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University of Illinois Athletics

Tauja Catchings needs one more steal to reach 200 in her career, which is second-most at Illinois.

Women's Basketball

Illini Host Northwestern

Women's Basketball

Illini Host Northwestern

Feb. 10, 2000

RV/#25 Illinois (17-8, 7-4)
vs. Northwestern (6-15, 3-6)


Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill.

The Series
Illinois trails Northwestern in the all-time series 31-11. With their 82-65 win this season, the Illini have won four out of the last five meetings. Last year, the Illini split a pair of decisions with the Wildcats, defeating NU 74-55 in Evanston, Ill., before suffering a 76-73 setback at Assembly Hall. UI is 7-13 in Champaign against Northwestern. From 1992-97, the 'Cats won nine straight games and are currently tied for ninth in the Big Ten with a mark of 3-8.

Earlier this year vs. Northwestern
Illinois stopped a three-game skid with an 82-65 victory over Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. Allison Curtin led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the field, and Susan Blauser commanded the UI boardwork with eight rebounds. Tauja Catchings hit 8-of-11 for 19 points and snared six boards. Shavonna Hunter chipped in 14 points and dished out seven assists. Karen Hagberg came off the bench to tally eight points and seven rebounds. Illinois shot 48.3 percent from the floor (29-of-60) and went 74.2 percent from line, knocking in 23-of-31.

Illinois-Northwestern by the numbers

                 Illinois    Northwestern
Record               17-8    6-15
AP Ranking             RV    NR
ESPN/USA Today        #25    NR
Points               76.6    54.1
Opponent Points      67.4    68.8
Rebound Margin       +0.8    +1.0
Turnovers             468    473
Opp. Turnovers        563    314
Assists               369    309
Steals                263    127
Field Goal .Pct      .438    .39
Opp. Field Goal .Pct .397    .442
Free Throw .Pct      .711    .560
3-Point .Pct         .295    .344
Opp. 3-Point .Pct    .296    .347

Probable Illini Line-up

Pos. No. Name            Ht.   Yr. PPG   RPG  APG
G    4   Shavonna Hunter 5-7   Fr. 8.1   3.0  3.3
G    10  Allison Curtin  5-11  So. 17.8  6.5  2.4
F    33  Susan Blauser   6-2   Sr. 15.1  7.1  1.7
F    12  Tauja Catchings 6-1   Sr. 11.9  7.5  2.3
F    00  Kylie Martin    6-2   Sr. 10.5  4.8  1.9

Reserves

Pos. No. Name            Ht.   Yr. PPG   RPG  APG
G    11  Suzanne Curtin  5-8   Fr. 1.0   0.3  0.0
G    22  Kristi Faulkner 5-7   Fr. 5.3   1.2  0.7
F    24  Holly Wilson    6-2   So. 2.1   1.1  0.3
F-C  32  Karen Hagberg   6-3   Fr. 1.5   1.5  0.1
F    52  Dawn Vana       6-2   So. 4.2   2.7  1.1

Last Time Out
The Illini defeated the Minnesota Gophers 81-49 at Assembly Hall last Sunday. Allison Curtin led all scorers with 22 points, going 8-of-13 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line. For the second consecutive game, Tauja Catchings recorded a double-double, producing 17 points and 10 rebounds. Equaling her teammate's effort on the boards with 10 caroms, Susan Blauser chipped in nine points. Coming off the bench and coming into her own, Karen Hagberg tallied nine points and pulled down five rebounds. As a team, the Illini shot 50 percent from the floor, hitting 14-of-28 in each half, and 84 percent from the charity stripe, draining 21-of-25.

Catchings one steal from milestone
Tauja Catchings defines the term complete player. Over the last four years, Catchings has scored points on drives, lay-ups, fast breaks, and yes, even a few three-pointers. The 6-2 senior has guarded the opposing team's top perimeter player, made sweet passes and hit free throws.

