EAST LANSING, Mich. – Big Ten champs today. NCAA champs tomorrow?

"People are going to start to recognize Illinois as one of the dominant programs in the country," Illinois men's tennis coach Craig Tiley said Sunday. "Now they know."

Tiley's troops on Sunday went where no UI men's tennis team has gone in awhile: the top of the Big Ten tennis heap. A 4-2 upset of top-seeded Northwestern gave the program its first Big Ten title since 1946 – a year before Jackie Robinson made headlines.

"It really puts us on the map," said freshman Cary Franklin, the UI's No. 1 singles player. "We're getting the results now. People can't ignore that anymore."

Sunday's victory pushed 18th-ranked Illinois' Big Ten record to 10-3, tying last year's best ever, and could help a bunch when the NCAA goes to seed next month's tournament.

Illinois, which has a weekend off before hosting 1 of 16 regionals from May 9-11, should be seeded No. 1 in its region, Tiley said.

The regional champs move on to the NCAA Championships, held May 17-25 in Los Angeles.

"This is a team that's capable of causing upsets and beating anyone," said Tiley, whose Illini took fifth at theUSTA/ITA National Indoor Championships in February.

Tiley called his shot months ago, predicting over the summer that there'd be a day like Sunday for Illinois. He repeated himself Saturday night, a few hours before Illinois bumped into a bunch of Wildcats who'd stormed through the Big Ten season undefeated.

So what, he said, if Northwestern hadn't lost a point in two previous weekend wins? And so what if Illinois was among their 1997 victims, falling 4-3 in Evanston in both teams' Big Ten openers?

"I'm going to tell you what I believe, and I believe we should have won the Big Ten title," Tiley said. "It's very rewarding, but it's what I expected. We put our money where our mouth is."

But it took awhile, the Illini needing an upset from Franklin at No. 1 singles to clinch it.

Franklin, who earlier this week was tabbed the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was pitted against Northwestern's Alex Witt, the Big Ten Player of the Year (not on Tiley's ballot, though).

"I had a lot of respect for the guy, but I've beaten better players than him," said Franklin, a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 winner. "If I'm playing well, I really don't think there's many players that can beat me."

The Illini got other singles wins from senior Jerry Turek at No. 3 and freshman Jeff Laski at No. 6, both big after No. 2 player Gavin Sontag was forced to pull out of his match with a bad back.

Turek's win was No. 34 this season, a UI record.

Earlier, he joined Brady Blain for a win at No. 1 doubles. Laski and Gavin Sontag also provided a win at No. 3, Illinois completing its unbeaten Big Ten doubles streak.

"This is the best feeling anybody on this team has ever had in their life," Franklin said. "This team hasn't won too many championships."