Coatney's Call: Minnesota Game Preview

#20 Nebraska (15-3, 4-2) vs. Minnesota (11-9, 3-3)
Sunday, Jan. 22, 5:06 p.m.  (central)
Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: 25-Station Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln); The Wolf 93.3 FM-KTWI (Omaha); 880 AM-KRVN (Lexington); 1400 AM-KCOW (Alliance); 94.1 FM-KNEB (Scottsbluff); 93.5 FM-KLIQ & 1230 AM-KHAS (Hastings); 1450 AM-KWBE (Beatrice)
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com
Live Television: Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler-PBP; Vera Jones-Analyst) 

It will be Jordan Hooper Day this Sunday evening at the Devaney Center. The 6-2 sophomore forward from Alliance will have a hometown fans in the stands and watching together from Alliance cheering her on.  Hooper had her 11th career double-double and eighth of the season in Thursday night's 82-68 loss at No. 10 Ohio State.  She had 19 points and a career-high-tying 14 rebounds.  Freshman Emily Cady had a great game for the Huskers with a career-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds. 

The Huskers will look to get back on the winning track this Sunday when they host Minnesota at 5 p.m.

Minnesota has an 11-9 record and a 3-3 Big Ten mark after Thursday night's 71-65 win against Michigan State.  The Golden Gophers are tied with Nebraska for the league lead in offensive rebounds per game (15.6 rpg).  Prior to the win over MSU, they had shot a blistering 26-of-50 from the three-point line (.520) and had held a plus-12 rebound margin over their first five Big Ten opponents.  On Thursday night, Minnesota was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc and got outrebounded by two and still won the game.  Minnesota is minus-28 in turnovers in their six league games and while they have shot nearly 50 percent from the three-point line, their first six league foes still have made 10 more three-point field goals. 

The Gophers are 0-8 this season when scoring 64 points or less and have scored 59 or fewer points five times. With Minnesota's 3-3 record in conference play this season, the Gophers have a three-win improvement over their start to Big Ten play last season when they started with seven consecutive losses and finished 4-12.

After losing to the nation's top-ranked team, Baylor, on Dec. 4, Minnesota switched to a three-guard lineup. Freshman Rachel Banham, a 5-9 guard, has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times this season. The point guard entered Thursday's game against Michigan State hitting a blistering 16-of-24 three-point attempts (.667) in league play, but cooled off against MSU going 0-for-3.  She has scored in double figures in 19 of Minnesota's 20 games this year and leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), assists, minutes and three-pointers (31).  

Senior Kiara Buford ranks second on the team in scoring (13.7 ppg) and leads the team in steals. The 5-11 guard had a game-high 22 points in the win over Michigan State. Junior guard Leah Cotton was inserted into the regular starting lineup in early December. She has started 11 games and averages 7.4 points per game. 

Junior Katie Loberg ranks third in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (2.6).  The 6-4 forward earned a spot on the St. Mary's All-Tournament team after averaging a double-double 17.5 pts and 10.0 rebounds.  She leads Minnesota in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and blocked shots, and averages 9.8 points per contest. Senior Jackie Voigt rounds out the Gophers' probable starting lineup. The 6-1 forward adds 4.1 points per game.

Head Coach Pam Borton is in her 10th year at Minnesota and has taken six Gopher teams to the NCAA Tournament, including the 2004 Final Four. She previously was the head coach at Vermont for five years. 

The all-time series between Nebraska and Minnesota is tied 5-5. The Gophers have won the last two games in the series, including a 74-65 decision in Lincoln in 2006.  NU's last win in the series was in 1997 at the Devaney Center.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women's basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Sunday evening begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 4:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 5:06 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network, including Lincoln affiliate KBBK 107.3 FM (B107.3), KTWI (The Wolf) 93.3 FM in Omaha, KRVN 880 in Lexington, KWBE 1450 in Beatrice, KCOW 1400 in Alliance, KLIQ 94.5 FM and KHAS 1230 in Hastings, KNEB 94.1 FM in Scottsbluff and available to our entire 25 network stations.  All Husker women's basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.  

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker women's basketball via social media.  You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women's Basketball Facebook  page or follow the team on their official Twitter  page @huskerswbb.  I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red! 

Matt