With just one more steal, Catchings would become the only Illinois player in history with 1,300 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals. Her 199 steals rank second only Jill Estey's 246 on the all-time list. In addition to steals, Catchings ranks eighth in scoring (1,367), seventh in assists (312) and sixth in rebounds (755) heading into tonight's game.

Pokemon Day slated for Feb. 20
The latest craze across the nation is the Pokemon phenomenon. Now your child can take part in Pokemon Day Feb. 20 at Assembly Hall. The first 1,000 kids entering the Assembly Hall will get a free Pokemon card, and a special Pokemon trading center will be set up on the upper concourse.

The Pokemon promotion is part of "Stuff the Hall" Day for the 2 p.m. game with Ohio State. Currently over 13,000 tickets have been sold of that game

WDAN/Danville Day Feb. 20
Illinois affiliate WDNL and the Fighting Illini Scholarship Fund are co-sponsoring Danville Day at for the Illinois-Ohio State game on Feb. 20. Tickets are being given away each day on both WDAN and WDNL and are available to the public at the several locations around Danville.

A special luncheon, a visit from Illini coaches and a tour of the facilities, including the Ubben Basketball Practice Facility is also being offered to residents of Danvile and the surrounding area. Tickets for the event, which includes a ticket to the game, is $15 and can be purchased by calling 217-333-8851.

Illini on Board
When Illinois hits the glass, it usually comes up with a win. The Illini own a record of 12-3 when they outrebound their opponents, while they are only 5-5 when their opponents grab more boards. The team has bucked that trend over the past four games. The Illini were outrebounded 44-36 in the win against Minnesota and 47-41 in the victory at Northwestern. The team took the loss at Michigan after outrebounding the Wolverines 41-36.

Hagberg Emerges
Virtually lost at the end of the bench early in the year, Karen Hagberg has become a key contributor for the Illini in the second half of the season. Over the last four games, the freshman from Palatine, Ill., has averaged 22 minutes, nine points, 6.3 rebounds and 70.6 percent from the line. In 32 minutes against Michigan State, Hagberg earned her first career double-double, recording career highs in points with 15 and rebounds with 10.

Career Milestones approaching
Susan Blauser needs 43 points for 1,500, 49 rebounds for 800, 15 assists for 200, 20 blocks for 100 overall, 123 points for 1,000 at Illinois, 79 for 500 rebounds at Illinois, 38 blocks for 100 at Illinois

Tauja Catchings needs 33 points for 1,400, 45 rebounds for 800, 37 field goals for 550, 38 assists for 350, 1 steal for 200, 32 blocks for 100

Allison Curtin needs 154 points for 1,000, 36 rebounds for 300, 6 assists for 150, 22 steals for 150, 16 field goals for 300

Shavonna Hunter needs 18 assists for 100, 38 steals for 100, 7 assists to tie Melissa Parker for third on the all-time freshman list

Kylie Martin needs 65 points for 700, 6 rebounds for 400, 8 steals for 100.

Bench Scoring Production

Opp.              FG-FGA    .PCT
Western Mich.     30-112    .268
Okla. State        16-77    .208
UC-Santa Barbara    7-61    .115
Boston College     11-73    .151
Duquesne           27-80    .338
Notre Dame         15-77    .195
UConn              22-79    .278
Texas              18-84    .214
Illinois State     14-80    .175
DePaul             16-74    .216
Kansas             34-61    .557
UCS-Northridge      8-88    .091
Colorado           18-70    .257
Ohio State         10-63    .159
Georgia            12-82    .146
Wisconsin          15-80    .188
Iowa                3-86    .035
Indiana            13-91    .143
Penn State          9-66    .136
Michigan           11-69    .159
Purdue              0-55    .000
Mich. State        21-82    .256
Michigan            2-10    .200
Minnesota           6-17    .353

