BIG Game 9: Minnesota Gophers Host Wisconsin Badgers Jan. 25

[WinMinGophers!]

Wisconsin Badgers have a new coach this season Robin Pingeton and look to be on the upswing in recent games after some rough seasons.

Badgers beat #24 Nebraska last Wednesday. Gophers beat Oregon on the road.

Minnesota showed they could beat Michigan (current AP poll #7) and nearly did. Gophers took Maryland to 2 OTs.

Hard to know if Wisconsin's recent strength is for real. Badgers could be underrated dangerous.

Minnesota has a terrific defense and the better team under Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit despite some questions about the Gophers offense.

NET RANKINGS

Minnesota: 16
Wisconsin: 71


Listen:

https://gophersports.com/watch/?Live=5762&type=Live

Live Stats:

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gophersports.com

• Time: Sunday, Jan 25, 2 p.m. CST

FROM GOPHERS WEBSITE
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's basketball team (13-6, 4-4 Big Ten) returns to Williams Arena for Alumni Day on Sunday to host Wisconsin (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten). Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT and will stream live on B1G+ with Marisa Cate and Blythe Whealy. Fans can also tune in on KFAN+ 96.7 FM or the iHeartRadio app with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist.

Minnesota (13-6, 4-4 Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten)
Stream: B1G+ (Marisa Cate, Blythe Whealy)
Tip Time: 2 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM, and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)
Location: Williams Arena
Promotions: Help us welcome back our Gopher Women's Basketball Alumni as we take on Wisconsin in a Border Battle
matchup! Stay seated during halftime as we recognize our Gopher greats.
FREE REPLICA JERSEY!: The first 250 UMN Students will get a FREE Gold Basketball Replica Jersey!

STARTING FIVE

• The Golden Gophers return to Williams Arena before hitting the road again to take on Penn State on Wednesday in University Park.
• Last Wednesday, Minnesota defeated Oregon 65-60 for the first time in program history. Grace Grocholski, Amaya Battle, and Sophie Hart combined to score 53 of the Maroon and Gold's points.
• Sunday's game is Alumni Day. Minnesota will be welcoming back and honoring 77 Golden Gopher alumni from the different eras of Minnesota women's basketball.
• Grocholski was 8-10 from the field, marking her second game this season shooting 80% or better. At Drake, Grocholski shot 88.9%.
• Tori McKinney set a season high eight rebounds and career high seven defensive boards against the Ducks.
• Braun and Grocholski have each reached 1,000 career points this season. With those milestones, Minnesota now has three active 1,000-point scorers, including Battle. Brylee Glenn is nearing the mark with 917 career points.

WISCONSIN SERIES HISTORY

• Minnesota leads the all-time series against Wisconsin 49-40.
• The Gophers are 24-16 at Williams Arena, 21-20 on the road and 4-4 at neutral sites.
• Last season, Minnesota picked up two victories over Wisconsin and carries a two-game winning streak in the series.

WHERE THEY RANK

• Minnesota is ranked No. 16 in the NET and is one of nine Big Ten teams in the top 25. The Gophers also received one vote in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
• Minnesota leads the nation with 11 games holding opponents to 50 points or fewer. No other team has more than nine such games, and the next-closest Big Ten team is Maryland with seven.
• The Gophers' 1.50 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks ninth nationally and third in the Big Ten.
• Minnesota's scoring defense is allowing 54.3 points per game, ranking No. 11 nationally and first in the conference.
• The Maroon and Gold rank No. 2 nationally and first in the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per game, averaging 10.7.

THE ORIGINAL G-MONEY

• This season, Grace Grocholski leads Minnesota with 261 points and 13.7 points per game.
• The guard-forward is shooting 50% from the field, 46.2% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free throw line. She is one of four Big Ten players to post those numbers, along with Nebraska's Britt Prince and UCLA's Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens.
• Grocholski ranks seventh nationally and third in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage.
• She also ranks sixth in the conference in 3-pointers made (48) and fifth in 3-pointers made per game (2.53).
• She ranks second on the Gophers' roster with 49 assists.
• Against No. 7 Maryland, Grocholski knocked down a career-high nine 3-pointers on her way to a career-best 31 points, tying for the second-most 3-pointers made in a single game in program history.

