Jan. 4, 2012

Northwestern (10-4, 0-1) vs. Minnesota (9-1, 1-1)
Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill. • 7 p.m.
Streaming Video: BTDN
Gametracker: NUsports.com
Radio: WNUR, 89.3 FM
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE

Northwestern1.5.12GameNotes

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following a bye in the first week of the Conference season, Northwestern eagerly returns to action at 7 p.m. Thursday night when it hosts Minnesota in its Big Ten home opener. The Wildcats did play once last week to debut the Conference season, falling at Iowa on Dec. 30.

Minnesota enters Thursday's game with a mark of 9-7 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. The Gophers dropped their opener at Purdue but rebounded with a big win over Indiana Sunday.

After Thursday's game, the Wildcats (10-4, 0-1) hit the road, taking their bags to Indiana and Ohio State for the next two contests. The game in Bloomington will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.

Last Time Out...
Freshman Karly Roser registered a career-best 14 points but it was not enough to supply Northwestern a victory, as the Wildcats dropped a 86-55 decision at Iowa Friday night. Kendall Hackney chipped in 12 points.

Opponent Profile
Minnesota Golden Gophers
2011-12 Record: 9-7, 1-1
Series History: Northwestern leads, 32-28
Last Meeting: 2011; Northwestern, 53-44
About Minnesota: Northwestern has won three out of the last four and four out of the last six meetings between the two squads. Minnesota most recently defeated Indiana, 84-43 in Minneapolis but lost its lone Big Ten opener on the road against Purdue, 57-53. The Golden Gophers are still looking for their first win on the road (0-3). In fact, the Gophers did not travel out of the state of Minnesota the entire month of November. The Gophers have one nonconference opponent in common, in North Dakota State. Both squads disposed of the Bison handily.

Dangerous Duo
Kendall Hackney and Morgan Jones have been two busy Wildcats this year. The pair have combined for 47 percent (444/937) of Northwestern's offensive production and are first and third, respectively, on the team in rebounding.

Roser On The Rise
According to the most recent NCAA statistics, (1.3.12), freshman Karly Roser ranks 12th in the nation in assists per game (6.0). Roser is second in the Big Ten in that category. The Canadian turned in a career-best 14 points while adding a pair of assists in the Wildcats' Big Ten opener at Iowa last Friday.

Wildcats In The RPI
In the most recent edition (1/3/12) of both the Collegiate Basketball News' RPI (Rating Percentage Index) report as well as the inaugural NCAA RPI, Northwestern ranks 30th in the nation. Only four Big Ten teams rank ahead of the Wildcats, in Michigan (9th), Ohio State (14th), Purdue (23rd) and Penn State (26th).

More And More On Morgan
Morgan Jones is the only freshman to appear in the Big Ten's top-15 leading scorers, coming in 11th with 14.9 ppg. She also is tied for fifth the Conference in three-pointers made per game (2.2) and is seventh in assists (3.9 apg).

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