Illini Double-Doubles

Susan Blauser (9 - career, 3 - this season):
20 points, 18 rebounds vs. Stanford (11/19/98), 21P, 13R vs. Valparaiso (12/21/98), 29P, 13R vs. Wisconsin (12/30/98), 16P, 11R vs. Penn State (1/22/99), 15P, 11R vs. Iowa (2/21/99), 15P, 10R vs. Clemson (3/14/99), 13P, 11R vs. Cal State-Northridge (12/21/99), 24P, 12R vs. Georgia (1/2/00), 12P, 14R vs. Indiana (1/9/00). Tauja Catchings (21 - career, 6 - this season): 21 points, 11 rebounds vs. Penn State (2/2/97), 11P, 12R vs. Wisconsin (2/21/97), 14P, 11R vs. Puerto Rico-Maya (11/28/97), 11P, 11R vs. Providence (11/29/97), 12P, 10R vs. SW Missouri State (12/10/97), 13P, 10R vs. Tennessee (12/12/97), 16P, 14R vs. North Carolina (3/21/98), 10P, 10R vs. Wagner (11/22/98), 18P, 12R vs. Washington (12/6/98), 10P, 14R vs. Ohio State (1/8/99), 16P, 11R vs. Northwestern (1/10/99), 10P, 12R vs. Purdue (1/18/99), 16P, 11R vs. Michigan (2/12/99), 16P, 14R vs. Wisconsin (2/19/99), 32P, 11R vs. W. Michigan (11/15/99), 15P, 11R vs. UCSB (11/21/99), 19P, 13R vs. Wisconsin (1/4/00), 18P, 12 R vs. Penn State (1/13/00), 14P, 11R vs. Michigan (2/3/00), 17P, 10R vs. Minnesota (2/6/00)

Karen Hagberg (1 - career, 1 - this season):
15 points, 10 rebounds vs. Michigan State (1/30/00).

Shavonna Hunter (1 - career, 1 - this season):
13 points, 10 steals vs. Kansas (12/18/99)

National Girls and Women in Sport Day
The "National Girls and Women in Sport Day" is scheduled for Wednesday, February 9 across the country. On the UI campus, a luncheon forum will be presented to young girls from throughout Champaign County featuring UI coaches, administrators and student-athletes.

On Thursday, February 10, "National Girls and Women in Sport Day" will be celebrated at the Northwestern game, in conjunction with Green Meadows Girl Scout Council. Local Girl Scouts will present the color guard, as they do at every UI women's basketball game, as well as perform the national anthem. At halftime, Green Meadows Girl Scout Council Executive Director Ellen Greaves will present "Women of Distinction in Sport" honors to three women >from the University of Illinois. Every UI women's intercollegiate athletics squad will also appear at halftime for on-court recognition. Over 900 girl scouts will be in attendance.

Super Sophomore
Leading the team in point production, Allison Curtin has been in double figures in 13 of the last 14 games. In those 14 contests, Curtin has scored 20 or more points six times. Averaging 17.8 ppg, the Taylorville Tornado has totaled 446 points on the year. With five regular season games remaining, she needs 154 to reach 1,000 points for her career.

Honor Among Thieves
Allison Curtin is a prime example of why records are meant to be broken. Last year, she led the team with 60 steals, breaking the freshman record set by Tauja Catchings. This season, Shavonna Hunter came along and rewrote Curtin's mark with 62 swipes. Curtin still reigns supreme in the steals department with 68 on the season and needs 28 to eclipse Jill Estey's record of 95, which was established during the 1991-92 season.

