3 p.m. vs. Cornell • BTN Plus, 96.7-FM

Big Red is another visitor in a series

Preview: Coming off their first-ever meeting with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, the Gophers take on Cornell for the first time. Cornell, which was 7-20 last season, has won back-to-back games since opening the season with a 72-61 loss on Nov. 9 at Binghamton. After defeating Albany 48-34 at home on Nov. 12, the Big Red defeated Massachusetts-Lowell 63-54 at home on Nov. 17. The Gophers (4-0), playing the third of six consecutive home games, are coming off an 84-42 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday at Williams Arena.

Players to watch: The Big Red has four Minnesotans on the roster. Two are starters — Danielle Jorgenson, a junior point guard from Orono, and Laura Bagwell-Katalinich, a junior forward from Holy Angels. Jorgenson is averaging 9.7 points and three assists per game, and Bagwell-Katalinich is averaging 11.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Freshman forwards Theresa Grace Mbanefo (Blaine) and Annika Hoff (Northfield) are Cornell's other Minnesotans. Gophers junior F Taiye Bello is averaging 16.8 rebounds per game after a career-high 19 on Tuesday.

Numbers: Cornell coach Dayna Smith is the second-longest-tenured active coach (16 seasons) in the Ivy League and the winningest coach in program history (175 victories). The Gophers are off to a 4-0 start for the fourth consecutive season and fifth in the past six.

JOEL RIPPEL