Feb. 18, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

With two weeks left to play, five teams are within three games of conference-leading Iowa. Two of those teams, Ohio State and Purdue, take to the court Monday night for a rematch of last year's Big Ten Tournament title game. The contest will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN2. Six other conference games will hit the national airwaves this week, including five televised by the Big Ten Network.

Big Ten on TV
Seven Big Ten women's basketball games featuring nine  different conference teams will reach a national television audience this week with two contests broadcast on ESPN2 and another five on the Big Ten Network. Televised action begins on Monday with a rematch of last year's Big Ten Tournament final as Purdue travels to Ohio State for a 7 p.m. ET tip that will be shown live on ESPN2. Later Monday evening, Northwestern hosts Wisconsin at 8 p.m. CT live on the Big Ten Network. Coverage continues Thursday on the Big Ten Network as Illinois hosts Penn State at 7 p.m. CT.  The Big Ten Network will pick up a rare Saturday matchup as the Badgers travel across the Mississippi River to take on fourth-place Minnesota. All three of Sunday's games will hit the national airwaves beginning at 1 p.m. ET as the Boilermakers host Michigan State on ESPN2. Action continues at 3 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network as the Lady Lions head to Northwestern, and concludes at 5 p.m. CT as the Fighting Illini welcome Michigan to Assembly Hall.

Big Ten Standings Crowded at the Top
With two full weeks left to play, five teams are within three games of conference-leading Iowa. Purdue sits one-half game back, while Ohio State is one game out, Minnesota is two games behind, Indiana is 2.5 games back and Michigan State sits three games out.

Big Ten Celebrates Black History Month
The Big Ten Conference continues to commemorate the achievements of its African-American student-athletes as it launched its Black History Month website on Feb. 1.  The site features stories on male and female student-athletes from each conference institution and can be found at www.bigten.org.  Seven former Big Ten women's basketball players will be highlighted throughout the month. A list of former women's basketball players and the dates on which they will be featured can be found below. Players highlighted this week are in bold.
 - Linda Roberts, Minnesota (Feb. 4)
 - Michelle Edwards, Iowa (Feb. 8)
 - Jessica Davenport, Ohio State (Feb. 12)
 - Stacey Thomas, Michigan (Feb. 14)
 - Ukari Figgs, Purdue (Feb. 16-17)
 - Michele Savage, Northwestern (Feb. 21)
 - Kahadeejah Herbert, Penn State (Feb. 28)

Big Ten to Recognize Northwestern's Savage
This week, the Big Ten will recognize former Northwestern standout Michele Savage, highlighting her with a feature story on the conference's Black History Month website. Savage helped lead the Wildcats to the 1990 Big Ten title and is one of only two players in program history to be named a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. Savage's story will run on www.bigten.org on Thursday, Feb. 21.

Down to the Wire
Big Ten teams have combined to play in 65 games decided by five points or less this season, with 42 of those decisions coming in conference games. Of the 21 total Big Ten games played in the month of February, seven (38 percent) have been decided by five points or fewer. Illinois leads the conference in number of close games played, having participated in nine contests decided by five points or less, eight of which have come in Big Ten action.

Triple Threats
Illinois junior Lori Bjork tied Illinois' three-point scoring record on Thursday against Wisconsin, netting the 194th trey of her career. The mark ties Krista Reinking's 10-year-old school record. Indiana's Nikki Smith moved into second place in the Hoosier records books with six three-pointers last week, giving her 179 in her career. The senior is 27 threes away from IU's all-time record. Ohio State's Marscilla Packer also sits second on her school's all-time three-pointers chart, currently with 221 long-range baskets. The Buckeye senior is five threes away from cracking the Big Ten's top 10 list in that category.

Double Trouble
Illinois' Jenna Smith is the only Big Ten player averaging a double-double in all games played, currently contributing 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. The sophomore is currently ranked second in the conference in scoring and first in rebounding. Smith leads the Big Ten with 13 double-doubles this season and is one of just two players in the conference to have scored in double digits in every game this season.

Dynamic Duos
Wisconsin's tandem of seniors Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks are the leading-scoring duo in the Big Ten, combining to average 34.7 points per game. Not far behind are Ohio State freshman Jantel Lavender and senior Marscilla Packer, who account for 32.3 points per contest. Also contributing over 30 points per game are Minnesota junior Emily Fox and senior Leslie Knight, who combine to put in 30.9 points per game.

No Ordinary Jo
Wisconsin senior Jolene Anderson is just 27 points away from breaking the school's all-time scoring record for a male or female. Anderson is already Wisconsin's women's basketball leading scorer and is eighth on the conference charts with 2,190 career points. The Port Wing, Wis., native is fifth all-time at Wisconsin with 24 career double-doubles, including her 25-point, 12-rebound performance against Illinois last Thursday.

Big Ten Thinks Pink
Several Big Ten teams are "Thinking Pink" this season as part of the initiative sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in an effort to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. Northwestern will hold its event Monday night as it hosts Wisconsin at 8 p.m. CT live on the Big Ten Network. Purdue was the first conference squad to participate in the campaign when the Boilermakers hosted Illinois on Jan. 27. Several other "Think Pink" events have taken place on Big Ten campuses this season, including at Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin. Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin each reached season highs in attendance during their "Think Pink" events.