Just Fine From The Line
Illinois is making freebies count this season. The Illini have had more free throw attempts than their opponents 17 times this season and recorded 16 wins in those games. The only loss came at the hands of No. 5 Penn State, who got to the stripe 30 times to the Illini's 18. As a team, Illinois is depositing 466-of-655 for 71.1 percent and their opponents are shooting 69.8 percent, hitting 360-of-516. Over the last eight games, the team owns a free throw percentage of .766 and have drained 39-of-44 (.886) in the last two games. Since the start of the Big Ten play, Tauja Catchings and Allison Curtin have increased their production from the line. Catchings is 55-of-67 (.821) from the line since the Ohio State game while Curtin is 39-of-48 (.813) in the same stretch. For the season, Catchings is 74.6 percent (97-of-130) and Curtin is 82.3 percent (102-of -124) from the line.

Big Ten Road Success
With wins at Indiana and Iowa, Illinois could tie its best Big Ten road record in school history. A look at the conference road record through the years: 

1983-84    2-7 (6-12)
1984-85    2-6 (7-11)
1985-86    3-6 (12-6)
1986-87    5-4 (11-7)
1987-88    1-8 (3-15)
1988-89    1-8 (6-12)
1989-90    0-9 (5-13)
1990-91    1-8 (6-12)
1991-92    1-8 (6-12)
1992-93    2-7 (7-11)
1993-94    1-8 (5-13)
1994-95    1-7 (3-13)
1995-96    3-5 (6-10)
1996-97    5-3 (12-4)
1997-98    4-4 (12-4)
1998-99    4-4 (10-6)
1999-00    3-3 (7-4)

Big Ten Records Last Four Years

Purdue           46-13
Illinois         41-18
Penn St.         38-21
Michigan         32-26
Mich. St.        32-27
Iowa             31-28
Wisconsin        31-28
Indiana          22-35
Ohio St.         21-36
N'western        20-37
Minnesota        5-54

Indiana Game on ESPN2
The Big Ten announced its two Wild Card TV games the last two Sundays of the regular season. Illinois at Indiana will be aired on ESPN2 beginning at 1 p.m. CST on Feb. 27. Pam Ward and Vera Jones-Soleyn are the announcers. Fox Sports Net Chicago has chosen the Michigan at Michigan State game for Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. CST.

UI-Northwestern on FSC
The Northwestern-Illinois game is the fourth game this year for the Illini on Fox SportsNet Chicago. Dave Eanet and Amy Prichard are on the call. Illinois is 1-2 in those games, having defeated Wisconsin, 80-74, and lost to Michigan (86-69) and Purdue (76-66). FSC will broadcast all Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal and semifinal round games live.

Melissa Parker makes radio debut
Melissa Parker will make her radio debut Thursday vs. Northwestern. Parker will team with Dave Loane and Tom Michael for the broadcast. Parker joins play-by-play man Mike Koon for the game at Iowa.

Parker, Schock Reunited
In 1996 and 1997, Elgin High School, led by the tandem of Leslie Schock and Melissa Parker, made successive runs in the state tournament series, losing to Freeport as juniors, then advancing to the state tournament as seniors. In their four years, the Maroons won four consecutive conference titles (losing just one game in the Upstate Eight Conference), four regional titles and three sectional championships.

Schedule one of the toughest
Illinois' schedule is ranked the 12th toughest according to the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Despite eight losses, the Illini currently sit 21st in the RPI rankings. The Illinois schedule includes two teams from last year's Final Four -- Georgia and Purdue.

Illinois has defeated two of the top five ranked teams in the Associated Press rankings -- No. 3 Georgia and No. 5 Notre Dame. Other Illinois opponents in the Top 25 are No. 1 Connecticut, No. 6 Penn State, No. 12 UC-Santa Barbara, No. 15 Purdue, No. 19 Boston College and No. 23 Kansas.

Illinois is 4-3 vs. ranked teams this season having defeated No. 18 Boston College (73-42), No. 6 Notre Dame (77-67), No. 20 Kansas (61-59), and No. 5 Georgia (82-65). The Illini have lost to No. 14 UC-Santa Barbara (71-61), No. 1 Connecticut (100-79) and No. 5 Penn State (76-66).

