Gophers women’s basketball team takes on Penn State in return to Big Ten play

Before leading scorer Mara Braun and top reserve Taylor Woodson were hurt, the Gophers women’s basketball team looked better, deeper and ready to take another step after marching to the WNIT final last season under first-year coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

Even with those injuries, the Gophers (12-1) could still be better as they prepare to resume Big Ten play against Penn State on Saturday afternoon.

Key players from a team that was one of the youngest in the conference last season are a year older. That list would include point guard Amaya Battle, forward Mallory Heyer, center Sophie Hart and guard/forward Grace Grocholski, a member of the Big Ten’s all-freshman team last season.

Grad transfers Annika Stewart — who has led or tied for the team lead in scoring in five games — and Alexsia Rose have provided depth and experience. Freshman Tori McKinney, who moved into the starting lineup after Braun was hurt, has exceeded expectations, scoring in double figures in seven of eight starts, shooting nearly 50% overall and better than 40% on three-pointers.

But in a Big Ten that is burgeoning — both literally and figuratively — have the Gophers done enough to keep pace?

“People always say every game is a battle,” Plitzuweit said. “But [in the Big Ten] every game is a championship-level game. Every opponent is so dang tough. It’s remarkable.”

Last year’s Gophers finished 20-16 overall, but they were 5-13 in the Big Ten, struggling down the stretch after Braun’s first foot injury. They lost by 56 at home to Penn State at the end of the regular season last year, forced to play without both Braun and Hart because of injuries.

The Big Ten sent seven teams to the NCAA tournament last season: three (Iowa, Indiana, Ohio State) to the Sweet 16 and one (Iowa) to the title game.

And the 2024-25 Big Ten is bigger and better.

USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington have joined the conference. In the most recent AP poll, UCLA was ranked No. 1, USC No. 4. The Bruins are undefeated, the Trojans feature Juju Watkins, ready to vie for the title of best college player in the nation with Caitlin Clark having moved into the WNBA.

The Gophers play both back to back on the road in late January and early February.

The conference’s growth to 18 teams has resulted in a schedule that has the Gophers playing only one opponent (Wisconsin) twice. And while Wisconsin is projected to be a lower-level team, the Gophers have lost their past four games vs. the Badgers.

Bottom line: The Big Ten is brutal.

Seven teams are in the Top 25. Twelve are in the NCAA’s top 40 in net rating, with the Gophers at 33.

Every week during the season, ESPN’s Charlie Creme puts out a projected field for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. In his most recent update, Creme had 12 conference teams in the field, with USC and UCLA getting No. 1 seeds, Maryland a No. 2, and Ohio State a No. 3. He has the Gophers as one of the final four teams in the field, getting an 11th seed and playing a first-round game.

It is difficult to gauge how good the Gophers are. They won 12 nonconference games by an average of 31.6 points, winning by 41 or more three times and by 29 or more eight times.

But in a Big Ten-opening loss at ranked Nebraska the Gophers lost by 19 in a game that was essentially over after the first quarter.

The Gophers will have to be better prepared Saturday.

The upcoming stretch of games could be crucial. Minnesota hosts Penn State, travels to Wisconsin, then hosts Illinois and Rutgers. All four teams are ranked below the Gophers in the NCAA net ratings. A strong start could put the Gophers on good footing when the schedule grows more difficult; a five-game stretch starting in late January into February has the Gophers playing USC, UCLA, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State.

Stewart lamented the injuries of Braun and Woodson.

“But it’s a part of it, and I hope that can just bring us closer together,” she said. “If we just play together, find that toughness, that’s going to take us so much further.”

To Plitzuweit, the keys are resilience — weathering difficult times — and becoming more efficient at scoring.

Through 13 games the Gophers have allowed the fewest points (49.8 per game), are tied for second in opponents’ field-goal percentage (43.5%), are second in three-pointers made per game (7.77) and are sixth in both rebounding and steals among Big Ten teams.

Can that translate into conference play?

“It’s an opportunity,” Battle said. “We can have fun with that, too. But definitely staying tough, staying together, that will help us throughout the Big Ten season.”

TV, radio: Big Ten Network, 96.7-FM

Gophers update: The Gophers may be looking to atone for last year’s conference regular-season finale, a 90-34 loss at home to Penn State that tied for the second-biggest margin of defeat by the program since the 1974-75 season. Backup center Annika Stewart leads healthy Gophers in scoring (11.7) and has led or tied for the team lead in scoring in five of 13 games. Freshman guard Tori McKinney has averaged 12 points, shot 51.6% overall and 45% on three-pointers in eight starts. Junior forward Mallory Heyer has scored in double figures in four of her past five games. In her past three, she has averaged 13 points, and seven rebounds, shot nearly 60% overall and made four of eight three-pointers.

Nittany Lions update: Much like the Gophers, it’s difficult to assess the Lions, considering only two of their nonconference opponents have winning records. After opening the season 8-0, Penn State has gone 1-3, with losses to St. John’s, Indiana and Kansas — teams with a combined 29-7 record. The loss to Kansas was by just three points. Sophomore 6-6 center Gracie Merkle is third in the Big Ten in scoring (20.3), shooting 66.9% and averaging 9.7 rebounds. On the outside, guard Moriah Murray (15 points per game) is shooting 42.7% on three-pointers and is first in the conference in threes made per game (3.7).