University of Minnesota Athletics
WBB: Golden Gophers Close Regular Season Sunday at Northwestern
2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
15/15 MINNESOTA GOPHERS (21-6, 11-4 Big Ten)
vs.
Northwestern Wildcats (5-23, 2-13 Big Ten)
LOCATION Evanston, Ill. - Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
DATE / TIME: Sunday, Feb. 27 / 2 p.m.
TELEVISION: None
RADIO / WEBCAST: WFMP 107.1 FM / gophersports.com
Tom Witschen (play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (analyst)
Golden Gopher Watch List - Feb. 27, 2005
Regular-Season Finale - Minnesota travels to Northwestern on Sunday for the regular-season finale of the 2004-05 season.
McCarville Nears Move to No. 2 in Big Ten Career Rebounds - Janel McCarville has 1,129 career rebounds and needs six to tie and seven to surpass two former Big Ten players and take over the number-two spot on the Big Ten career rebounds list.
Momentum Builders - Minnesota has already secured the No. 4 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, and the accompanying first-round bye that goes with it. The Gophers would love to use their final game of the regular season to continue building momentum for the postseason.
No. 20 in the Books - Minnesota captured its 20th win of the season Feb. 20 against Wisconsin, marking the fourth consecutive season, and seventh overall, with 20 or more wins for the program.
All-Around Talent - Janel McCarville moved into fifth place on the Minnesota all-time career scoring list with 1,733 career points. Shaq is now the only player in Golden Gopher history to rank in the top five in all the major career statistical categories of scoring, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.
Minnesota Tops Big Ten in Attendance, Fifth Nationally - The largest crowd in the Big Ten this season and Minnesota's second-largest all-time helped the Golden Gophers move up to No. 5 in the nation in average attendance and assure Minnesota its standing as the Big Ten attendance leaders for the 2004-05 season. Sunday, 14,203 fans packed Williams Arena improving the Gophers' attendance average to 8,799 per game. In Big Ten games only, Minnesota averaged 10,186.
REGULAR SEASON CONCLUDES SUNDAY
In a weird twist of the Big Ten schedule, No. 15/15 Minnesota will conclude its regular season against the same team that the Gophers opened their conference slate with in late December - Northwestern. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The Golden Gophers are 21-6 overall and in fourth place of the Big Ten standings at 9-4. The Wildcats own a record of 5-23, 2-13 Big Ten.
ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON IN THE BOOKS
Minnesota captured its fourth consecutive 20-win season in 2004-05, and the seventh overall. Before starting the current streak in 2001-02, Minnesota had only experienced three 20-win seasons: 1977-78, 1980-81 and 1982-83.
SOMETHING TO AIM FOR
With just one remaining in their Big Ten season, the Gophers are unfortunately out of the title race. Minnesota can, however, aim at tying its best conference record under the current 16-game format. The Gophers recorded their best mark of 12-4 in the 2002-03 season, Pam Borton's first at Minnesota. The most wins ever in a Big Ten season was 13 (13-5 in both 1982-93 and 1984-85), when the conference played an 18-game schedule.
A TREND DEFINITELY WORTH CHANGING
Since the Big Ten established its postseason tournament after the 1994-95 season, Minnesota has shown an unsettling habit of losing its final regular-season game. In fact, over that 10-year span, the Gophers own just a 2-8 mark in the regular-season finales. One of those two wins was in head coach Pam Borton's first season with the Gophers (a 76-63 win at Michigan). The other was an overtime win over Michigan State to end the 1999-00 regular-season campaign. Last season, Minnesota lost at Michigan.
GOPHERS' TOURNEY SEED/OPPONENT SET
Minnesota has already secured its position as the No. 4 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and will play No. 5 seed Purdue in the quarterfinal round at approximately 2:30 p.m. (1:30 CT) on Friday, March 4.
McCARVILLE SEVEN REBOUNDS FROM NO. 2 IN BIG TEN HISTORY
Janel McCarville ranks fourth in Big Ten Conference history in career rebounds with 1,129, but just seven rebounds from moving into second place. Please note that players who played prior to the Conference recognizing the sport of women's basketball in 1982-83 are not included on the list. Linda Roberts (1977-81) holds the Minnesota record for with 1,413 career rebounds.
