Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-9, 9-6 Big Ten)
vs.
Wisconsin Badgers (14-11, 7-8 Big Ten)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Sat., Feb. 23 / 11 a.m.
TELEVISION: Big Ten Network
Marney Gellner (play-by-play), Theresa Grentz (analyst)
RADIO / WEBCAST: WCCO 830 AM
Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com
Corbu Stathes (play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (analyst)
Golden Gopher Watch List — Feb. 23, 2008
• Gophers Face Wisconsin on Rare Saturday Morning Game - Minnesota plays host to Wisconsin on an unusual day, Saturday (Feb. 23) at an unusual time (11 a.m.) as the Border Battle continues with a contest in Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers are 18-9 overall and 9-6 after a 72-69 loss at Iowa dimmed their title hopes.
• BTN Broadcast on Saturday - The Minnesota/Wisconsin game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network. Marney Gellner and former Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz will call the action. The Golden Gophers are 7-2 in games televised by the Big Ten Network this season.
• Looking For #200 - Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton is one win from her 200th victory of her coaching career. Borton is in her 10th season as a head coach, sixth at Minnesota.
• Emmy Closing In on 1,000 Career Points - Emily Fox is 56 points from becoming the 18th player in Minnesota history to score 1,000 career points. Fox currently has 944 points in 87 career games.
Minnesota Faces Border-Rival Wisconsin
Minnesota plays host to Wisconsin on an unusual day, Saturday (Feb. 23) at an unusual time (11 a.m.) as the Border Battle continues with a contest in Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers are 18-9 overall and 9-6 after a 72-69 loss at Iowa severely dimmed their title hopes. The Badgers take their turn at a three-game week. Wisconsin defeated Northwestern in Evanston on Monday, then returned home to beat Indiana )81-51) on Wednesday to enter Saturday’s game with a 14-11 overall mark, 7-8 in Big Ten play.
Big Ten Network Broadcast
The Minnesota/Wisconsin game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network. Marney Gellner and former Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz will call the action.
Lights, Camera, Action
The Golden Gophers are 7-2 in games televised by the Big Ten Network this season, including a 5-0 mark in Williams Arena with victories over Iowa State, Purdue, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State. The Gophers’ televised road wins came at Wisconsin and Penn State. The only losses were at Ohio State and Iowa.
Borton Nears 200-Win Milestone
Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton is one win from her 200th victory of her coaching career. Borton recorded her 100th win on Dec. 10, 2005, in a 83-57 victory over Washington State.
A Chance at Another Sweep
The Golden Gophers captured an 81-73 victory in Madison earlier this season, setting up the opportunity to earn the first season-series sweep over the Badgers in three seasons. The home team has won each of the last five battles. Minnesota has collected season sweeps over Michigan State and Penn State this season.
Shooting For That Magical 20th Win
The Gophers are closing in on that magical 20th victory this season, a mark they haven’t hit since the 2004-05 season. Minnesota won 19 games in 2005-06 and 17 games a year ago.
The Sprint to the Finish
The last two weeks of the Big Ten season promise some exciting moments as the teams sprint to the finish line with a Conference title at stake.
Iowa has used the most experienced lineup in the Big Ten to contend for their first league crown since 1998. The Hawkeyes take an 11-4 mark and a half-game lead into a huge game at Ohio State on Thursday. Iowa will host Northwestern and travel to Wisconsin in the final week of the season.
Ohio State (10-4) captured a big win over Purdue on Monday placing the Buckeyes back into the think of the Conference race. The Buckeyes host Iowa on Thursday, then face the challenge of a three-game week to end the season. Ohio State travels to Indiana and Penn State, before hosting the season finale against Northwestern.
Purdue (10-5) and Minnesota (9-6) are hoping that the craziness of the season continues and that upsets open the door for some surprises down the stretch. The Boilermakers travel to Michigan and Illinois before hosting Michigan State on the final Sunday of the season. The Gophers host Wisconsin and Indiana then travel to Michigan.
Gophers Retain Solid Standing in RPI
Minnesota is tabbed No. 31 in RPI (Rating Percentage Index) according to CollegeRPI.com. The top four teams in the Big Ten are all rated between 30 and 40 in RPI. Ohio State leads the way at No. 30, followed by Minnesota, Purdue (No. 37) and Iowa (No. 39).
Another Countdown Begins, Fox Nears 1,000 Points
Junior Emily Fox is 56 points from becoming the 18th player in Minnesota history to score 1,000 career points. Fox currently has 944 points in 87 career games. Chasing the milestone in her junior season is even more impressively considering she scored just 65 points as a freshman.
Guarding the Home Court
If a team wants to even think about contending for a Big Ten title, they must defend their home court and then steal a few games on the road. The Gophers own a Big Ten home record of 37-9 (.804) over the last five-plus seasons. Minnesota is 6-1 in Conference action in Williams Arena this season.
Making a Case For Emmy For Big Ten MVP
The race for the Big Ten’s Player of the Year award is as wide open as the chase for the team title. Gopher junior Emily Fox is having a season worthy of being among the leading candidates for the award.
Fox is averaging 16.3 points per Big Ten game, but she contributes much more on the court than a deadly pull-up jumper. She is one of those special opportunistic players who makes her teammates better. Fox puts her teammates in a great position to score with a passing flair that resulting in 4.67 assists per game. Additionally, Fox provides the Gophers with extra scoring opportunities by snagging and average of 2.60 steals per game. Fox’s 70 assists to 40 turnovers translates to an assist to turnover ratio of 1.75.
