Advertisement

Women's basketball Game 19 preview: Minnesota at Illinois, 2 p.m. Sunday

joe vozzelli, the news-gazette, champaign-urbana, ill.
·5 min read

Jan. 28—Lineups

Illinois (8-10, 2-6 Big Ten)

Starters

G Makira Cook Sr. 5-6 13.9 Cincinnati

G Genesis Bryant Sr. 5-6 14.8 Jonesboro, Ga.

G Adalia McKenzie Jr. 5-10 9.8 Brooklyn Park, Minn.

F Kendall Bostic Sr. 6-2 12.3 Kokomo, Ind.

C Camille Hobby Sr. 6-3 8.3 Jacksonville, Fla.

FYI: The Illini have averaged 88.4 points in their eight wins this season . But in the Illini's 10 losses, Shauna Green and Co. have put up only 62.9 points a game, with four games in which Illinois finished with fewer than 60 points, including a 67-59 loss to No. 12 Ohio State on Thursday night at State Farm Center.

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

F Brynn Shoup-Hill Jr. 6-3 4.2 Goshen, Ind.

G Gretchen Dolan Fr. 5-11 3.7 Buffalo, N.Y.

G Kam'Ren Rhodes So. 5-6 1.9 Chandler, Ariz.

Minnesota (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten)

Starters

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Amaya Battle So. 5-11 10.5 Hopkins, Minn.

G Mara Braun So. 6-0 17.7 Wayzata, Minn.

F Mallory Heyer So. 6-1 10.0 Chaska, Minn.

G/F Grace Grocholski Fr. 5-10 11.0 North Prairie, Wis

C Sophie Hart Jr. 6-5 9.9 Farmington, Minn.

FYI: Braun is one of 10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, which recognizes the top small forward in Division I women's basketball. The Wayzata, Minn., native ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (17.7), third in made three-pointers per game (2.9) and first in the league in free-throw percentage (94.8 percent).

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Janay Sanders Gr. 5-11 5.3 Charlotte, N.C.

F Niamya Holloway R-Fr. 6-0 3.3 Eden Prairie, Minn.

G Maggie Czinano Jr. 6-0 3.2 Watertown, Minn.

Details

Site: State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.

Radio: Mike Koon will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM & 93.9-FM.

Streaming: BTN Plus (subscription).

Series: Illinois leads 41-31.

Last meeting: Illinois won 69-62 on Feb. 5, 2023, in Champaign.

FYI: The Illini have won five of their last seven games against Minnesota, including a season sweep last winter during Shauna Green's first year as coach. Makira Cook led Illinois in both wins last season with a pair of 20-point games, while Adalia McKenzie finished one rebound short of a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds in the seven-point Illinois win at State Farm Center.

Beat writer Joe Vozzelli's storylines

On the cusp of turnaround moment?

Shauna Green reiterated again after Thursday night's loss to No. 12 Ohio State how proud the second-year Illinois coach was of the progress the Illini have made since an 84-48 Big Ten-opening loss to Michigan on Dec. 10. But that Illinois hasn't seen that translate to wins really comes down to how the Illini have continued to mostly look disjointed offensively. Three straight games of 80 or more points against Northwestern, Rutgers and Maryland — a stretch where the Illini went 2-1 — doesn't mask over what has been inconsistent shooting numbers for Illinois through 18 games, with the Illini second to last in the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage (31.9). "I really try to look at the positive side of all this because you have to," Green said. "We've never quit because we still believe. We know we're playing with all these top teams. We know we're right there. "

Dolan carving out a role after Peebles injury

A majority of Jada Peebles' minutes now that the fifth-year senior guard is out for the season with an Achilles injury was always likely to go to Gretchen Dolan. The freshman guard was the closest approximation to what Peebles brought to the Illini as a spark off the bench. That Dolan has averaged 25.0 minutes in the three games since Peebles was injured at Northwestern shows the trust Green has developed in the 5-foot-11 wing player. "I'm really happy with how she's playing and defensively. I think that's the biggest thing," the Illinois coach said. "I knew she could score, but we had her on (Ohio State's) Cotie (McMahon) sometimes. She's guarding some of the best players on opposing teams, and she's doing it fairly well."

Youth movement in Minneapolis for Gophers

Minnesota has 11 underclassmen on its 15-player roster with three sophomores and one freshman in its starting five, making it one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. But interestingly enough, that relatively young group still returned 55.9 percent of the Gophers' scoring from last season's 11-19 team, the last one under fired coach Lindsay Whalen. The sophomore group of Amaya Battle, Mara Braun and Mallory Heyer has made a combined 132 starts among them in a Minnesota uniform ahead of playing Illinois on Sunday in Champaign. Still, a key reason the Gophers have already surpassed their win total from last season is the improvements Minnesota has made at the defensive end. The Gophers rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (59.9 points allowed), fourth in opposing field-goal percentage (38.9) and first in fouls committed per game (11.3).

The News-Gazette's Pick

Illinois 67, Minnesota 64

That the Illini are 6-4 at home this season after finishing 12-3 in Champaign last winter is just another way in which Illinois has regressed. The Illini have five more home chances this season. With the exception of Northwestern on Feb. 8, none are going to be easy to put in the win column. The Gophers have followed the same script Illinois did last season with a quick turnaround under a first-year coach in Dawn Plitzuweit . Minnesota has been OK away from Williams Arena in its limited opportunities. But Tuesday night's 59-56 loss at Wisconsin showed the Gophers are vulnerable on the road. Can the Illini take advantage? (N-G prediction record: 12-6).