Olkowski, Grentz renew friendship
Northwestern coach June Olkowski was an All-American for Rutgers during its national championship run in 1982. Olkowski played for Illinois coach Theresa Grentz. Olkowski's #45 jersey is retired by Rutgers.

This is the fourth meeting between Grentz and Olkowski. Grentz' Rutgers team defeated Olkowski's Arizona team, 77-54 in 1988. Grentz' Illinois squad split games with Olkowski's Butler Bulldogs with the Illini winning 94-62 in 1996-97 and Butler coming out on top 81-65 last season. The Illini won the meeting with the Wildcats, 82-65 in Evanston on Jan. 23.

Home court advantage
Illinois is quietly building its home court winning streak back. After a 91-78 loss to Stanford on Dec. 14, 1997, the Illini won 18 games in a row at home. The Illini went 3-2 in the final five matches of the season in 1998-99 and now have won 13 of the first 15 games in Champaign this year. That gives the Illini 34 wins in their last 38 home games.

  • In that stretch, Illinois has been simply dominating, outscoring opponents 3025-2416 for an average winning margin of 79.6-63.6 (That includes the four losses).
  • It has also included an 8-2 record against ranked teams at home. The victims have been No. 22 Purdue (78-76), No. 11 Wisconsin (83-75) and No. 21 Colorado (88-48) in 1997-98, No. 13 Florida (97-77), No. 17 Penn State (94-85) and No. 24 Ohio State (79-73) last season, and No. 18 Boston College (73-42) and Notre Dame (77-67) this season.
  • Of those 34 wins, 25 have been by double digits and 15 have been by at least 20 points.

Illinois players earn four BTPOW
Illinois has earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors this year in women's basketball. Senior Tauja Catchings shared the honor on Jan. 10 with Andrea Garner of Penn State. That was the second time in three weeks that Catchings had earned that distinction.

Catchings totaled 65 points, 29 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in victories over Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana. She posted her 18th career double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds at Wisconsin. She then recorded 20 points and eight rebounds against Iowa and 26 points and 8 rebounds vs. Indiana.

The native of Buffalo Grove, Ill., shot 50 percent (22 of 44) from the field and got to the free-throw line 27 times, making 21 (.778) this week.

Catchings earned the honor following a 28-point, 8-rebound performance against Cal State-Northridge (Dec. 21). The 6-2 senior was 9 of 12 from the field, 1 of 1 from three-point land and 9 of 12 from the free-throw line. Catchings also added two assists and two blocks.

Freshman Kristi Faulkner earned BTPOW after scoring 19 points and hitting the game-winning shot in the 61-59 win over 20th-ranked Kansas. With 4:25 remaining in the game, Illinois trailed the Jayhawks, 55-50, but thanks to Faulkner, Illinois went on a 9-0 run. Faulkner hit a driving lay-up then nailed a 22-foot jumper with 3:38 left to tie the game at 55-55.

Although Illinois took a four-point lead with under two minutes to play, the Jayhawks responded by scoring the next two baskets to tie the score. Faulkner came through with a running jumper from nine feet with just 2.7 seconds left. Faulkner had a career day -- 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 3 of 6 from three-point range. The native of Glen Ellyn added two assists and three rebounds in a season-high 24 minutes of action.

Allison Curtin collected 22 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the WNIT consolation game win against No. 18 Boston College. Curtin followed that with 16 points in a lopsided victory at Duquesne. To top it all of off, she tallied 28 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the team's upset of No. 6 Notre Dame. She shot 57 percent from the free-throw line for the week and averaged 22 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Illinois adds to its "Player of the Year" reputation
Illinois has added to its status of garnering the Player of the Year in several states. Already this year's squad includes former Illinois Ms. Basketball Tauja Catchings (1996) and Allison Curtin (1997) as well as Gatorade Player of the Year Dawn Vana (1998).

