Dec. 19, 2005
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A Look at the Week Ahead...
Big Ten women's basketball action will be taking place during all five days prior to Christmas Eve this week, beginning with a pair of teams competing in tournaments on Monday. Penn State, which fell to Middle Tennessee State Sunday night in the opening game of the UAB Blazer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., will wrap up play against Alabama A&M on Monday at 4 p.m. Purdue will compete in its first game of the Mississippi State Classic in Starksville, Miss., when the Boilermakers take to the court against Centenary at 4:30 p.m. With a win, Purdue would face the winner of Morehead State and Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Highlighting this week's matchups will be a top 25 battle between No. 11/13 Michigan State and No. 15/15 Oklahoma. The Spartans will travel to Norman, Okla., to face a Sooner squad fresh off an upset loss to Illinois this past Sunday. Also on Wednesday will be a in-state battle between Iowa and Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
Four Big Ten Teams Ranked in Nation's Top 25
Four conference squads were ranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls this past week. Ohio State was fourth in both polls and Michigan State was ranked No. 11/13. Minnesota was 14th and 12th in the polls, while No. 20/20 Purdue rounded out the Big Ten contingent.
NCAA National Notables
Several Big Ten student-athletes and teams were nationally ranked in many categories as of Dec. 13, which are listed on page five of the weekly release. Penn State's Adrienne Squire ranked first (1.000) in free-throw percentage, followed by Indiana's Cyndi Valentin in seventh at .956. Ohio State's Kim Wilburn was fourth in steals at 4.3. OSU also led in scoring defense (43.0) and turnovers per game (11.0).
98 in December?
Two conference squads have posted the most points scored in a game so far this season in the month of December. Purdue recorded 98 points in a win at Western Michigan on Dec. 1, while Michigan matched the point total in a home victory over Fordham on Dec. 13.
Don't Foul Us
The Big Ten currently holds a significant advantage over all other five major conferences (ACC, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10, SEC) at the free-throw line. As a conference, the Big Ten is the only league shooting better than 70 percent as it has connected on 1426-of-1995 attempts. Its .715 average ranks better than the ACC (.692), Pac-10 (.686), SEC (.681), Big East (.673) and Big 12 (.660). In addition, eight of the 11 Big Ten schools, led by Penn State at .759, currently average better than 70 percent from the line, followed by the ACC with seven of its 12. The Pac-10 has four teams above the .700 mark, while the Big East, Big 12 and SEC all have just three.
Don't Foul Them
Adrienne Squire of Penn State currently leads the conference in free-throw shooting, as she has not missed one attempt this year. The Lady Lion sophomore is a perfect 34-of-34 this season over nine games. She also hit all 10 of her attempts last year and all 12 of her shots this past Sunday, which improved her consecutive free throws made streak to 44. That mark broke the previous Penn State record of 42, set by current assistant coach Susan Robinson.
Indiana's Cyndi Valentin ranks second behind Squire, having missed only two of her 46 attempts this year for a .957 average. Valentin has made 28 consecutive free throws, which ranks third in school history. She already owns the school record of 48 and is the Big Ten single-season record holder in free-throw percentage at .925, having made 99-of-107 in 2003-04.
Don't Make Us Shoot From Back Here
In addition to being tops among major conferences from the free-throw line, the Big Ten has also shown its success from the outside as well. The league (460-of-1330) currently ranks first with the ACC in three-point field goal percentage at .346. Following the Big Ten and ACC is the Pac-10 (.342), SEC (.338), Big 12 (.331) and Big East (.330).
Don't Make Them Shoot From Back Here
For the second straight week, league-best marks were recorded from three-point land. Michigan matched the conference's season-best with nine three-pointers in its win over Fordham on Dec. 13. Just days later, Michigan State posted a league-high for 2005-06 when it attempted 27 shots from the perimeter.
Two weeks ago, Purdue equaled a league-best total of nine three-pointers in a win over Valparaiso, while Minnesota matched the conference's season-best on 8-of-12 (.667) shooting from downtown. Individually, Purdue's Katie Gearlds finished the Valparaiso game with six three-pointers, which tied the league's best mark with Penn State's Adrienne Squire. Indiana's Nikki Smith also matched the best percentage this season, shooting 5-of-7 (.714) against Eastern Michigan, which ties MSU's Lindsay Bowen in her performance against Tennessee.
Some More Shooting Standouts
Two additional conference teams posted impressive shooting marks this past weekend. In a 20-point win over Drake on Dec. 18, Iowa made 41 field goals, which is a season-best for a team in the Big Ten this year. In a loss at Western Michigan on Dec. 14, Northwestern managed 77 attempts from the field, which marks the league's second highest total this season.
The Badgers' Bests
Two Wisconsin Badgers currently rank in the conference's top seven in both scoring and rebounding. Jolene Anderson, the 2004-05 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, ranks fourth in scoring (16.9) and seventh in rebounding (7.4), while sophomore Janese Banks rates seventh in scoring (15.5) and senior Annie Nelson is sixth in rebounding (7.9).
Underclassmen Leading Several Categories
Of the 13 major individual stat categories, six are currently led by underclassmen. Penn State's Brianne O'Rourke is tops in assists (6.00) and minutes played (38.44), while teammate Adrienne Squire leads in free-throw percentage (1.000) and three-point field goal percentage (.465). In addition, Iowa's Megan Skouby ranks first in field goal percentage (.632) and Michigan's Ta'Shia Walker is leading in offensive rebounds (4.27).
Senior Scoring
Three seniors currently sit atop the scoring rankings in the Big Ten, including two that rank over 20 points per game. Michigan State's Liz Shimek leads the conference with 21.3 points per contest, while Iowa's Crystal Smith is averaging 20.8. Indiana's Cyndi Valentin has scored an average of 17.7 points over nine games this year.
Back Home Again in Indiana
Indiana has had to find success on the road early in this 2005-06 campaign. The Hoosiers have been away from Bloomington for six straight games, but have managed to post a 3-2 road record and a 1-0 mark on a neutral court. The three road wins have already matched their total road victories from last season. Despite a 1-3 home record, two of the losses came to top 15 teams (#6/5 Baylor and #13/15 Notre Dame) in the first two games of the year.
Stealing Her Way to 300
Ohio State's Kim Wilburn is just four steals shy of becoming just the 11th player in Big Ten history to record 300 career steals. Michigan's Stacey Thomas holds the record of 372, while other notables include Kristin Haynie (MSU, `01-05) in 3rd at 346 and Jess Strom (PSU, `02-05) in 10th at 310.
Unique Double-Doubles
On three occasions this season, Big Ten student-athletes have posted double-doubles in points and assists rather than the typical points and rebounds combo. Ohio State's Brandie Hoskins posted 25 points and 10 assists against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 21, while five days later, Northwestern's A.J. Glasauer recorded 17 and 10, respectively, at Illinois-Chicago. This past week, Wisconsin's Janese Banks tallied 11 points and 11 assists, which are a league-best this season, in a road win at UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 14.
