3:25 p.m. vs. Penn State • BTN
U seeks repeat vs. Penn State
Preview: The Gophers enter the Big Ten tournament on a six-game losing streak — including a 99-44 loss to Maryland in Sunday's finale at Williams Arena. As the No. 11 seed, they have to play on the first day of the tourney — but they draw Penn State, the No. 14-seed after going just 1-17 in regular-season Big Ten play. The Gophers won the only meeting between the teams this season, 81-74 at Penn State. The Gophers led that game by 33 points at halftime before it tightened up toward the finish.
Players to watch: Gophers freshman Sara Scalia had a team-high 22 points in the December victory over Penn State. ... Fellow freshman Jasmine Powell is averaging 17.5 points in 10 games as a starter this season. ... Junior guard Kamaria McDaniel is averaging 19.7 ppg and earlier this week was named first-team All-Big Ten by the league media. She scored 31 points in Penn State's loss to the Gophers this season to lead all scorers.
Numbers: Five different Gophers players garnered honors when league awards were handed out — led by senior Taiye Bello (consensus second-team all-Big Ten) and Powell (consensus all-freshman team).
Michael rand