BATTLE TIME

• Amaya Battle is one of only two active NCAA players with more than 1,000 career points, 600 career rebounds and 500 career assists.
• Battle has recorded 1,337 points, 662 rebounds and 552 assists. Olivia Miles is the only other player to reach those marks.
• Along with Battle, Rachel Banham is the only other Golden Gopher to record at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 600 rebounds.
• Battle ranks fourth all time in career assists in Minnesota's record book.
• This season, the Hopkins, Minn., native is one of two Big Ten players, along with Michigan State's Kennedy Blair, to record at least 134 rebounds, 72 assists and 27 steals.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

• University of Minnesota signee Tori Oehrlein became only the second girls' basketball player in Minnesota State High School League history to surpass 5,000 career points.
• In a victory over Ogilvie on Friday, Jan. 16, the Crosby-Ironton senior point guard scored 50 points to reach the milestone.
• Oehrlein now has 5,085 points, surpassing Braham's Rebekah Dahlman, whose record had stood since 2013.
• Natalie Kussow became Waukesha County's all-time leading scorer Jan. 17, surpassing future teammate Grace Grocholski.
• Following signing day, Kussow was named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year preseason watch list.

Similar preview from the Badgers:

Starting Five: Badgers ready for Border Battle | Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin hits the road to face the Golden Gophers

uwbadgers.com

I made this thread because nobody else did. Anyone else can do this next week or whenever. I assume between us we will get this done.




Amaya Battle for Minnesota



BELOW HAS INFORMATION FROM GOOGLE AI (MAY HAVE INACCURACIES)

Incoming star Tori Oehrlein of Crosby Ironton, Minnesota


Tori Oehrlein is widely regarded as a top national prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. She is a highly decorated recruit with consensus rankings among the top 60 players in the country.

National & State Rankings

• 247Sports: Ranked as a 5-star prospect and the No. 37 overall recruit in the nation for the class of 2026.
• ESPN (HoopGurlz): Ranked as a 4-star prospect and No. 58 nationally.
• Prep Girls Hoops: Ranked No. 56 nationally.
• Minnesota Ranking: She is consistently rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Minnesota, trailing only Kentucky commit Maddyn Greenway.

Prospect Profile & Scouting
Oehrlein is considered a "super-recruit" due to her rare combination of size, scoring ability, and basketball IQ. Scouts and coaches highlight the following attributes:

• Positional Versatility: At 5'11", she has the size to play multiple guard and wing positions. While she plays point guard in high school, her "modern day game" allows her to play on or off the ball at the collegiate level.
• Elite Scoring & Vision: She became the all-time leading scorer in Minnesota girls' basketball history in January 2026. Coaches also laud her as a "remarkable passer" with exceptional court vision and a high leadership coefficient.
• Immediate Impact: Analysts project her to be an immediate contributor in the Big Ten, specifically noting her defensive preparedness and "sharp-shooter" abilities from deep.

Incoming Star Natalie Kussow of Arrowhead High School, Wisconsin

Signee Natalie Kussow Named To 2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year Preseason Watch List​

As of 2026, Natalie Kussow is widely regarded as a 5-star prospect by several major recruiting services. She is currently the highest-ranked recruit in the Minnesota Gophers' 2026 class. Her rankings across major platforms are as follows:

• 247Sports: Ranked as a 5-star prospect and the No. 23 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite.
• ESPN (HoopGurlz): Ranked as the No. 40 player in the country.
• Other Platforms: Ranked as the No. 16 recruit by espnW and the No. 29 player by Prospects Nation.

Career Highlights

• State Ranking: She is the consensus No. 1 ranked recruit in Wisconsin for the class of 2026.
• Gatorade Player of the Year: Named the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.
• Scoring Records: In January 2026, she became the all-time leading scorer in Waukesha County history, surpassing future Gopher teammate Grace Groholski.
• Watch Lists: Named to the 2025-26 Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year preseason watch list.

 

[Gopher Mac]

Headline does not match article but otherwise nice article. Oregon?

 

[WinMinGophers!]

Headline does not match article but otherwise nice article. Oregon?

I did edit that. Timing as you posted. Feel free anyone to point out errors. Between us collaborating we will get this done. Thanks for pointing it out, feedback welcome.

 

[Cobra]

I really want to watch this game, but the fact that the broadcast is only available on B1G+ means I’ll have to follow along on game cast.
Not having this rivalry game on The Big Ten Network or FS1 is a really poor decision.

 

[DietCokeFan]

Thanks for putting this together.

Need to guard the 3 point line, Badgers shoot a lot!
Next three are must wins! Can’t have any bad losses! Let’s go!
Looks like a Quad 2 opportunity for Gophers.