URBANA – According to the Big Ten, the official men's tennis champion will be decided at next week's conference tournament here in town.

According to Illinois tennis coach Craig Tiley, that's a bunch of baloney.

"My point is, why do we play the regular season if it doesn't count?" Tiley said.

Tiley's ninth-ranked Illini will try to wrap up their first undefeated Big Ten regular season in school history this weekend in Michigan.

And although they may not get a spot in the Big Ten record book, a plaque or a banner out of the deal, you can bet they'll party like conference champs on the way home Sunday if they finish 10-0.

"It'd be nice to finish 10-0 and really establish ourselves as the No. 1 team going into the tournament," junior Oliver Freelove said.

Standing between Illinois and perfection: wins Saturday at Michigan and Sunday at Michigan State.

Neither's a gimme.

Michigan's 7-1, unbeaten at home in 1998 and two wins away from snatching the No. 1 tournament seed from the Illini. The Wolverines' lone loss came to 24th-ranked Northwestern.

"It's not a given, not even close to a given," junior Gavin Sontag said. "They're a really tough team."

Michigan State's 3-5 but plenty capable, as it proved in last year's 4-3 upset of the UI.

"They kind of put a damper on our season," sophomore Cary Franklin said. "It'd be nice to go in there and beat 'em bad."

Run the table the next two weeks, and Illinois' next stop could be Athens, Ga., site of the NCAA Championships.

Eight teams receive automatic bids. Eight more can make it by winning NCAA regional tournaments, held the week before.

A loss to an unranked team between now and then could do serious damage to 16-5 Illinois' hopes for an automatic bid.

"The teams aren't that highly ranked in the Big Ten, so you kind of have to go 10-0 in the Big Ten to stay in that top eight," Freelove said.

Just like they did last spring en route to their first Big Ten title in 51 years, the Illini are streaking down the stretch.

No. 4 player Jakub Teply, winner of 12 straight singles matches, can tie Sontag's school record with three more.

Sontag's won 26 of his last 28, giving him a single-season school-record 35.

Illinois' eight-match winning streak is its longest in 26 years.

"Kind of regardless of what happens this weekend, we're still the team to beat in the Big Ten," Freelove said. "When we're on form, I don't think there's too many teams that come close to us."