Northwestern University Athletics
Big Ten Unveils 2015-16 Women's Basketball Opponents
8/27/2015 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – A 30-game regular-season campaign awaits Northwestern with today's release of the Big Ten schedule. The Wildcats are prepared for their challenging list of opponents, which features 18 league matchups, including nine conference contests at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Season tickets are on sale now for Northwestern's 2015-16 campaign and can be ordered by clicking here or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE. Season tickets cost just $49, while youth are $29. A $99 season-ticket family plan also is on sale, granting admission to two adults and three children for each game.
The #B1GCats are coming off a season that saw a 23-9 overall record, which marked the program's most victories since the 1995-96 season. NU received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and, in February 2015, entered the Associated Press top-25 poll for the first time since 1996.
The 'Cats non-conference schedule, which was release earlier this week, can be found here.
Big Ten Opponents - Scouting Report
Penn State: The Lady Lions finished the 2014-15 season with a 6-24 overall record and a 3-15 mark in Big Ten Play. NU last faced Penn State on Jan. 25, but the Nittany Lions walked away with a 76-75 win. PSU is 34-6 all time against the 'Cats and currently hold a nine-game wining streak against Chicago's Big Ten Team. Penn State welcomes five newcomers to the 2015-16 roster and will return six players, led by lone-senior Candice Agee.
Nebraska: Point guard Rachel Theriot, who missed Nebraska's final 11 games of 2014-15 with an ankle injury, is expected to be the Huskers' lone returning starter in 2015-16. Nebraska finished the year with a 21-11 record and a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Syracuse. Theriot is expected to be joined by two-time Nebraska Gatorade Player-of-the-Year Jess Shepard. The 6-4 forward was the No. 1 post player and No. 3 overall recruit in the nation according to ESPN last year. NU has won the last two meetings against the Huskers.
Purdue: Purdue completed the 2014-15 season at 11-20 overall and 3-15 in Big Ten Conference play. Head coach Sharon Versyp is six wins away from her 200th at Purdue and 12 shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in Boilermaker women's basketball history. Last season, Northwestern defeated Purdue on the road in a thrilling overtime victory.
Michigan State: The Spartans closed out the 2014-15 season with a 16-15 overall record, and fell to the eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Maryland in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats faced the Spartans twice last season, defeating MSU in both matchups. The first win against Michigan State during the 2014-15 slate snapped a 20-game losing streak against the Big Ten opponent.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes return all five starters from a team that won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2010. Kelsey Mitchell, who was the National Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Co-Player of the Year, was the first freshman to ever lead the NCAA in scoring. She will be joined in the backcourt by two-time first team All-Big Ten honoree Ameryst Alston. OSU lost in the Big Ten Tournament Championship round to Maryland. The Wildcats faced the Buckeyes just once last season and gave Ohio State one of just five Big Ten losses.
Maryland: Maryland won a school-record 28 straight games and went 18-0 in its first season in Big Ten play. Head coach Brenda Frese was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and also led the Terrapins to their first Big Ten Tournament title. The Terps also advanced to the NCAA Final Four the second straight year and will return three starters to the 2015-16 roster. The Wildcats faced Maryland once in the regular season and then again in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Minnesota: The Gophers made their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance last season after posting a 23-9 overall record, its most wins since 2004-05. Amanda Zahui B. became the first Gopher to be named to the Associated Press (AP) All-America first team and was drafted by the Tulsa Shock in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Northwestern holds a 35-31 advantage in the all-time series against Minnesota. The Wildcats faced off against the Gophers on Feb. 1, 2015, and held their opposition under 50 points.
Indiana: The Hoosiers went 15-16 overall last season and won just five Big Ten games. Northwestern has won five of the last seven meetings against Indiana, including a 75-69 win on Feb. 5, 2015. The Hoosiers finished 12th in the conference and will return four starters to the 2015-16 roster.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes closed the season with a 26-8 record overall, a runner-up finish in Big Ten Conference play with a 14-4 mark, and a No. 11 national ranking in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll -- the highest for the program since 1995-96. Iowa made its eighth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1996.
