Americans have been witness to a political first the past few days, celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president. It’s an event that has been celebrated widely in the Chicago area, where the former Illinois senator cut his teeth as a political activist and state legislator.

Chicagoans may be witness to another first this spring, something that many may have thought was just as improbable to see in their lifetimes as an African-American president. After Northwestern University upset No. 7 Michigan State Wednesday night, on the Spartans’ home court of all places, could the Wildcats be heading to the big dance in March?

Northwestern, an institution known more for its academic standing than its athletic prowess, has never appeared in an NCAA basketball tournament.

It’s early yet. Talk of Northwestern experiencing March madness first-hand at this juncture may be as silly as last summer’s inescapable speculation that the Cubs would end their 100-year drought as World Series champions in 2008.

Still, there’s reason for hope after the Wildcats upended ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time in school history. On Sunday, they defeated then-No. 18 Minnesota, the Tubby Smith-led darlings of the Big Ten, at home in Evanston. Perhaps the Wildcats become the conference darlings after snapping Michigan State’s 28-game home-court winning streak with Wednesday’s 70-63 victory. It was Northwestern’s first road win over a top-10 team since 1953.

The Spartans, widely considered the favorite to win the Big Ten title, had started 5-0 in conference play before hosting Northwestern. It was their best start since opening 7-0 during the 1977-78 campaign. With Wildcats forward Kevin Coble dropping 31 points, including three 3-pointers, Northwestern erased a one-point halftime deficit and claimed its first win over Michigan State since February 2002. The Wildcats had lost 12 straight to the Spartans before pulling off the upset.

The Wildcats’ victory was their second straight in the Big Ten after dropping their first four conference games. They are 10-6 on the season, and it’s hard to overestimate the importance of their next two games. On Saturday, the Wildcats play at Michigan against a Wolverines team that is 3-4 in the Big Ten. Then Northwestern hosts Indiana Wednesday. It’s a matchup that brings a host of Indiana fans to Evanston, but their Hoosiers are 0-5 in conference play this season.

Improving to 4-4 against beatable teams could go a long way in Northwestern securing its first NCAA tournament bid. Failing in the next week could put an end to the hype that this is the best Northwestern basketball team to come along in a long while. Often hype has a long shelf life in Chicago, where winning teams in baseball, hockey and college sports have been rare in recent decades. The truth about these Wildcats is on the line.