Dec. 6, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Easy as 1,2,3???
In a span of a little more than two weeks, three Big Ten teams have the opportunity to knock off the top-three squads in the land. This past weekend, a pair of League teams knocked off the No. 2 and 3 teams in the Associated Press poll, as Penn State edged second-ranked North Carolina, 77-71, in State College on Sunday, and No. 15 Michigan State defeated No. 3 Notre Dame in overtime on Thursday, 82-73. No. 18 Minnesota can make it a clean sweep on December 14 when the Golden Gophers host top-ranked LSU, which will air live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.
Streaks Were Made to be Broken
In the past two weeks, three Big Ten teams have ended nationally-recognized winning streaks across the nation. This past week, Michigan State's victory over No. 3 Notre Dame was not only the highest-ranked team that MSU had ever beaten, but it snapped the Fighting Irish's 25-game home court winning streak. Last season, MSU stopped Ohio State's 24-game home winning streak and Minnesota's 19-game home winning streak as well. Also over the weekend, Illinois beat No. 21/20 Louisiana Tech to end the Techster's 161-game home winning streak over unranked opponents. It also ended their 30-game overall home winning streak -- the second longest in the nation. The win marked the 10th consecutive season in which the Illini have beaten a ranked team. On November 26, Michigan became just the second road team to win at the Thunderdome in UC Santa Barbara's last 41 home games and snapped a 12-game Gaucho home win streak.
Something About 107?
It must be something about 107. So far this season, both Ohio State and Purdue have posted 107 points in dominating wins. Purdue beat IPFW in the season-opener on November 21, 107-39, while Ohio State topped intrastate rival Ohio on its home court, 107-37, on December 1. The 107-point total is the highest of any League team since Minnesota defeated IPFW on November 23, 2002, 116-73. Prior to the Buckeyes and Boilermakers this year, the last time a Big Ten squad eclipsed the century mark was Penn State on December 4, 2002, with a 101-74 victory over Maryland.
Big Ten Teams Outscoring Opponents Big Time
Three Conference teams - Minnesota, Ohio State and Purdue - have each outscored their opponents by more than 15 points per game this season. Ohio State tops the League with an impressive difference of 37.2 points per game. The Buckeyes, who have played eight games, including two against top-25 teams, are currently outscoring their opponents, 653-355. OSU beat Ohio on December 1, 107-37, matching the League's highest output of the year. Purdue, which is 15.5 points better than its opponents, dominated IPFW, 107-39, in the season-opener on November 21. Minnesota ranks second in the League at 18.7, after setting a new NCAA-era school record by allowing only 34 points in the win over Detroit. The 52-point margin of victory was also an NCAA-era school record. On the week, the Gophers allowed 79 points, an average of less than 40 points in the two games.
An International Flavor
Eight Big Ten student-athletes from six different League schools hail from outside of the United States. While three players are from just north of the border in Canada, five are natives of Africa, Germany, Senegal, Slovakia and Turkey. A list of the eight international student-athletes follows:
Name, School, Pos., Yr., Hometown
Sarah McKay, IND, C, So., Victoria, British Columbia
Alisa Wulff, MSU, G, So., Pickering, Ontario
A.J. Glasauer, NU, G/F, Fr., Freiburg, Germany
Nazli Senol, NU, F/G, Fr., Mersin, Turkey
Alice Jamen, OSU, C/F, Fr., Cameroon, Africa
Romana Vynuchalova, PSU, F/C, Fr., Bratislava, Slovakia
Natasha Bogdanova, PUR, F, Fr., Toronto, Ontario
Aya Traore, PUR, F, Jr., Dakar, Senegal
Penn State's Portland Takes Medical Leave of Absence
Last week, Penn State head coach Rene Portland took a leave of absence from the Lady Lions, citing medical concerns related to her fainting episode on the team plane. After the season-opening loss at Texas, the PSU mentor was admitted to Mount Nittany Medical Center on November 14 where she stayed two nights. Portland will not be involved in the Lady Lions' practices or games for an indefinite period of time. Associate Head Coach Annie Troyan is serving as acting head coach in Portland's absence and has guided the Lady Lions to their first three wins of the season, including an upset over No. 2 North Carolina on December 5.
Portland, in her 25th season as head coach at Penn State, has a career coaching record of 649-225, including 562-196 with the Lady Lions.
Sharp-Shooting Buckeyes
In the 107-37 win over Ohio on December 1, Ohio State shot 40-59 from the field. The .678 shooting percentage was the fifth best in League history. Ironically, the Buckeyes stake claim to the top-two all-time shooting percentages as OSU shot .720 against Wright State on December 18, 2003, and .689 against Minnesota on February 26, 2004. The Buckeyes also made 13 three-pointers this season against Bowling Green (November 12), which is the Big Ten's second-best mark all-time, behind OSU's 14 against IUPUI (12/1/03) and Purdue's 14 against Florida A&M (12/3/94).
