After his Spartans defeated Illinois by six points Saturday afternoon, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said the Big Ten is the best conference in the country from top to bottom.

I don’t know if I can agree with Izzo’s bold assessment, but I will say that the Big Ten is the best coached conference in the country, hands down.

Who thought Illinois would be 15-3 this far into the season? I most certainly did not. I was hoping and praying for an NIT appearance this year.

The Illini were 9-9 at this point last season and didn’t earn their third conference victory until Feb. 12 last year. So I’m officially tipping my cap to head coach Bruce Weber.

“He’s an incredible coach,” Izzo said of Weber after Saturday’s game. “There’s no better defensive coach in the country.”

Weber, whose team is only allowing an average of 57 points per game, has the Illini in a position to grab an NCAA Tournament bid this season. Yeah, I said it.

I’m starting to consider last year’s 19-loss squad as more of a blip on the radar screen rather than the new regime of poor basketball everyone feared would take over the program.

Weber’s quick turnaround is a testament to his incredible coaching ability, and his name should be among the top coaches in the conference.

Just take a look at some of the other coaches in the Big Ten. Tubby Smith is a legend and has his Golden Gophers in second place thus far. Bo Ryan always coaches a dangerous Badger team. We already know Tom Izzo is capable of winning an NCAA Championship. And Tom Crean used to coach at Marquette … and Marquette’s good.

Mark my words – the Big Ten will get seven teams into the Big Dance this year, and Illinois will be one of them.

What’s scary about this Illini team is its ability to succeed in multiple ways. Illinois is capable of transforming itself into the type of team it needs to become in order to compete against superior opponents.

Take the two games against Michigan as an example. Center Mike Tisdale was a minor contributor, only scoring seven points in the loss at Ann Arbor, Mich. Fast forward 10 days and Tisdale dominated the Wolverines for 24 points.

Saturday, it was Illinois’ defense that kept them in the game against the Spartans. Guards Trent Meacham and Demetri McCamey shot a combined 1-of-16 from the field and the Illini still only lost by six because Calvin Brock and Alex Legion stepped up big.

You rarely see a blow out in a Big Ten matchup (unless Indiana is involved). The key for middle of the pack teams, like Illinois, will be earning a few scrappy road wins.

The Illini already have an overtime win at Purdue. But adding wins at Minnesota, Wisconsin or Ohio State would push the Orange and Blue much closer to an NCAA Tournament berth.

You obviously also have to take care of your business at home.

Now that the Illini have raised expectations, they can’t afford any foolish losses at Assembly Hall.

“You’re playing in the toughest venues in the country if you go top to bottom (in the Big Ten),” Izzo said. “So, somehow, someway, every game is going to be a dog fight.”

Each one of these dog fights will serve as a vital test for Illinois in its journey toward postseason play.

The bar has officially been raised.

Ryan Dixon is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]