Player Rebounds Denise Jackson (IND, 1981-84) 1,273 Molly Tadich (1983-87) 1,135 Tracey Huff (OSU, 1984-88) 1,135 Janel McCarville (2001-c) 1,125
SIMPLY ONE OF THE GREATEST
All-America center Janel McCarville is in the home stretch of of simply one of the finest all-around careers in Golden Gopher history. Last Sunday, McCarville added her name to the top five of the Minnesota career scoring list, making her the only player listed among the top five in all the major statistical category of points (5th - 1,733), rebounds (3rd - 1,129), assists (5th - 285), steals (3rd - 259) and blocks (2nd - 184). The only other player listed in four of the categories is Laura Coenen (1981-95), who is third in scoring (2,044), fourth in rebounds (1,029), fifth in blocks (102) and second in steals (290).
THE BIG GIRL CAN DISH THE ROCK TOO...
This season, Janel McCarville has always been one of the first players mentioned when naming top post players. McCarville, however, has now begun to receive some national publicity for her passing talent.
McCarville was named as one of the top six passers in an article on ESPN.com, written by Stacey Dales Schman. Other cited were North Carolina guard Ivory Latta, Texas Tech guard Erin Grant, LSU guard Temeka Johnson, UCLA guard Nikki Blue and West Virginia guard Yolanda Paige.
Here's what Dales-Schman had to say about McCarville, the only post player of the group, "The art of passing isn't just relegated to point guards. And it has to be refreshing when your center is the second-best passer on the team and No. 1 in terms of creativity.
McCarville hands out 3.71 assists each game, but it's really the way she shells it out that's impressive. With her back to the hoop, she'll drop you one, swing you one or hand you one -- all without even appearing to notice your whereabouts. She is the best passing big in women's basketball, but will have to cut back on some pesky turnovers (she averages three per game)."
GOPHERS HOLD HOOSIERS TO 35 POINTS, ONE POINT OFF SCHOOL RECORD
A layup with 27 seconds left provided Indiana an escape from scoring the lowest points against Minnesota during the NCAA era in the Gophers' 52-35 win in Bloomington on Thursday. That record belongs to Detroit, who managed only 34 points earlier this season. Still, the 35 points scored by Indiana is the lowest point total on the road against the Gophers' defense. The previous low was 40 points scored by Northwestern in Evanston last season.
McCARVILLE NAMED TO NAISMITH LIST
Janel McCarville was named to the Naismith Midseason Team as the field for the Naismith Player of the Year Award was cut to 30 players from around the nation.
IN A CLASS OF HER OWN
Janel McCarville, as the only member of the senior class of 2005, now owns the career record for most wins over a career with 90. Minnesota owns a 90-27 record in games that senior All-American Janel McCarville has played in, bettering the senior class of 1981's (1977-81) total of 87 wins. Last year's seniors finished with 80 career wins.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 15/15 IN POLLS
The Golden Gophers dropped one spot to No. 15 in this week's Associated Press Poll. The Gophers are also ranked No. 15 in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. LSU holds the No. 1 spot in both polls.
MINNESOTA HITS WEEK 61 IN AP POLL
Minnesota has been ranked in the AP National Poll's top 25 for the last 61 polls, dating back to Jan. 21, 2002, and is building upon the longest streak in Golden Gopher history. The Gophers spent a record stretch of eight weeks in the AP's top 10 from Dec. 1 - Jan. 19, nine weeks in the ESPN/USA Today poll (Nov. 24-Jan. 19) during the 2003-04 season. The Gophers spent one week at the No. 10 spot in the AP poll this season.
MINNESOTA RATED 15TH IN RPI
Minnesota is rated No. 15 in the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI. Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in RPI, followed by LSU and Duke. The Gophers are one of four Big Ten teams ranked in the top 20 in RPI with Michigan State at No. 5, Ohio State at No. 6 and Penn State at No. 21. The RPI rankings released by Collegiate Basketball News has Minnesota at No. 14.