Big Ten Ranks Fourth in WBCA/Summerville RPI Ratings
In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI Ratings, which measure strength of schedule, the Big Ten ranks fourth among all Conferences with a rating of .585. In the preseason rankings, the Big Ten was rated first, while Penn State (.707) and Purdue (.673) ranked second and third behind Tennessee (.781) in non-conference action. Five League teams trailed the Lady Volunteers (.684) in the overall schedule. Indiana (.618) is sixth, followed by No. 8 Michigan (.613), No. 11 Penn State (.609), No. 13 Purdue (.607) and No. 23 Wisconsin (.588). The complete list of ratings are located on page five.
Big Ten Proves Dominant in Overtime and Blowouts
The Big Ten has accumulated a combined record of 44-24 (.647) this season, but carries a 29-8 (.784) record in games that League teams either win by 16 points or more, or are extended into overtime. Currently, Big Ten teams are 4-2 in overtime, 4-0 in games deicded by 16-20 points and 21-6 in games decided by 21 or more points. Michigan State is 2-0 in overtime games this year -- both of which came to ranked Big East opponents away from MSU's Breslin Center.
Playing For 20
A total of 17 student-athletes have gone for 20 or more points this season on 28 different occasions. Michigan State's Lindsay Bowen and Penn State's Tanisha Wright have each scored over 20 points in three contests this season. Bowen went for the League's season-best 33 points against Texas Christian on November 28, while Wright netted 30 in the Lady Lions' season-opener at then-No. 2/3 Texas on November 14.
Penn State's Strom Eyes Big Ten Assists Record
Penn State senior Jess Strom needs no assistance as she climbs her way toward the top of the all-time Big Ten career assists mark. Strom currently sits fourth with 679 assists for her career. Northwestern's Nancy Kennelly holds the League record with 892 assists from 1988-93.
BIG TEN CAREER ASSISTS LEADERS
Player, Team ... Years ... Assists
1. Nancy Kennelly, NU ... 1988-93 ... 892
2. Tina Nicholson, PSU ... 1992-96 ... 826
3. Helen Darling, PSU ... 1997-00 ... 791
4. Jess Strom, PSU ... 2002-Pres. ... 679
5. Jamie Lewis, OSU ... 1997-01 ... 643
Four League Coaches Record Milestone Wins
Four Big Ten coaches have already claimed milestone victories in their respective careers this season. On December 5, Minnesota's Pam Borton won her 125th game at the helm of the Golden Gophers, in a 62-45 win over Kansas. Beth Combs earned her first win at Northwestern on November 24 at home against Western Michigan. The Wildcats won 64-60 to give the first-year head coach her first win at NU. Ohio State's Jim Foster gained career win 550 in Columbus on November 17 as his Buckeyes topped No. 24/21 Arizona in the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT. Foster then captured his 50th win at Ohio State on December 4, as the Buckeyes beat Dayton. Iowa's Lisa Bluder gained her 75th win at Iowa on November 20 as the Hawkeyes captured the KCRG TV-9 Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, with victories over Southern Illinois and Missouri.
Big Ten Continues to Boast FAN-tastic Figures
The Big Ten is looking to continue its dominance in national attendance this season, as last year's total of 778,125 was a Conference record and ranked second nationally (Big 12). Over the 2003-04 season, an average of 5,085 fans -- also a Conference record -- attended Big Ten games. The Big Ten has led the nation in attendance seven of the last 12 years, most recently in 1999.
Three League Schools Drastically Improve Attendance
Purdue, Penn State and Minnesota ranked in the top five in the nation for increased attendance last season. Purdue (2nd) averaged 10,105 fans per game -- an increase of 3,051 per game. Penn State (4th) took in 9,670 (+2,899) last year, while Minnesota (5th) improved 1,903 to 9,703.
A Final Four in December?
Coming off its first Final Four appearance in school history, Minnesota makes its 2004-05 national television debut when the Gophers host another 2004 Final Four squad, LSU, on Tuesday, December 14. National player of the year candidates Janel McCarville of Minnesota and LSU's Seimone Augustus will battle head-to-head when the two teams meet on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.
Purdue to Battle Duke in a "Blockbuster"
As a part of a doubleheader with the Purdue men's team battling Evansville, the Lady Boilermakers will face Duke in the Boilermaker BlockBuster at Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 18. The game will be at 4:30 p.m. and is a rematch of the 1999 NCAA title game.
Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors, who is a former Purdue assistant, will have to have her Blue Devils ready as Purdue is 27-8 all-time in Indianapolis and has won its last seven straight in Conseco.
A Tough Act To Follow...
This year marks the 23rd season of Big Ten Women's Basketball. Women's athletics were officially incorporated into the Big Ten in 1981-82, with basketball beginning in 1982-83. Since its official inception, Big Ten Women's Basketball has become one of the elite conferences in the nation. Last season, the Big Ten produced its fourth Final Four representative (Minnesota) in six years and captured 11 wins in the 2004 NCAA Championship, marking the League's all-time best win total in the Tournament.
