Feb. 6, 2006
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Strange Schedule Stands Out in This Week's Play
In the midst of a heated battle for the conference lead, Big Ten women's basketball takes to the court this week with games scheduled a little out of the ordinary. Coming off its bye this past week, where they topped Indiana on Sunday, the Buckeyes of Ohio State return to action on Tuesday to host Wright State. League leader Purdue, in its bye week, will host IPFW on Thursday in non-conference action, while eight squads will battle in Big Ten play. Due to the Ohio State at Michigan men's game Thursday night, the Buckeyes' and Wolverines' women's teams were bumped to a rare conference game on Friday.
On Sunday, Big Ten games typically begin at 2 p.m. local time, however Sunday's five league contests will begin at five different times. Illinois will play Penn State at 1 p.m., followed by Northwestern at Indiana at 2 p.m. Due to television, Minnesota at Purdue will begin at 3:05 p.m., followed by Wisconsin at Michigan State at 3:11. Sunday's action will close with a late 5 p.m. tip with Iowa at Ohio State.
"February Frenzy" to Televise League Pair
This season's women's basketball coverage on ESPN2 includes a late-season doubleheader dubbed "February Frenzy." The 2006 February Frenzy will take place on Sunday, Feb. 12, and will include Big Ten games Minnesota at Purdue (3:10 p.m.) and Wisconsin at Michigan State (3:15 p.m.). Four games will be slated for staggered start-times at both 3 and 5 p.m. ET. ESPN2's coverage will "whip around" the four games, which replicates ESPN's regional coverage of early round NCAA women's basketball tournament games last season.
Four Big Ten Teams Ranked in Nation's Top 20
Four conference squads were ranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls this past week. Ohio State was 7th in both polls, while Purdue was 8th, Minnesota was 12th and Michigan State was 17th.
Four League Squads Make Top 30 of NCAA RPI
In the first official RPI report released by the NCAA this past Tuesday, four Big Ten squads ranked in the top 50. Ohio State was eighth, followed by No. 13 Purdue, No. 25 Minnesota and No. 26 Michigan State. For a complete list of the NCAA RPI, check out page eight.
Comcast to Air Three Big Ten Games This Week
In its partnership with Comcast Local Detroit, Comcast Sports Net Chicago will air three Big Ten games this week. CSNC will broadcast Thursday's Minnesota at Michigan State contest along with Sunday's Illinois at Penn State game. In addition, CSNC will air CLD's coverage of Ohio State at Michigan on Friday, while CLD will show CSNC's coverage on Thursday. For more information on the televised games this week, check out page six of the release.
NCAA National Notables
Several Big Ten student-athletes and teams were nationally ranked in many categories as of Jan. 30, which are listed on page five. Among the standouts, Penn State's Adrienne Squire ranked second (.952) in free-throw percentage, followed by Indiana's Cyndi Valentin in fifth at .938. Ohio State's Marscilla Packer was sixth in three-point field goal percentage at .479. OSU was also second in scoring defense (50.8) and third in fouls per game (12.2) and assists (19.2).
Big Ten & Comcast Announce First Wildcard Game
The Big Ten and Comcast SportsNet Chicago announced Monday the selection of the Purdue at Ohio State matchup as the first of two "Wildcard" games this season. The game, which will be played Thursday, Feb. 23, will take to the court at 8 p.m. ET and be televised live. Dave Loane is scheduled as the play-by-play talent, while Greg Kelser will handle analyst duties.
The Buckeyes' lone conference loss came at the hands of the Boilermakers on New Year's Day, which served as the second league contest of the season for both teams. In a heated battle in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers prevailed, 61-59, in front of more than 7,700 spectators.
Big Ten Tournament Single-Session Tickets on Sale
The chance to get in on the 2006 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament action is here. Single-session tickets for the tournament went on sale this past Saturday, Feb. 4, and range $10-$14. In addition, all-session tickets are on sale for $55. Tickets can be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet, Ticketmaster charge-by-phone numbers (317-239-5151 in central Indiana), www.ticketmaster.com and the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.
The Big Ten Tournament will be held March 2-6 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. No tournament games will take place on Saturday, March 4 due to the IHSAA Girl's State Basketball Finals.
Brown and Skouby Post Career Bests vs. Purdue
This past week, Iowa's Megan Skouby and Penn State's Amanda Brown turned in career performances against Purdue. In an upset overtime win over the Boilermakers on Feb. 2, Skouby scored 19 points, grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and matched a career-best five blocks in 42 minutes. Skouby netted 15 of her 19 points in the first 20 minutes, putting the Hawkeyes on her back after trailing by as many as 13 in the opening half. She also posted career highs in free throws made (9) and attempts (11).
Brown saved her career game for the conference's top team, pouring in a career-best 29 points against the No. 8 Boilermakers. The Lady Lion junior also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in the 72-61 loss.
Illinois' Grentz Looking For No. 650 This Week
Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz is just two victories short of becoming the 10th Division I coach to reach 650 wins for her career. Grentz, in her 32nd season overall and 11th at Illinois, has coached in 942 games and has won 69 percent of her games. Penn State's Rene Portland is already a member of the 650-win club, having won 674 career victories.
Gophers Packing Williams Arena on Sundays
Over three of the last four Sundays, Minnesota has welcomed close to 35,000 fans into Williams Arena. This past Sunday against Michigan, the Golden Gophers had a crowd of 12,049, which marked the largest turnout of the season and the 12th largest all-time. Prior to Sunday, Minnesota welcomed 11,529 against Penn State on Jan. 29 and 10,876 versus Michigan State on Jan. 15. Over five conference home games so far this season, Minnesota leads the league with an average close to 9,900 per contest.
Joining the Club in "Grand" Fashion
Northwestern's Ifeoma Okonkwo recorded the 1,000th point of her career and chipped in a team-high 20 points Sunday afternoon in a 58-56 win over Wisconsin. The senior, who became the ninth active Big Ten player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, also recorded six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win.
Speaking of Point Clubs
Michigan State's Lindsay Bowen (1,633) and Liz Shimek (1,627) could welcome Ohio State's Debbie Merrill (1,597) into the 1,600-point club this week, while Indiana's Jenny DeMuth (1,397) is three points away from 1,400. With Northwestern's Ifeoma Okonkwo having joined the 1,000-point club over the weekend, the watch is now on Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson, who accumulated 902 points in under two seasons with the Badgers.
Wilburn Sets OSU Steals Mark; Big Ten's Next?
Kim Wilburn, Ohio State's school record holder in steals, tallied three last week at Indiana to bring her career total to 335. Wilburn currently ranks fourth all-time in Big Ten history and is just one of 11 Big Ten players to eclipse 300. Michigan's Stacey Thomas (`96-00) holds the record of 372, followed by Wisconsin's Tamara Moore (`99-02) at 353 and Michigan State's Kristin Haynie (`01-05) at 346.
Speaking of Steals at Indiana
Indiana's all-around performer, senior Jenny DeMuth, is rapidly approaching another school record. DeMuth, who already holds the Hoosiers' top mark for career free throws at 470, is just three steals away from breaking the all-time career record of 210 as well.