Next year's recruiting class includes Brenda Blackburn, a 6-6 center from Ardmore Okla., Anne O'Neil, a 5-11 guard from Cedar Rapids (Kennedy High School), Iowa, Aminata Yanni, a 6-1 senior forward from Machesney Park, Ill., and Yolanda Smith, a 5-10 guard from Rantoul, Ill., and a sophomore at John A. Logan College. In addition to their athletic accomplishments, the class has also excelled in the classroom.

With O'Neil and Yanni, the Illini have two players ranked in the Top 15 in the country according to girl's basketball experts. O'Neil is ranked the seventh-best senior in the country by the All-Star Girl's Report and Women's Basketball Journal. Basketball News , meanwhile, lists O'Neil No. 12 and Yanni No. 23. Columnist Steve Tucker says that O'Neil and Yanni are each the best prospect in their respective states.

Although Grentz has coached other 6-6 players in the past, the coach calls Blackburn the "most mobile player of that size that she has ever had." Blackburn scored 276 points to go along with 176 rebounds and an incredible 114 blocked shots (or 4.2 per game) and a 59 percent field-goal percentage in 1998-99.

Smith gives Illinois five members of the News-Gazette All-State Team on the roster along with Allison Curtin, Kristi Faulkner, Shavonna Hunter, and Dawn Vana.

Illinois in the National Rankings

                  AP       USA Today/ESPN
Pre-season        12            12
Nov. 15           13            12
Nov. 22           15            15
Nov. 29           10            13
Dec. 6            17            20
Dec. 13           19            20
Dec. 20           18            20
Dec. 27           17            20
Jan. 2            15            16
Jan. 9            12            13
Jan. 16           13            12
Jan. 23           21            18
Jan. 30           23            21
Feb. 7            RV            25

Illini in the Big Ten Rankings

  • Individual Scoring -- Allison Curtin, 3rd (17.8), Tauja Catchings, 7th (15.5), Susan Blauser, 15th (13.8).
  • Individual Rebounding -- Tauja Catchings, 5th (8.0), Susan Blauser, 7th (7.8).
  • Individual Field Goal Pct. -- Susan Blauser, 6th (.498), Allison Curtin, 7th (.483).
  • Individual Free Throw Pct. -- Allison Curtin, 2nd (.823).
  • Individual Steals -- Allison Curtin, 4th (2.72), Shavonna Hunter, 6th (2.48).
  • Blocked Shots -- Susan Blauser, 6th (1.16)
  • Team Scoring -- 2nd (76.6)
  • Team Scoring Defense -- 7th (67.4)
  • Team Scoring Margin -- 3rd (+9.2)
  • Team Free Throw Percentage -- 3rd (.711)
  • Team Field Goal Percentage -- 4th (.438)
  • Team Field Goal Defense -- 5th (.397)
  • Team 3-Point Shooting -- 11th (.295)
  • Team 3-Point Defense -- 3rd (.296)
  • Team Rebounding Margin -- 9th (+0.7)
  • Team Steals -- 2nd (10.52)
  • Turnover Margin -- 3rd (+3.80)
  • Assist/Turnover Ratio -- 4th (0.79)

The Grentz Gang
All youth eighth grade and under are admitted free to all Illinois home games when wearing any kind of uniform. The first 250 kids will be allowed to sit behind the basket in Sections AA 19-20 as part of the "Grentz Gang."

Parker, Dallas Suffer Season-Ending Injuries
For the third time, Cindy Dallas has torn her anterior cruciate ligament. An MRI taken on Nov. 24 revealed the tear. For the second straight season, Dallas has been impressive in her early action. Last year she scored 14 points and had eight rebounds against Wagner. She tore her ACL four games into last season.

