Golden Gopher Women's Basketball Travels to Indiana on Thursday

Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-5, 4-2 Big Ten)
vs.
Indiana Hoosiers (10-7, 3-2 Big Ten)

LOCATION Assembly Hall (17,357) - Bloomington, Ind.
DATE / TIME: Thurs., Jan. 17 / 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET)
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: KBEM-FM-88.5
Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com
Corbu Stathes (play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (analyst)

Golden Gopher Watch List Jan. 17, 2008
Gophers Travel to Indiana on Thursday - Minnesota travels to Indiana on Thursday, Jan. 17, for a 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT) game with the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall. The Golden Gophers are 13-5 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play coming off a 67-50 win over Penn State last Sunday.
Gophers Versus the Hoosiers 2x - Thanks to an ESPN appearance on Thursday for the Minnesota/Indiana men’s game at Williams Arena, the Gophers and Hoosiers will enjoy a rare double dip of college basketball in which the men and women play the same school on the same night. The women tip off at 6 p.m. (CT) in Bloomington, while the men tip their game at 8 p.m. (CT).
Fox, Knight Second and Third in Big Ten Scoring - Emily Fox is second averaging 17.7 points per Big Ten game, followed by Leslie Knight at 16.3.
Ellis-Milan Enjoys Career Game in Win Over Penn State - Sophomore center Ashley Ellis-Milan is coming off a career game versus Penn State. Ellis-Milan scored 22 points and added nine rebounds in the win.

Minnesota Travel to Indiana on Thursday
Minnesota travels to Indiana on Thursday, Jan. 17, for a 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT) game with the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall. The Golden Gophers are 13-5 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play coming off a 67-50 win over Penn State last Sunday. Indiana enters the game with a 10-7 mark, 3-2 in Conference action after defeating Purdue in West Lafayette, 66-54, on Monday.

An Unusual Home-and-Home Setting
Thanks to an ESPN appearance on Thursday for the Minnesota/Indiana men’s game at Williams Arena, the Gophers and Hoosiers will enjoy a rare double dip of college basketball in which the men and women play the same school on the same night. The women tip off at 6 p.m. (CT) in Bloomington, while the men tip their game at 8 p.m. (CT).

A Return Visit
A return visit by opportunity that is. It’s knocking again on the Gophers’ door again a week after Minnesota let a golden opportunity escape at Illinois, Minnesota is presented with another huge chance to solidify its presence among the Big Ten leaders with a victory at Indiana. With the Gophers entering the contest at 4-2 and awaiting a bye in Sunday’s round of Big Ten action, any separation from the five Conference teams at 3-2, including Indiana, would be a big advantage.

It’s One Tough Road to Travel
Winning on the road is never easy and it’s even tougher come the Big Ten season. Minnesota has already captured two very important road wins this season (Michigan State, Wisconsin) and join Indiana and Ohio State as the only Big Ten teams with two road victories in Conference play. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes, however, have a win at winless Northwestern; a trip the Gophers unfortunately will not make this season. Overall, visiting teams have won 10 of 30 games in Big Ten play with Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State accounting for six of those road victories. There are four BIg Ten teams who have yet to win on the road: Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

What Wacky Start to the Big Ten Season
The word was that the Big Ten race would be wide open this season and if early returns are any indication, this is going to be an interesting roller-coaster ride of a Big Ten season. This season marks the first since the 1996-97 campaign that no team even made it to 3-0 to kick of the Big Ten slate. How did that season 11 years ago end? Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue tied for the Big Ten title, all with a 12-4 mark. There were also two teams that finished 9-7 (Northwestern, Iowa), two that finished 8-8 (Wisconsin, Penn State) and two at 7-9 (Michigan, Indiana).

Defending Home Hardwood Huge in Big Ten Play
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 33-9 (.786) over the last five seasons.

It Took a 42-Point Effort
Gophers Emily Fox and Leslie Knight are now ranked second and third in Big Ten scoring, thanks to a 42-point effort by Wisconsin’s Jolene Anderson pushing her to the top of the scorer’s list at 18.4 points per game. Fox is second averaging 17.7 points per Big Ten game, followed by Knight at 16.3.

RPIs Bruised as Big Ten Team Battle Each Other
The Big Ten Conference is the ranked third in RPI (Rating Percentage Index) according to CollegeRPI.com. As the rugged BIg Ten season plays out, the Gophers picked up just two spots, moving to No. 26, after a win over the Big Ten’s top-ranking team in RPI, Penn State. The Lady Lions retained the highest RPI in the Conference at No. 20. Ohio State stands at No. 31. The top ranked conference in RPI are the Big 12 and the Big East.

Nothing But a Fun Compliment Right Now
The Golden Gophers have finally returned to the radar screen of ESPN’s Charlie Creme’s Bracketology. Two weeks ago, Creme mentioned the Gophers in his observations heading into 2008 and on Monday, Jan. 14, Creme added Minnesota to his projected field of 64 NCAA Tournament teams for the first time this season.

