Gophers Battle Big Ten Leader Ohio State

Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-5, 3-2) vs. 15/13 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-2, 5-0) LOCATION  Value City Arena / Columbus , Ohio DATE / TIME:  Thursday, Jan. 15 / 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT) TELEVISION:  Big Ten Network Lisa Cornwell (Play-by-play), Brenda VanLengen (Analyst) RADIO / WEBCAST:   KBEM 88.5 / Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com, (WCCO 830 AM, joined in progress) Corbu Stathes (Play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analyst)   Golden Gopher Watch List — Jan. 15, 2009 • Golden Gophers Travel to Ohio State on Thursday - Minnesota travels to Columbus , Ohio , on Thursday, Jan. 15, to face Big Ten leader Ohio State . Tip off is set for 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT). The Golden Gophers look to rebound from a disappointing loss at Iowa in their last outing. • BTN Televises Ohio State Game - The Minnesota / Ohio State game will be broadcast live by the Big Ten Network . Lisa Cornwell and Brenda Van Lengen will call the action. Each the Gophers' road games in the Big Ten will be or have been covered by live television on live internet streaming. • Ellis-Milan Leading the Gophers in Big Ten Play - Ashley Ellis-Milan has been the Golden Gophers' most consistent performer in Big Ten action this season. She leads the team averaging 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per Conference game. Ellis-Milan recorded double-doubles in three of the first five Big Ten games this season. • Alumni Sunday - The Gophers will welcome its alumni back for Alumni Sunday on Jan. 18. Deb Hunter will be honored with a banner in Williams Arena and Gopher Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its 2009 class.   Gophers Travel to Ohio State on Thursday Minnesota travels to Ohio State on Thursday, Jan. 15, in the Golden Gophers' second road trip on a row. The game tips off at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT). The Gophers look to rebound from a disappointing 74-57 loss at Iowa on Sunday and own a record of 11-5 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play. No. 15/13 Ohio State leads the Big Ten with a perfect 5-0 mark and is 14-2 overall. Minnesota / Ohio State Game Televised Live The Minnesota / Ohio State game will be broadcast live by the Big Ten Network . Lisa Cornwell and Brenda Van Lengen will call the action. Great Coverage on the Road Each of Minnesota 's 10 road games in Big Ten play have been or will be either televised or streamed live on the internet. The Illinois game was televised by CBS and the game at Penn  State on Feb. 5 will be streamed on the bigtennetwork.com website. The remainder of the games are BTN television broadcasts. This extensive coverage marks the first time in Gopher history that every Conference road game is available in the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, the down side of the great coverage on the road is having only three home games televised in Williams Arena. Keeping Knocking on the Door The Gophers have never tasted victory in Columbus , whether it be in Value City Arena or in the Buckeyes' former home St. John's Arena. Minnesota is 0-23 on the Buckeyes' home court. Last year, Minnesota finally broke through to capture a win at Penn State . The only sure-tested way to win in Columbus is to lace up the sneakers and keep knocking on the door. Ellis-Milan Doubling-Up Effort in Big Ten Play Junior center Ashley Ellis-Milan has been the Golden Gophers' most consistent performer in Big Ten action this season. She leads the team averaging 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per Conference game. Ellis-Milan recorded double-doubles in three of the first five Big Ten games this season and has improved her field goal percentage to a solid 51.1 percent against Big Ten opponents. Overall, Ellis-Milan has posted 19 double-doubles in her Golden Gopher career. Jumping Up The Assists List Brittany McCoy jumped past three former Gophers to leap from seventh to fourth on the Minnesota career assists list. McCoy's 315 assists vaulted past Debbie Hilmerson, Holly Thompson and Janel McCarville, who all collected 314 assists during their Gopher careers. Teammate Emily Fox is third on the list with 353. Back to Class on Tuesday Minnesota's game versus Michigan is the Gophers' eighth and final game between the Fall and Spring semesters. Classes resume on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Big Ten Defensive to Start the Season The Big Ten is known as a physical league. Starting the Conference season where experienced coaches know so much about their Big Ten opponents, the statistics are revealing just how