Dec. 31, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Illinois and Minnesota each opened the Big Ten season with 2-0 records. The Golden Gophers were led by Big Ten Player of the Week Leslie Knight who averaged 18 points and seven boards on the weekend. Five games hit national television this week, including Indiana's Big Ten opener on Monday afternoon at Northwestern on the Big Ten Network.
Big Ten on TV
Five Big Ten women's basketball games will be televised on national television this week. Coverage begins on New Year's Eve as Northwestern hosts Indiana at 2 p.m. CT in a matchup that will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Network coverage continues on Thursday as the Hoosiers welcome in-state rival Purdue at 8 p.m. ET. The Big Ten plays its first of two CBS contests on Saturday when Penn State travels to Michigan State for a Noon ET tip-off. Sunday's schedule features two nationally televised contests as Purdue hosts Connecticut, the No. 1 team in the nation, at 1:30 p.m. ET live on CBS. The week's television schedule wraps up that with a conference game as Iowa hosts Ohio State at 3 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
Home Court Advantage
Through the first weekend of conference play, Big Ten teams have combined to go 6-2 (.750) at home in conference contests. Overall, Big Ten squads are 55-15 (.786) in their home arenas with 10 of the conference's 11 teams over .500 at home. Michigan (5-0) and Penn State (7-0) remain undefeated at home, while six teams (Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin) have just one loss each on their home courts. Support from the home crowd proved to be a factor as an average of 5,375 fans came out to see each Big Ten game over the weekend, including a crowd of 9,416 that saw Purdue defeat Wisconsin on Friday.
Dynamic Duos
Wisconsin seniors Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks are the highest-scoring duo in the Big Ten, combining to average 32.5 points per game. Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Marscilla Packer are a close second, combining to put up 32.1 points per contest. Indiana and Penn State lead the conference with four players each averaging double-digit scoring. The Hoosiers' Jamie Braun, Amber Jackson, Whitney Thomas and Kim Roberson combine for 48.5 points per game, while the Lady Lions' Tyra Grant, Brianne O'Rourke, Kamela Gissendanner and Mashea Williams average a combined 51.7 points per contest.
Senior Leadership
Minnesota senior Leslie Knight, this week's Big Ten Player of the Week, is the first upperclassman to earn the honor all season. Prior to this week, the award had been garnered by only freshmen and sophomores. Illinois sophomore Jenna Smith earned the accolade three times, Michigan State sophomore Allyssa DeHaan and Ohio State freshman Jantel Lavender took home the honor two times each, and Penn State sophomore Tyra Grant earned the award once.
`Cats and Hoosiers Close Out 2007
Northwestern and Indiana will close out the 2007 calendar year on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network. The game marks Indiana's 2007-08 conference opener.
U-M Wins Opener For First Time in Six Years
With a 63-46 victory over Iowa at home on Sunday, Michigan won its first Big Ten opener in six years. The win also snapped the Wolverines' five-year losing streak to the Hawkeyes that spanned seven games. Sophomore Krista Phillips led Michigan in the win, recording 12 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots in the game. First-year Wolverines head coach Kevin Borseth has the Maize and Blue five games over the .500 mark for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign.
Purdue To Play Final Non-Conference Game
With conference play having started, Purdue will play the Big Ten's final non-conference matchup of the regular season when it welcomes No. 1 Connecticut to Mackey Arena on Sunday for a contest that will be televised live on CBS at 1:30 p.m. The game marks the end of a challenging non-conference schedule for the Boilermakers who have already faced three nationally-ranked opponents, including then-No. 9/8 Duke, then-No. 4/4 North Carolina and then-No. 16/20 Notre Dame.
No Sophomore Slump for Smith
A three-time Big Ten Player of the Week, Illinois' Jenna Smith is steering clear of the "sophomore slump." Smith leads the Big Ten in several statistical categories including scoring (18.8 ppg), rebounding (9.9 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.586). Last week, Smith became the first Illini in over 20 years to pick up three Player of the Week honors in the same season. Illinois' Jonelle Polk was honored four times in the 1985-86 campaign, which is the school's record.
Badger Senior Tracks UW Points Record
Wisconsin senior Jolene Anderson needs just 64 points to tie Wisconsin's all-time scoring record of 1,994, set by Barb Franke from 1991-96. With 1,930 career points to her name, Anderson is on pace to become the 12th player in Big Ten history to reach the 2,000-point milestone. The Port Wing, Wis., native tallied the second-highest double-digit scoring streak in school history at 39 games before her streak was snapped at Purdue on Friday when the senior put up six points.
Big Ten Among Nation's Elite
At the time the NCAA's most recent statistical rankings were released, several Big Ten teams and individuals ranked among the nation's elite. Michigan State sophomore Allyssa DeHaan stood first in blocks per game with 5.30, while Iowa's Wendy Ausdemore fronted all of NCAA Division I with a .581 three-point field goal percentage. As a team, Illinois is fifth in the nation with a .814 free-throw shooting percentage, Iowa is eighth in three-point shooting percentage (.403), and Michigan State is ninth in blocks with 6.3 swats per game.
