Gophers at a glance: The last time these border rivals met, the Gophers (11-4, 0-1 Big Ten) overwhelmed the Badgers 81-49 in their opening game at the Big Ten tournament last March. They have found less success in recent regular-season games in the series. The Badgers have won six in a row and eight of the past 10 dating to 2006; the last Gophers victory in Madison came on Jan. 7, 2008. The Gophers' 73.2 points per game is the second-highest average in the Big Ten, behind Penn State's 74.2. Sophomore guard Rachel Banham (21.4 points per game) continues to lead the league in scoring.

Badgers at a glance: Like the Gophers, the Badgers (8-6, 0-1) lost their Big Ten opener on the road, 70-52 at Nebraska on Wednesday. Wisconsin is averaging 61.4 points per game, 11th among the 12 teams in the league, and its field-goal percentage (.403) also is second-lowest in the conference. Junior guard Morgan Paige leads the team in scoring with a 16.1 average. Lake-ville's Cassie Rochel, a 6-4 junior forward, is averaging 6.5 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Senior guard Taylor Wurtz, the team's second-highest scorer, is out for the rest of the season after back surgery; she averaged 12.6 points and seven rebounds in the first five games.

RACHEL BLOUNT