Fox Deserving Participant in Player of the Year Race
Emily Fox was named an All-Big Ten Second Team performer a year ago after ranking among the Big Ten leaders in several statistical categories. Fox has continued and bettered that trend this season. She is ranked among the leaders (overall season stats) in scoring, assists, steals, free throw percentage and three-point percentage. The following chart lists a comparison between her current Big Ten rankings and how Fox finished last season.
Big Ten Stat 2007-08 2006-07
Scoring 3rd / 17.6 ppg. 10th / 14.5 ppg.
Assists 3rd / 4.22 apg. 5th / 3.88 apg.
Steals 4th / 2.39 spg. 5th / 2.31 spg.
FT Pct. 8th / .828 10th / .848
3FG Pct. 1st / .452 na
3FG Made 7th / 1.56 na

Our Knight in Shining Armor
Senior Leslie Knight has become the Gophers’ go-to player on the post. Currently ranked third in the Big Ten scoring 16.3 points per Conference game and second in field goal percentage at 65.0 percent, Knight has strung together an impressive list of performances to start 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
Totals 39-60 (.650) 16.3 ppg.

An “X” Factor...The Real McCoy
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. Eleven (11) of the Gophers’ victories, including all four 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 four times) or has dished out five or more assists (which she has done six times), the Gophers are a perfect 11-0. She accomplished both in the win over Penn State in her last outing, scoring 12 points and dishing out six assists.

Don’t Forget About the BIg Girl in the Middle
The Gophers have another weapon in their arsenal in sophomore center Ashley Ellis-Milan, who is coming off a career game versus Penn State. Ellis-Milan scored 22 points and added nine rebounds in the win. She has been a consistent third double-figure scorer for the Gophers and is averaging 10.9 points a game.

How About These Odds?
The Gophers have played 18 games, 745 minutes of court time, and sophomores Ashley Ellis-Milan and Korinne Campbell share the team lead in rebounding with the exact number of boards - 136. That’s an average of 7.6 rebounds a game, ranking sixth in the Big Ten. Their numbers of offensive to defensive rebounds are also as close as they could be to being the same. Ellis-Milan has 54 offensive rebounds to 82 defensive, while Campbell has 53 offensive and 83 defensive rebounds.

Putting the Books Away For a While
The Gophers finished first semester exams before the holidays and are in the final week of nearly a month off from classes. The Indiana game is Minnesota’s final contest before the second semester begins on Tuesday, Jan. 22. So far the Gophers are 5-2 during their winter break from classes.

Gophers Win When They Score 70 Points
Though for a team with a defensive philosophy this statistic only makes sense, it’s worthy of mention nonetheless. Minnesota has won 72 straight games when the Gophers have scored 70 or more points. One has to go back to the 2003 Big Ten Tournament and an 80-77 loss to Iowa to find the last time Minnesota tallied 70 yet lost.

Fox Consistent as Gopher Leader
Emily Fox has captured team scoring honors in 12 of the Gophers’ 18 games. The Gophers are 10-2 when Fox garners scoring honors. The only games in which she was not the Gophers’ top scorer was versus Virginia, (15 points), Charlotte, (11 points and seven assists), Utah (14 points and seven rebounds), Purdue (16 points and seven assists), Iowa (16 points, four assists, four steals) and Penn State (11 points, five assists, four steals).

The Imperative Element - Limit Their Shot Attempts
Minnesota is 4-2 Big Ten standings yet ranks dead last in defensive field goal percentage (.436). Against Purdue, the Boilermakers shot 53.2 percent from the floor but suffered a seven-point setback. Iowa shot 50.9 percent and squeaked out an overtime win. As Boilermaker head coach Sharon Versyp put it in her postgame interview, “We needed more shot attempts...we only got 47.” That is exactly how the Gophers have been able to overcome having teams shoot well against them - limit their opportunities. Minnesota has allowed its opponents a Big Ten-low 55.2 field goal attempts per game by combining the elements of forcing 20.2 turnovers per game and controlling the boards thus limiting second chances (opponents are averaging 10.9 offensive rebounds per game). Still with Pam Borton’s emphasis on defense, watch for the Gophers to sure-up their defense and lower that opponent field goal percentage.

Gophers Show Improvement in Defensive Field Goal Percentage
The Gophers have worked diligently to improve their team defense and have seen the results in the last three games. Good things are in the mix if the Gophers can continue the trend. Including the blip on the radar of 82 shot attempts by Wisconsin, Minnesota is allowing its opponents an average of 56 field goal attempts per game. Take that one game out of the equation and the average falls to 50.
Jan. 7 at Wisconsin Badger FG Attempts (82) 35.4%
Jan. 10 at Illinois Illini FG Attempts (47) 46.8%
Jan. 13 Penn State Lady Lion FG Attempts (53) 37.7%

Scouting The Hoosiers
Indiana is 10-7 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten after winning a big game at Purdue, 66-54, in its last outing. The Hoosiers feature a balanced offensive attack with four players averaging in double figures. Sophomore Jamie Braun has been having a sensational season, leading the Hoosiers in scoring at 14.3 points per game while adding 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists a contest. Junior forward Whitney Thomas checks in at 12.0 points and 9.2 rebounds an outing and is coming off an impressive 17 points/18 rebounds double-double versus Purdue.

The Minnesota / Indiana Series
Minnesota leads the series with Indiana by a 27-24 margin, one of only two Big Ten series (Michigan the other) that the Gophers lead (tied with Wisconsin). The teams split in action a year ago, each winning on their home court.

Upcoming Events