u women's gameday

8:30 P.M. VS. Purdue • BTN, 1500-AM

Minnesota (22-8, 11-7 Big Ten): The No. 6 seed in the tournament, the Gophers ended the regular season with losses at Nebraska and Iowa after winning five consecutive games. They have a 7-20 record in the Big Ten tournament and have advanced to the title game once, in 2005. The Gophers split with Purdue this season, winning 81-68 on the road on Jan. 1 and losing 90-88 in overtime at home on Jan. 22. Sophomore C Amanda Zahui B., named Big Ten player of the year by the media earlier this week, is 23 rebounds away from breaking the single-season Big Ten and program record of 394 rebounds she set last season.

Purdue (11-19, 3-15): The 14th-seeded Boilermakers had lost 10 games in a row before defeating No. 11 seed Wisconsin 58-56 in the tournament's first round Wednesday, on April Wilson's layup with three seconds left. Purdue rallied from a nine-point deficit to win for the first time since defeating the Gophers on Jan. 22 at Williams Arena. The Boilermakers are led by senior forward Whitney Bays, who is averaging 14.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.

RACHEL BLOUNT