Gophers at a glance: The Gophers' two most reliable skills -- defense and rebounding -- have diminished in the past two weeks. The Gophers (11-11, 3-5 Big Ten) have been outrebounded in their past three games, falling from first to third in the Big Ten, and coach Pam Borton was chagrined that they allowed Wisconsin to score 78 points on the Gophers' home floor in a six-point loss Thursday. The Gophers have lost four of their past five games. They are 10-50 all-time against the Buckeyes, including a 7-20 record at home.

Ohio State at a glance: Since their only loss of the season -- a 73-62 defeat at Michigan on Jan. 7 -- the ninth-ranked Buckeyes (20-1, 7-1) have won five in a row. They lead the Big Ten in scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of 17.5 points per game. They also top the league in field-goal percentage (.478) and three-point percentage (.377). Senior point guard Samantha Prahalis, already the Buckeyes' career leader in assists, has 147 this season and is 38 short of the Big Ten career record of 892.

RACHEL BLOUNT