game a year ago and No. 8 seeds North Carolina and Wisconsin danced into the Final Four.\nTo shake up the tourney, IU will first have to finish with a kick and have a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament. \nSome say IU will need at least 18 wins to make it to the big dance. The Big Ten is tough enough that most teams with a decent conference record will make it.\nWill IU?\nThe Hoosiers have a three-game road trip starting Saturday, before finishing with five of their last seven games at home.\nThe opportunity is there if the Hoosiers can grasp it.\nI predict that after losing at Iowa Saturday, IU will begin a four-game winning streak. The Hoosiers should beat Ohio State and Penn State on the road and Northwestern at home.\nAt that point, IU would be 16-9 at that point, 7-4 in conference play. \nA brutal five-game stretch closes the season.\nAfter Illinois at home and Michigan State on the road, both probable losses, the Hoosiers finish at Assembly Hall with Wisconsin and Minnesota before heading to West Lafayette to face Purdue in the final game of the season.\nThe last three games will determine IU's postseason fate.\nIf the Hoosiers can win out, a 19-11 record (10-6 Big Ten) would most likely secure a No. 6, 7 or 8 seed.\nBut that's a big "if."\nIU lost close games earlier in the season at Wisconsin and Minnesota, but will have a definite advantage at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers beat Purdue at home by 11, but will be on the road in a rowdy Mackey Arena for the season finale.\nI think IU will go 2-1 in the final three games, giving them 18 wins, placing them directly atop the proverbial bubble.\nThe Hoosiers can't have any more letdowns against inferior opponents. Losses against Ohio State, Penn State or Northwest-ern would devastate an attempted run for the NCAA Tournament.\nC'mon IU, saddle up, play well and create some madness of your own in March.