important team defense is this season. Only one team, Indiana, is averaging over 70 points per Big Ten game and barely over mark at 73.0 points per game. Amazingly nearly half the teams - five ( Michigan State , Michigan , Northwestern, Wisconsin and Illinois ) - are averaging less than 60 points a game this season in Conference play. So, This Only Makes Sense Ohio State is leading the Big Ten and tops the stat sheet in team defense allowing just 47.0 points a game. Surprisingly, however, Illinois - yet to win a Big Ten game this season - ranks third at 55.2 points allowed an outing. Minnesota checks in fifth at 60.2, with Michigan just below them at 60.4 points allowed. Buford One of the Big Ten's Top Rookies Gopher rookie Kiara Buford is averaging 11.7 points per game when she sees 20 or more minutes of action. Buford's latest 20-minute outing was a 12-point performance at Iowa . Averaging 8.6 points per Conference game, Buford is currently the Big Ten's second-leading freshman scorer behind Purdue's Brittany Rayburn (9.0). Ohm Firing on Record Pace From Long Range Katie Ohm has been sensational from behind the arc this season. Her 45 three-point field goals in on record pace to set Minnesota 's single-season record of 73 (Lindsay Lieser, 2001-02; and Shannon Schonrock, 2004-05). Ohm has 14 more three-point field goals made than her nearest Big Ten competitor. Ohm has netted three or more three-pointers in nine games this season. Voigt One of Four Big Ten Rookie Starters Minnesota forward Jackie Voigt is one of four true freshmen in the Big Ten to earn a spot in the starting lineup of their respective teams for the opening games of the Conference season. The 6-1 forward has started all 15 games for the Gophers this season. Other rookie starters around the Big Ten are: Fabiola Josil ( Illinois , guard), Brittany Orban (Northwestern, forward) and Samantha Prahalis ( Ohio  State , guard). Emmy Continues Climb Up Scoring Chart Emily Fox started her season in 13th on the Minnesota all-time leading scorers list and is currently 11th with 1,247 career points. Looking ahead, Fox's next target on the list in 10th place is Ellen Kramer (1987-91) with 1,336 points. It Starts With the Defense Minnesota has used its pressure defense to force opponents into an average of 20.1 turnovers a game. In seven games this season, the Gophers have snagged 10 or more steals. Extra Opportunities A team can win some games if they enjoy continuous success in this statistic - turnover margin. Minnesota   with a ratio of +4.25 owns a ratio of over twice that of its nearest Big Ten rival - Indiana at +2.00. In easy terms, Minnesota 's defense is giving its offense extra possessions to the tune of over four a game. Coaches Love This One Minnesota's starting backcourt of Brittany McCoy and Emily Fox are ranked first and second in the Big Ten statistics in a very important, but under-appreciated stat of assist-to-turnover ratio. McCoy checks in with a ratio of 1.72 with 79 assists and 46 turnovers. Fox has 65 assists to 40 turnovers for a 1.63 assist/turnover ratio. The duo enjoyed their best collective outing versus Boston College , combining for 13 assists without a single turnover. In their last outing, the McCoy/Fox duo teamed for 14 assists and four turnovers. Closing in on Century Mark For Record Third Time Brittany McCoy is closing in on adding the 2008-09 as her third consecutive season with 100 or more assists. McCoy has 79 assists averaging 4.9 dishes a game, which ranks second in the Big Ten. The Gopher junior is already the only player in school history to dish out 100 or more assists as both a freshman and sophomore. Scouting Ohio State No. 15/13 Ohio State leads the Big Ten with a 14-2 record and a perfect 5-0 Conference mark. The Buckeyes, who have only lost to nationally ranked Auburn and North Carolina , come into Thursday's game on an eight-game winning streak. Leading the way for the Buckeyes is the 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year, sophomore center Jantel Lavender. Lavender tops the conference in scoring at 21.2 points and rebounds at 11.5 boards a game. The Buckeyes have added one of best freshman in the nation to their already talent-laden roster in Samantha Prahaulis. Prahaulis' average od 6.3 assists per game is the best in the Big Ten. Coach Jim Foster Ohio State head coach Jim Foster is in his seventh season with the Buckeyes and sports a 166-43 record. Overall, Foster is in his 31st year as a head coach and owns a record of 670-270. The Minnesota / Ohio State Series Ohio State owns a dominating 46-9 advantage in the series with Minnesota . The Buckeyes have not lost at home to the Gophers in 23 games. The series was split last year, each team winning on their home court.