This year Dallas was 8 of 9 from the field for 22 points in an exhibition win over Viktorija before leaving the game. She sat out the Western Michigan and Oklahoma State games, but was cleared to play vs. UC-Santa Barbara. She reaggravated the injury and an MRI following the game revealed the tear. Dallas had surgery last month and has begun rehabilitation

Melissa Parker was hit in the head twice during the Cal-State Northridge game. She had suffered head injuries during her high school days and was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. After return visits to the neurologist, Parker's condition hadn't improved. The decision was made not to take a chance of returning to the line-up.

Seniors Stepping Up
Since the Ohio State game, seniors Susan Blauser and Tauja Catchings have averaged over eight rebounds a game. In the 12 games, Blauser has corralled 98 boards (8.2 rpg) while Catchings has totaled 103 rebounds (8.6 rpg). Over the past six games, Blauser has blocked at least two shots a game, averaging 2.3 blocks a contest. She has compiled 29 blocks on the year.

Big Ten Tourney Info
The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Thursday, March 2 through March 5. Single session tickets for all seating locations went on sale Feb. 1. Tickets can be purchased at all TicketMaster ticket centers by calling (317) 239-5151 or ordering on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. For a ticket brochure, e-mail isc@indianasportscorp.com or send your name and address to: Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, c/o Indiana Sports Corporation, Pan American Plasa, 201 South Capitol Avenue, Suite 1200, Indianapolis, Ind., 46225. Ticket information is also available at the Illinois Athletic Ticket Office by calling (217) 333-3471.

Bus Available to Illinois Fans for Road Trips
The Courtsiders, the booster group for the Illinois Women's Basketball team, sponsors a bus to road games. The information for the remaining trips:

Feb. 13 at Iowa, $40
Leaves at 8:30 a.m. for 2 p.m. game. Includes game ticket
Feb. 27 at Indiana, $25
Leaves at 9:30 a.m. for a 1 p.m. game. Includes game ticket
Big Ten Tournament, $20
Time TBA. Will leave from Champaign and return to Indianapolis each day.
Does not include ticket to the game.

Big Ten Tournament Schedule (All Times CST)
(Parings if the season ended today)

Thursday, March 2
#8 (Ohio State) vs. #9 (Iowa), 3 p.m.
#7 (Indiana) vs. #10 (Northwestern), 5:30 p.m.
#6 (Wisconsin) vs. # 11 (Minnesota), 8 p.m.

Friday, March 3
#4 (Illinois) vs. #5 (Michigan State), 11 a.m. (FSC)
#1 Penn State vs. Game 1 winner, 1:30 p.m. (FSC)
#2 (Michigan) vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m. (FSC)
#3 (Purdue) vs. Game 3 winner, 7:30 p.m. (FSC)

Saturday, March 4
Semifinal #1 (4-5 winner vs. 1-8-9 winner), 3 p.m. (FSC)
Semifinal #2 (2-7-10 winner vs. 3-6-11 winner, 5:30 p.m. (FSC)

Sunday, March 5
Championship Game, 6 p.m., ESPN2

The remaining schedule for the top five seeds:
Penn State:
-vs. Purdue Feb. 13
-at Indiana Feb. 17
-at Northwestern Feb. 20
-vs. Minnesota Feb. 24
-at Ohio State Feb. 27

Purdue:
-vs. Indiana Feb. 10
-at Penn State Feb. 13
-at Michigan State Feb. 17
-vs. Michigan State Feb. 24
-vs. Iowa Feb. 27

Michigan:
-vs. Indiana Feb. 13
-vs. Wisconsin Feb. 17
-at Michigan State Feb. 20
-at Iowa Feb. 24
-vs. Northwestern Feb. 27

Illinois
-vs. Northwestern Feb. 10
-vs. Wisconsin Feb. 24
-at Indiana Feb. 27
-at Iowa Feb. 13
-vs. Ohio State Feb. 20

Michigan State:
-at Wisconsin Feb. 13
-vs. Purdue Feb. 17
-vs. Michigan Feb. 20
-at Purdue Feb. 24
-at Minnesota Feb. 27