Illinois: The Fighting Illini finished the 2014-15 season 10th overall in the Big Ten with a 15-16 season record. The Wildcats edged the Illini, 68-67, in the teams' lone match up last season. Northwestern has won six of the last nine matchups against Illinois.
Rutgers: Rutgers finished tied for fourth with Northwestern in the conference standings after closing out the year with a 23-10 overall record in its inaugural Big Ten season. The Wildcats defeated the Scarlet Knights during the regular-season and then once again in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Rutgers made its 24th NCAA appearance last season, but fell to top-seeded UConn in the second round.
Wisconsin: The Badgers wrapped up the 2014-15 season with a 9-20 record, including a 5-13 mark in the Big Ten Conference for their most conference wins since 2011-12. Wisconsin returns eight letterwinners and three starters this season, including its top-three scorers. UW returns 72.2 percent of its scoring and 54.1 percent of its rebounding for next season. The Badgers will also have the addition of two transfers as well as Michaela Crall and Roichelle Marble, who missed the season due to injury. Chicago's Big Ten Team went 2-0 against the Badgers last season and currently own a five-game winning streak in the series.
Michigan: Michigan is coming off its fourth straight 20-win season after making a run to the 2015 WNIT semifinals. The squad welcomes back leading scorer and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Katelynn Flaherty. Northwestern went 1-1 against U-M last season and currently holds a 37-31 advantage in the all-time series.
Season tickets are on sale now for Northwestern's 2015-16 campaign and can be ordered by clicking here or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE. Season tickets cost just $49, while youth are $29. A $99 season-ticket family plan also is on sale, granting admission to two adults and three children for each game.
The #B1GCats are coming off a season that saw a 23-9 overall record, which marked the program's most victories since the 1995-96 season. NU received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and, in February 2015, entered the Associated Press top-25 poll for the first time since 1996.
The 'Cats non-conference schedule, which was release earlier this week, can be found here.
| 2015-16 Women's Basketball Schedule | |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | at Penn State (University Park, Pa.) |
| Sunday, Jan. 3 | vs. Nebraska |
| Thursday, Jan. 7 | vs. Purdue |
| Sunday, Jan. 10 | at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.) |
| Thursday, Jan. 14 | vs. Ohio State |
| Sunday, Jan. 17 | at Maryland (College Park, Md.) |
| Wednesday, Jan. 20 | at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.) |
| Sunday, Jan. 24 | vs. Indiana |
| Thursday, Jan. 28 | at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sunday, Jan. 31 | vs. Iowa |
| Thursday, Feb. 4 | at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.) |
| Sunday, Feb. 7 | vs. Minnesota |
| Wednesday, Feb. 10 | at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.) |
| Sunday, Feb. 14 | vs. Maryland |
| Wednesday, Feb. 17 | vs. Penn State |
| Saturday, Feb. 20 | at Wisconsin (Madison, Wisc.) |
| Tuesday, Feb. 23 | vs. Michigan |
| Sunday, Feb. 28 | at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.) |
Big Ten Opponents - Scouting Report
Penn State: The Lady Lions finished the 2014-15 season with a 6-24 overall record and a 3-15 mark in Big Ten Play. NU last faced Penn State on Jan. 25, but the Nittany Lions walked away with a 76-75 win. PSU is 34-6 all time against the 'Cats and currently hold a nine-game wining streak against Chicago's Big Ten Team. Penn State welcomes five newcomers to the 2015-16 roster and will return six players, led by lone-senior Candice Agee.
Nebraska: Point guard Rachel Theriot, who missed Nebraska's final 11 games of 2014-15 with an ankle injury, is expected to be the Huskers' lone returning starter in 2015-16. Nebraska finished the year with a 21-11 record and a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Syracuse. Theriot is expected to be joined by two-time Nebraska Gatorade Player-of-the-Year Jess Shepard. The 6-4 forward was the No. 1 post player and No. 3 overall recruit in the nation according to ESPN last year. NU has won the last two meetings against the Huskers.