Knight Continues All-Conference Caliber Play
Senior Leslie Knight has become the Gophers’ go-to player on the post. Currently ranked fourth in the Big Ten scoring 17.3 points and and leads in field goal percentage at 59.0 percent per Conference game, Knight has strung together an impressive list of performances during the Big Ten season.
Dec. 28 at Michigan State 7-11 FG (.636) 16 points
Dec. 30 vs. Purdue 6-12 FG (.583) 20 points
Jan. 3 vs. Iowa 8-12 (.667) 18 points
Jan. 7 at Wisconsin 7-10 (.700) 20 points
Jan. 10 at Illinois 5-6 (.833)` 12 points
Jan. 13 Penn State 5-9 (.556) 12 points
Jan. 17 at Indiana 8-18 ((.444) 17 points
Jan. 24 Ohio State 12-19 (.632) 33 points
Jan. 27 Michigan State 2-9 (.222) 13 points
Jan. 31 at Purdue 10-15 (.667) 22 points
Feb. 3 at Ohio State 6-10 (.600) 16 points
Feb. 7 Illinois 4-8 (.500) 11 points
Feb. 10 Northwestern 9-12 (.750) 18 points
Feb. 14 at Penn State 6-9 (.667) 12 points
Feb. 17 at Iowa 6-13 .462) 20 points
Totals 102-173 (.590) 17.3 ppg.
The “X” Factor Theory Takes Hit, Still Accurate
Sophomore Brittany McCoy is an important element to the Gophers’ success that is often overlooked considering the impressive seasons her teammates Emily Fox and Leslie Knight are enjoying. Sixteen (16) of the Gophers’ victories, including all nine Big Ten wins, have the common thread of McCoy making an impact offensively either with her scoring or passing. When McCoy either scores in double figures (which has happened five times) or has dished out five or more assists (which she has done 13 times), the Gophers are 16-2. Ironically the first loss was the double-overtime contest at Indiana where McCoy finished with 14 points and six assists, but had nine points and four assists at the end of regulation. The other was the three-point loss at Iowa.
The Big Ten’s Best From Long Range
Sophomore Katie Ohm is the Big Ten’s leading long-range shooter converting on 47.2 percent (34-72) of her field goal attempts from three-point range. Since moving into the starting lineup eight games ago Ohm has made 22 of 47 three-point field goal attempts.
Gopher Guard Tandem Posts Century Repeat
A year ago, Emily Fox and Brittany McCoy became just the second duo in school history to each record over 100 assists in a season (the other was Janel McCarville and April Calhoun in 2004-05). Fox and McCoy now own a repeat performance of this feat as McCoy (118) and Fox (118) owns triple digit assist totals. McCoy is the first player in Gopher history to collect 100 or more assists in the first two years of a career.
Coaches Love This One
Emily Fox and Brittany McCoy not only dish out assists but have been taking care of the ball as well. The Gopher backcourt duo ranks second and third in Big Ten play (the duo is also two-three in the overall stats) with McCoy dishing out 4.87 assists a game to 4.67 for Fox. When coupled with turnovers for an assist to turnover ratio, Fox ranks second in the Big Ten (1.75), while McCoy is a close third (1.55).
Fox Climbing Career Lists in Assists and Steals
Emily Fox continues to climb the Minnesota career charts for assists and steals. Fox is ranked seventh with 276 career assists and eighth with 151 career steals.
Ellis-Milan, Campbell in Top 10 of Career O-Boards
Gopher sophomore Ashley Ellis-Milan is ranked eighth among the top 10 offensive rebounders in Minnesota history. Ellis-Milan has 178 offensive boards. Kadidja Andersson (7th - 206, 2000-04) is next on the list. Korinne Campbell, with 168 offensive rebounds, is tied for 10th on the list. Rebounds were categorized as offensive or defensive in the 1987-88 season so several of the top rebounders in Minnesota history are not included on this list. Janel McCarville (2001-05) grabbed the most offensive rebounds in school history - 364.
Ellis-Milan Adds to Double-Double List
Ashley Ellis-Milan tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds at Iowa. Ellis-Milan owns 12 career double-doubles.
Balanced Gopher Offense Winning at 80 Percent Clip
Minnesota has landed four or more players in double figures scoring in the same game 10 times this season, eight of them resulting in victories. The Gophers’ loss at Iowa, where Leslie Knight scored 20 and was joined by Emily Fox (16), Katie Ohm (12) and Ashley Ellis-Milan (11) in double figures, was just the second time this season that four Gophers scored in double digits but lost.
Scouting The Badgers
Wisconsin is 14-11 overall and 7-8 in Big Ten play after winning its last three games over Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana. Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Jolene Anderson is the motor that runs the Wisconsin machine. She averages a Big Ten-leading 20.3 points a game and became the Badgers’ all-time career scorer earlier this season. Janese Banks adds an average of 14.0 points an outing making the Badger backcourt one of the most dangerous in the Big Ten.
The Minnesota / Wisconsin Series
The Minnesota/Wisconsin series is tied a 29-29. The Gophers have won seven the last 10 games in the series, including the 81-73 victory at Madison on Jan. 7.
Courtesy: University of Minnesota