ISN at seven stations for women's basketball
The Illini Sports Network includes seven stations from across the state which carry University of Illinois women's basketball on the airwaves:

WDWS-AM 1400, Champaign
WHOW-AM 1520, Clinton
WHOW-FM 95.9, Clinton
WDAN-AM 1490, Danville
WPRS-AM 1440, Paris
WTIM-AM 1410, Taylorville
WTAX, AM-1240, Springfield

Illinois Practice Schedule
Wednesday, February 9 --- 3-5 p.m.
Thursday, February 10 -- 2-3 p.m. (Assembly Hall)
Friday, February 11 -- 3-5 p.m.
Saturday February 12 -- Noon-2 p.m.
Sunday, February 13 -- 9-10 a.m. (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
Monday, February 14 -- OFF
Tuesday, February 15 -- 7-9 a.m. or 3-5 p.m.
Wednesday, February 16 - 3-5 p.m.
Thursday, February 17 -- 3-5 p.m.

Personally speaking...

  • Susan Blauser is the fashion queen on the team, while Blauser is second only to Tauja Catchings for the most passionate shopper.
  • Tauja Catchings' father, Harvey, played 11 years in the NBA from 1974-85 with Philadelphia, New Jersey, Milwaukee, and the L.A. Clippers.
  • Allison and Suzanne Curtin are the second and third oldest of nine children. Older brother, T.J. is 21 and attends Illinois. The other six younger children of Fred and Mary Curtin -- Danny (16), Meredith (14), Candace (12), Keith (8), Joe (6), and Mary Kate (1). The Curtins live on a farm near Stonington, Ill.
  • Kristi Faulkner is a fourth generation college athlete. Father, Todd, played shortstop for Princeton from 1967-70. Her grandfather played forward on the basketball team and shortstop on the baseball team for the University of Rochester from 1940-43, and her great-grandfather ran track for the University of Wisconsin.
  • Karen Hagberg is a strong environmentalist, majoring in environmental science.
  • Dawn Vana was the first female to play varsity baseball in Illinois High School history.
  • Holly Wilson's uncle, J.C. Wilson, was a cornerback for the Houston Oilers from 1978-84.

Illini 2000 by the Numbers

  • 0 Illinois players with 1,300 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists, and 200 steals before today.
  • 0 Illinois games left against Top Five teams in Big Ten.
  • 1 Shavonna Hunter's rank on the all-time freshman steals list.
  • 2 Double-doubles by UI freshmen this year (15 points, 10 rebounds by Karen Hagberg vs. Michigan State, 11 points, 10 steals by Shavonna Hunter vs. Kansas
  • 2 Top Five teams Illinois has defeated
  • 4 Wins over ranked opponents this year
  • 7 Big Ten wins to date
  • 11 Rank in home attendance in the nation
  • 12 School record for Big Ten wins (1996-97 and 1997-98)
  • 12 Strength of schedule rank
  • 13 Combined years current assistants have worked with T. Grentz
  • 16 First round host teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 in '99
  • 17 Blocks by Susan Blauser in the last seven games
  • 21 RPI Ranking
  • 22 Wins over ranked teams in the last four years
  • 28 Allison Curtin three-pointers all of 1999, also this year to date
  • 36 Points for Karen Hagberg in the last four games
  • 41 Big Ten wins by Illinois in last four years
  • 126 Total victory margin over Minnesota in the last six games
  • 127 Career Melissa Parker 3-pointers
  • 554 Career wins for Theresa Grentz
  • 900 Girl Scouts who will be in attendance vs. Northwestern
  • 1,000 Pokemon Cards given away on Feb. 20
  • 1,300 Fans from Taylorville at the Jan 9 game with Iowa
  • 13,000 Tickets sold for "Stuff the Hall" Day (Feb. 20)
  • 79,382 Total attendance at Assembly Hall to date
  • 81,473 Last year's record attendance
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