Purdue: Purdue completed the 2014-15 season at 11-20 overall and 3-15 in Big Ten Conference play. Head coach Sharon Versyp is six wins away from her 200th at Purdue and 12 shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in Boilermaker women's basketball history. Last season, Northwestern defeated Purdue on the road in a thrilling overtime victory.
Michigan State: The Spartans closed out the 2014-15 season with a 16-15 overall record, and fell to the eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Maryland in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats faced the Spartans twice last season, defeating MSU in both matchups. The first win against Michigan State during the 2014-15 slate snapped a 20-game losing streak against the Big Ten opponent.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes return all five starters from a team that won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2010. Kelsey Mitchell, who was the National Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Co-Player of the Year, was the first freshman to ever lead the NCAA in scoring. She will be joined in the backcourt by two-time first team All-Big Ten honoree Ameryst Alston. OSU lost in the Big Ten Tournament Championship round to Maryland. The Wildcats faced the Buckeyes just once last season and gave Ohio State one of just five Big Ten losses.
Maryland: Maryland won a school-record 28 straight games and went 18-0 in its first season in Big Ten play. Head coach Brenda Frese was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and also led the Terrapins to their first Big Ten Tournament title. The Terps also advanced to the NCAA Final Four the second straight year and will return three starters to the 2015-16 roster. The Wildcats faced Maryland once in the regular season and then again in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Minnesota: The Gophers made their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance last season after posting a 23-9 overall record, its most wins since 2004-05. Amanda Zahui B. became the first Gopher to be named to the Associated Press (AP) All-America first team and was drafted by the Tulsa Shock in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Northwestern holds a 35-31 advantage in the all-time series against Minnesota. The Wildcats faced off against the Gophers on Feb. 1, 2015, and held their opposition under 50 points.
Indiana: The Hoosiers went 15-16 overall last season and won just five Big Ten games. Northwestern has won five of the last seven meetings against Indiana, including a 75-69 win on Feb. 5, 2015. The Hoosiers finished 12th in the conference and will return four starters to the 2015-16 roster.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes closed the season with a 26-8 record overall, a runner-up finish in Big Ten Conference play with a 14-4 mark, and a No. 11 national ranking in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll -- the highest for the program since 1995-96. Iowa made its eighth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1996.
Illinois: The Fighting Illini finished the 2014-15 season 10th overall in the Big Ten with a 15-16 season record. The Wildcats edged the Illini, 68-67, in the teams' lone match up last season. Northwestern has won six of the last nine matchups against Illinois.
Rutgers: Rutgers finished tied for fourth with Northwestern in the conference standings after closing out the year with a 23-10 overall record in its inaugural Big Ten season. The Wildcats defeated the Scarlet Knights during the regular-season and then once again in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Rutgers made its 24th NCAA appearance last season, but fell to top-seeded UConn in the second round.
Wisconsin: The Badgers wrapped up the 2014-15 season with a 9-20 record, including a 5-13 mark in the Big Ten Conference for their most conference wins since 2011-12. Wisconsin returns eight letterwinners and three starters this season, including its top-three scorers. UW returns 72.2 percent of its scoring and 54.1 percent of its rebounding for next season. The Badgers will also have the addition of two transfers as well as Michaela Crall and Roichelle Marble, who missed the season due to injury. Chicago's Big Ten Team went 2-0 against the Badgers last season and currently own a five-game winning streak in the series.
Michigan: Michigan is coming off its fourth straight 20-win season after making a run to the 2015 WNIT semifinals. The squad welcomes back leading scorer and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Katelynn Flaherty. Northwestern went 1-1 against U-M last season and currently holds a 37-31 advantage in the all-time series.
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