Joe Lunardi not feelin' the Wildcats

NORTHWESTERN: We'll know sooner rather than later if the Wildcats can erase their dubious status as the only BCS-member school without an NCAA tournament appearance. A 10-1 start has gotten Northwestern ranked in the AP poll, but conference openers at Illinois (tonight) and Michigan State (Saturday at home) will surely tell a tale.

If the Wildcats gain a split, they move up from a No. 69 mid-December S-Curve slot and into the Jan. 4 bracket. Otherwise it's back to the bubble and a week-to-week waiting game all the way to March. My hunch is that the injuries and personnel losses catch up to Northwestern in Big Ten play, but, heck, that's why they play the games.

NCAA ODDS: 35 percent

JOE'S PREDICTION: N.I.T.