Preview: The Gophers and Northwestern split during the regular season, each team winning at home. ... Northwestern lost four of its final five regular-season games, beating only the Gophers during that span. The Gophers lost five of their final six games.
The Gophers will win because ... Katie Loberg was limited to 16 minutes because of foul trouble in a 62-55 loss at Northwestern on Feb. 20. Loberg, 6-4, is capable of matching up with Northwestern's 6-5 senior center Amy Jaeschke, who scored 21 points in the victory over Minnesota. ... The Gophers were 4-6 in Big Ten games after adding freshman Kionna Kellogg to the starting lineup. ... Kiara Buford, who leads the Gophers in scoring with a 15.2 average, is capable of lifting the team to a victory.
The Gophers will lose because ... Jaeschke will prove too tough for anyone to handle. The senior is No. 8 nationally in scoring (22.3 ppg) and averages 3.3 blocks a game. ... The Gophers were last in the Big Ten in scoring in conference games (60.2 points per game), field-goal percentage (38.3) and three-point field goal percentage (30.5). ... The Wildcats have superior scoring depth, with four players averaging in double figures.
DENNIS BRACKIN
